Rudolf Will Reign, Dear - Part 1: The Victorian Era
Author: John Hardinge
Date: 2019-09-16T18:00:00+00:00
Description: What if the "Man with the Iron Heart" and a steely modern day Russian tennis champion were sent back in time to 1888? Could two people taking their memories and experiences back in time, into the bodies and fused with the memories and personalities of the ill-fated pair Crown Prince Rudolf and Crown Princess Stephanie make a ramshackle Empire like that of the Hapsburg's bloom and grow again? What would be the historical changes, not only in Europe and in the Great War, but also Africa? Read and find out. Part 1 of a 2 Part ISOT series covering the Victorian Era.

November 1888-Two ISOT's, two deaths

1 May 1931, Bremen, Germany

Well the old man had finally done it. He was no longer a naval officer. It was all he had ever known from the moment it had been clear that music would no longer suffice to keep his family afloat and the prospect of working with his parents at the conservatory had dimmed. Nine years in the navy had seen him advance to Lieutenant. It was a comfortable career and had afforded him the opportunity for numerous affairs as he moved around as the service dictated.

He had met Katrin and liked her, in his own way. To be truly honest with himself, he felt like it was the time to marry and have a family. He was not so much in love with the girl as following what he saw as in his own best interests. That was what one needed to do, right? Protect one's own best interests?

"Conduct unbecoming to an officer and gentleman" they had called it. It was bullshit. So, he had broken the engagement. Lina was more to his taste, less of a field-mouse than Katrin. What use was a women who did not know her own mind? Prettier to. Now where did it leave him? He picked up the violin and payed a few melancholy notes. Well, it would all work out in the end he thought, preparing himself for bed.

It was at 5.35 he awoke. What was the matter with him? Inside, part of him was screaming in terror, yet his own body continued to move like an automaton. He saw himself reach across to his now redundant navy service jacket, move into the right pocket and emerge with the Dreyse M1907 pistol, placing it firmly against his forehead. No, an inner voice was screaming, no!

He pulled the trigger.

1 March 2016, Bradenton, Florida, United States

She held the letter from the WTA in her hands, formerly asking her to "show cause" as to why she should not be suspended. It was potentially a career ender for a 29 year old player, where a suspension could out her until age 33. It was not like she could even consider getting other girls on the tour to vouch for her or even take the fall. She was largely friendless on tour, a situation admittedly of her own making. What was the point in making friends with future enemies?

Oh, she knew she could be charming when it was required. It was not like she lacked the capacity to do so, after all. She had never been more aware of the need to perform for the general public as required or to turn on the charm enough to get what was needed out of a situation, or even to talk a guy or a girl she fancied into her bed. But friendships? She had never troubled with these to a great degree.

Looks, talent, hard work, these were tangible things, where as friendships were anything but. Ambition, power, these were tangible things. If these things were achieved, then one could then be in a position to be generous, to assist others as required under one's own terms.

The question remained as to how to deal with this? The case was open and shut. There was no escaping the basic facts. She sighed. It was best to just get on with it, acknowledge mistakes, turn on the charm as much as possible and take the licks. It could not be that long, the tour needed her after all, there was little in the way of other great rivalries.

She undressed and pulled on a short nightdress. It was after all still warm in Florida in March and she was used to cold in any case, slipping into her bed alone.

It was at 5.35 she awoke. What the fuck? It was like she was in a dream. Her heart was pounding and it seemed like a dream sequence as she reached into the bedside table, her hand emerging with the Glock 26 she kept in case of burglars. It seemed in slow motion that she brought it back up to her head and gradually pulled the trigger.

Subspace Point 123796.6754, 894578.5467, 66459021.6904, Station JH34

Elkondar walked into the main control room and saw the two bodies on the holographic view screen. One a tall blonde man in blue wool pajamas next to a small bed with black sheets, sprawled on the bottle green carpet nearby, blood slowly leaking onto it. The second a tall blonde female in a purple nightie, sprawled back onto the white bed with red stains everywhere. It was then he sensed another presence.

"Khalless, what are you doing now? Stop this infernal meddling."
"I just could not resist, no one has ever sent two back before."
"That may be so and have some merit but...."
"Besides they are perfect for each other."
"For God sake how so?"
"Well they are both ruthlessly ambitious, self contained and generally prepared to do whatever is necessary to get what they want. It's a complete change from sending back people who strive to help others first. Besides, where I am sending them one needs a man with a heart of iron."
"What place would find a use for people like that?"
"I thought perhaps they can revive 'The sick man of Europe'."
"This is not what we are meant to do here, you know that right?"
"Well, it's too late now, but no more I promise."

Elkondar heard the hum of the machinery increase slightly in intensity before the room was bathed in a dim green light. Done then. Well at least that idiot had promised that this would be the last time.

4 November 1888, Mayerling, Austro-Hungarian Empire

The most immediate sense he had even before waking fully was a body up against his own. Lina was in Hamburg. Surely he had not gotten a girl and forgotten it somehow? He turned over to see a pretty, yet voluptuous girl. Who the hell was she? For that matter where the hell was he? The huge oak four poster bed looked so different to the small pension he had slept in last night, the remains of a large fire still smouldering in the fireplace.

It did not take long to realise something was wrong. Aside from the surrounding and the unknown slumbering girl, as soon as he hit the floor he sensed something different. Somehow he seemed...less tall and his hair was a darker shade on his arms. He looked down...not the only place he had darker hair. What the hell?

There were large double doors at the end of the room. Perhaps answers could be found there. First he pinched himself. No effect. Still here. Maybe not a dream. Ok then. He pushed the door open.

"Good morning, your Imperial Highness."
He whirled around, still stark naked to the sight of a 40 or so man in an elaborate uniform.
"Who the hell are you?" Although now he thought about it, he somehow knew this man. Johann....perhaps.
"Big night last night sir. Too much Tokay. A messenger arrived for you an hour ago Your Highness."
Information overload. "A messenger from who?"
"Your father sir."
"My father?"
"Yes, your father, the Emperor Franz Joseph of Austria, you remember the one? Come on sir, we need to get you sobered up. And perhaps put some clothes on, yes?"
"The woman?"
"Baroness Mary von Vetsera. It was a bad night sir, she was here last night as well, surely you remember that?" Vaguely he could remember having sex with...someone. "Tomorrow you asked to arrange a meeting with your other favourite, Matzi Kaspar."
Dear God, what was this? Franz Joseph? He had been dead for 15 years.
"Err, Johann, my father, yes, well better get dressed. There is a bathroom in there, right?"
"Of course."
Here goes nothing.
"I was just thinking Johann. How many years since the Battle of Lissa?"
"The Battle of Lissa sir, strange thing to think about. Well that was in 1866, so let's see, 22 years ago now."
God he was starting to feel sick and for once something was defeating his famously held self control. In addition, his mouth was parched, his throat sore and he had a curious metallic taste in his mouth. He pulled open the drawer of the amour revealing a mirror and a different face than his own, all of which he promptly vomited on.

How had he gone back 42 plus years? In addition, how had he gone back into the body of another man, let alone what was seemingly Crown Prince Rudolf.

He stood there panting, sweating and naked and with the smell of vomit sour in the air. Mind you, Crown Prince Rudolf, it was a step up from a junior navy officer, a step up indeed.

4 November 1888, Hofburg, Vienna, Austro-Hungarian Empire

The most immediate sense she had even before waking fully was a body up against her own. She flew out of bed immediately. No one had been in bed with her when she went to sleep the previous night and now a possible celeb stalker was in bed with her. She stumbled and fell onto the floor. What was she wearing? It looked like an old style bed jacket from "The Sound of Music" or something. Had the creep dressed her up in some weird way? Somehow she could not resist looking over the top of the mattress to what lay beyond.

Perched in the middle of the mattress was a small girl of about about five or six with a tumble of buttermilk hair and a happy smile. "Hallo mama". The child came over and climbed into her arms.

That sounded like German in accent. Where was she and who was the kid? She heaved herself to her feet and the weight of the child seemed quite heavy. She did not feel herself and had a strange metallic taste in her mouth, enough to almost make her feel sick. What to say, what to do. "Hallo, liebchen."

Hey, that was German. This room was strange. Or was it, it was richly decorated in mainly reds, the enormous bed taking up much of the far wall with the whole suite containing expensive looking antiques. She took a deep breath. Somehow, God knows how, she had been here before.

Who was the strange child? Yet, seemingly, she knew this child from somewhere. Likewise the room. She tried to count down from ten, an exercise she had used many times before for calm during big games. Peace came 50 second later only to immediately be replaced by panic. Mentally she had done it in English, Russian, French, German and Dutch. She did not know any Dutch...

It seemed a long shot but perhaps the kid. "So, child, let's practice....erm...introductions. Who are you?"
"I am Archduchess Elisabeth Maria Henriette Stephanie Gisela of Austria". What? How? "And I am?"
"Silly mama. You are Crown Princess Stéphanie Clotilde Louise Herminie Marie Charlotte of Austria."

There had not been a Crown Princess of Austria for over 100 years. It had to be a dream. The thought of going back 100 years was simply to fantastic. She tottered out of bed and over to the mirror, turning to look at the reflection. It was nothing like the 6ft 2 inch muscly frame of an athlete with blonde straight hair that greeted her. Instead, same hair colour, but a slimmer, more delicate figure, shorter to, maybe only 170cm or less. The room started to whirl. It was the last thing she remembered before crashing to the floor.

November 1888-Heydrich and Sharapova are discovered dead

4 November 1888, Mayerling, Austro-Hungarian Empire

He had insisted on using the ottoman in the drawing room, pulling the curtains and lying down after washing his mouth out. It was mainly a device to try and gain control and lie in the dark and think. However, he must have drifted off as it seemed in no time Johann his valet was shaking him awake. Johann, yes he recognised him straight away now. He was not sure how long he had slept but now he started to push out his mind as he rose, groaning.

As he stepped into the bath, his clothes neatly piled up ready to put on, it seemed that he had possessed all of the memories of this persona, this Rudolf. Yet he maintained all his own as well. Remarkable. Whether it was the sleep or the soothing aspect of the hot bath, but the rising tide of panic had receded and now he dwelled on the more interesting aspects of his situation.

It was not like he was going to miss his old life that much. Lina perhaps. The navy had kicked him out like a dog that had piddled on the carpet. Where as here, well he was only one small step away from ruling an empire of nigh on 50 million people. Now that was something. Yes, he could make this work, his main concern now the leftover burning pain from urination. What the fuck was up there?

He dressed quickly and let his valet put on the finishing touches. "What about the young lady?" asked Johann.

What about her indeed was his most immediate thought. "Tell her I have been summoned by my father and that I will be in touch if I need her again." It wasn't the time to be bothered with pointless complications. Now to meet Franz Joseph. He stepped outside into the waiting carriage, one of the most recognisable men in the world.

4 November 1888, Hofburg, Vienna, Austro-Hungarian Empire

"Fuck". The most immediate thought she had was how much her head hurt from hitting the floor where it was not covered the the huge Turkish carpet. As she woke up she gain saw the child, Erzsi was the name that immediately came to mind looking at her with concern, large tears leaking out of her turquoise eyes. She immediately felt a bloom of guilt, although she was not sure why.

"Erzsi, how long have I been asleep?"
"Maybe ten minutes mama."

Ten minutes, yet now it all seemed clear. It was like someone had connected up a series of missing leads. OK then, so she had somehow been flung back in time. Into the body of the Austrian Crown Princess. Why? No, that was not the right question and let's just ignore how completely fucking crazy it all sounds. Think, think! Was this a bad or a good thing? It seemed like a bad one, sure, yet she had little back in 2016 either when it came right down to it. Little in the way of friends. No current relationship. She had drifted apart from her mother and her father was controlling and beginning to tire her to be about.

Yet now she had gained all the memorizes of Stephanie as well as her own. How similar their own childhoods had been under the influence of controlling fathers and largely friendless. Her marriage, child and her treatment by Rudolf. What a bastard. However, things could have been worse. She was near at the pinnacle of society and wealth in a huge empire. If only she could bring her husband to heel perhaps this may not be so bad after all.

She stepped out of the door, only to be surprised by a liveried footman. "Your highness......."

"Can you bring my maids to assist in dressing and at the same time where is my husband?"

"Yes, of course Your Highness. I do believe the Crown Prince is at the hunting lodge."

Mayerling. Of course, that Greek sow.

"Can you please let him know that I require him to see me in my chambers as a matter of urgency?"

"Err, of course."

First things first. It was time to try and shore up her own position here. She badly needed an island of stability and at the moment none existed.

Subspace Point 123796.6754, 894578.5467, 66459021.6904, Station JH34

Khaless had made all the transfers of memories and allowed the connections to opening up and stimulating unused areas of the two brains. Now all that remained was to sit back and watch the fun. He did not feel that guilty about killing both in their original time lines. The former would go on to lead a truly horrific life after 1933 or so. The later would never regain her former greatness.

2 May 1931, Bremen, Germany

Heinz Hube was more than a little annoyed. In fact, it was intolerable that this clown was still in the room at noon. He had tried at 9.00am, 10.00am and 11.00am and yet no answer. He finally used his pass key to get into the room. It was not a pleasant site that awaited him. The body sprawled near the bed, dried blood caked onto the green carpet, pistol two feet away from the corpse. He looked at the head wound. He had seen similar in the war. Definitely dead. What had he said his name was again?

He gingerly reached into the naval jacket on the nearby chair and was rewarded with a wallet. Oberleutnant zur See Reinhard Heydrich. Some non entity, obviously depressed about something, he had smelt the alcohol on him last night. He had ran a guest house for 30 years. These things happened. He looked in the wallet again. No one would miss the 100 Reichsmarks he thought.

2 March 2016, Bradenton, Florida, United States

Maria Cortez let herself in after knocking three times. This was the normal arrangement that she had with her employer, although she would have expected to see the white Porsche 911 missing if there was no answer. She had been the cleaner for some three years yet could not say she really knew her employer, who seemed to be not one for small talk. It paid well enough, though, without being extravagant. She cleaned up the kitchen and large living area, although Maria was a neat person herself so there was not to much to do.

It was when she pushed open the door to the master suite that a scene of horror met her eyes. The body, clad in only a purple nightie, thrown back on the pure white bed, with the dark red brown of dried blood everywhere.

She had gone to the en suite to throw up and then sat on the toilet for a full further ten minutes, her bowels roiling. Finally, regaining some calm, she had moved back into the bedroom to call 911. After it was done she had waited for the police to arrive. Five minutes in she begun to feel normal again and then walked back into the bedroom. She had not even checked to see if she was alive. She touched the ankle. Stiff and cold. Then she contemplated again as she thought she heard sirens. It was sick but the photo could be worth a lot. A huge amount in fact. She positioned the I-Phone to encompass the bed, the corpse, the nightie ridden up on her thighs. Yes, the police would never reveal photos of the corpse of Maria Sharapova, but the seedier publications would be interested to obtain some of a seemingly fallen celebrity, especially now it seemed like she was unemployed.

November 1888-A meeting with Franz Joseph

4 November 1888, Hofburg, Vienna, Austro-Hungarian Empire

So, this was the great Franz Joseph, he thought as the double door were closed behind them. He saw a man beginning to grey, going slightly portly and seemingly weighed down by cares. He moved himself to the nearest chair. It was not like he was feeling 100% even now.

"I did not give you permission to sit."

"I am not a ten year old boy father. No one else is here. I am sure you can say what you require to me sitting just as well as standing."

The old Emperor scowled in annoyance. "I called you here to discuss your lifestyle."

"Go ahead."

"You cannot continue to persist with this sort of dissolute lifestyle, it is hurting the image of this family and is completely unacceptable. This latest favourite is just adding more fuel to the fire and I require you to immediately distance yourself from the girl."

"Well I have grown quite fond of her, as I was briefly 'fond' of her mother a few years ago. Lovely family."

"Are you trying to be funny boy? It is imperative that you end this immediately."

"And if I was to do so father, let's say I was to end things with her, let's say I also ended things with Matsi Kaspar as well. Perhaps even go back to my shy little door-mouse of a wife, as I am sure you would like? Try for a son? What would you be willing to do for me?"

"I should not have to do anything for you in order to obtain your obedience, to get you to do your duty by the dynasty."

"Well that approach has not worked so far yet now I am offering to do exactly what you want, give up my favorites, modify my lifestyle. However, make no mistake, like it or not this is not unconditional. I do want something in return."

"What would that be?"

"I want to be appointed a Minister."

"Dear God, you must still be hung over. It's out of the question."

"I see I enjoy your usual confidence, father. What was it I heard you say when you were presented a copy of 'The Austro-Hungarian Monarchy in Word and Image.' 'My son wrote this' in shocked tones. I am not a fool father, despite your best efforts to make me one. This monarchy, this country, needs to move forward. Static ideas will not appease the poor in a multi ethnic empire and one day they will have their say. I need this to get back my life back on track. If I am going to stop drinking and whoring I need something else to focus on besides getting my wife on her back."

"What sort of minister?"

"Well a new ministry. Science and Technology. In addition, I want a second ministry. Also one that does not exist now. The Navy."

"Oh so now it's two ministry's is it? It's quite out of the question."

"Well to get things back on track I think it a small price. Otherwise, I fear I will have to find my distractions in other manners. After all, I am only following your lead father with the lovely Katherina Schratt. Plus I am sure you are aware of my 'medical condition'. Dreadful if this was released to the general public along with details and to how dissolute my life is, how dissolute your own may seem to be."

"What has gotten into you boy? Have you gone quite mad?"

"No father, I simply want a life where I can make a real difference and serve Austria properly, nothing more than that. Grant me that and I will serve you well."

Franz Joseph sat with his head in his hands. The Navy was so small it hardly mattered although what the boy thought he knew of it after an army career he had no idea. Science and Technology? Well it would not be stepping on anyone else's toes too greatly. "Alright then, come back to me in two weeks then with some definite guidelines in regards to what you wish to do with these new ministries. If it seems half way sensible I will grant your wish. In the meantime I expect a complete change of character, of dropping your liaisons and an attempt to reconcile with your wife. Agreed?"

"Agreed. Thank you father."

November 1888-Stephpova contemplations pre first Reindolf meeting

4 November 1888, Hofburg, Vienna, Austro-Hungarian Empire

She had always been one for lists, even from the early days. So, here it goes she thought. If she was going to survive here, she needed some sort of competitive edge. Being a gifted sportswomen would mean very little in 1889 Austria, particularly as an Archduchess. There was no point looking backwards, if she went to sleep one night and was catapulted back into the present well and good, if not, well then she needed to make plans. The most immediate problem was the gonorrhea her dear husband had managed to infect her with. Penicillin would help there. So, what did she bring:

1) She was used to being in charge and making her own business decisions
2) Medical knowledge. She had an excellent knowledge of sports medicine and a good knowledge of medicine in general
3) Knowledge of the timeline, what had occurred and what had failed. Perhaps the most important of all. Any fool could see that if you disenfranchise ethnic groups in a multi national empire it was a recipe for disaster. It wasn't rocket science, after all
4) Languages. She now was fluent in five and fair in Spanish as well.
5) Etiquette. Full training there.
6) She knew she had ambition and determination. That had not gone away. She was not weak, would not shrink from a challenge
7) She knew how to deal with people, manipulate or dominate them. She knew little of Austria or Rudolf, but he seemed like a weak reed that could hopefully be dominated and controlled. They would never allow her to be in control, but pulling the strings was quite possible
8) Her favorite movies and books had been war films and historical narrative, so again fair knowledge there but nothing in depth
9) Likewise science and technology. A fair knowledge of inventions of the last 128 years, but little in the way of specifics or technical data. With an IQ of 144 she did have a fair ability to retain names, dates and the like however.
10) Whilst this body was woefully underdeveloped, she had the co-ordination to be good at physical activities, so it could be developed

So, she was a mother, something she was not sure she would ever be. That was one thing out of the way. Next step was trying to gain control of Rudolf and making sure the idiot did not kill himself. That much she did remember. He killed himself sometime next year. His death would put her in an impossible situation, so that could not be allowed to happen.

In addition, the relationships she had with Franz Joseph was fair, but her mother in law hated her. Was that something worth the work or should she simply relieve the frustrations of her previous bad memories by giving as good as she got?

As for Rudolf, intimacy was out of the question, her current condition would prevent that. So what approach, fluttery and girlish or forceful take charge? Better decide quickly, the footman was announcing Rudolf.

November 1888-Reindolf gets a bruise. Reconciliation. Plans are made.

4 November 1888, Hofburg, Vienna, Austro-Hungarian Empire

She waited for him to come in and wasted no time.

"Rudolf, we need to talk, I mean really talk. I already have two horses saddled and I want to ride to the park at Schonnbrunn. Too many eyes and ears here."

Well, that is unexpected he thought, however, it might fit well with the conversation he had had with his father. "What about Erzsi? Thought you were not much for riding."

"Erzsi is fine. I can ride well enough. Come on, I have taken the liberty of arranging two horses to be ready."

The ride itself was surpassing enough, Stephanie, usually unwilling to let the horse go, setting a cracking pace during the two kilometer journey in the cold November air. Finally they were settled in front of the glassed sun-house in the gardens. What could she possibly want? He had promised a reconciliation so hopefully it was that. The blow when it came was the last thing he expected. It was with a closed fist and so hard it he was momentarily stunned.

"That is a little thank you for giving me gonorrhea my dear." Now that we have that out of the way, perhaps we can move on to what we need to do to get back some sort of relationship between us. Besides, the first thing I want fixed is said case of gonorrhea and you need to help me make it so."

Dear God, what had happened to his dear, sweet little door-mouse of a wife? Well, if this idiot really had given his wife a venereal disease, perhaps it was well justified. "There is no cure that I am aware of."

"You need to start with Louis Pasteur. He has already done work on the possible curing qualities of Pennecillium molds. You have the influence to summon him personally. Moving on, we need to reconcile, both for the sake of Erzsi and myself. Rudolf, I am not the shy young girl you married any more. l am largely friendless, your mother hates me and I have had more than enough time to dwell on my situation. You have written how change needs to be effected, yet drinking and whoring will not be likely to engender it. You need to take charge, take responsibility, prepare yourself for the big chair. It may come sooner than you think. With rising tides of nationalism only a fool would think that things can continue as they are indefinitely. Before we are swept away with the tide of change, we need to move with it." Now was probably the time she thought. "Besides, I have been so lonely these last 24 months, I have missed you, Erzsi has missed you. If we can get over our problems, we can help each other be stronger." Tears were now pouring down her face.

Well, he assessed, those views accorded quite nicely with his own. In addition, he was all alone here himself. He was comfortable enough with that, but someone close with similar goals and ambitions was always useful to have. In addition, if he succeeded his father, a functioning family unit was a must. Plus, the women was crying and he had been taught to be a gentlemen, at least outwardly.

"Steffi, it's alright. Let me tell you. I have had a meeting with my father and he has promised to confirm me as duel minister for both the Navy and Science and Technology if I can present him papers showing I have an interest and competence in those areas within two weeks. I want to regain our relationship to. It's my fervent wish." He took her in his arms. She really was still quite an attractive woman.

So, a women's main weapon, crying, worked well enough she thought. "Two conditions."

"Name it."

"No more whores."

"Yes, agreed, no more whores. What about your own liaison?"

"I will take care of it tomorrow." He noticed her crying had stopped.

"Secondly?"

"If you are feeling overwhelmed or depressed you must come to me. I will help. I know you have had dark thoughts but we can push them back Rudolf."

"Don't worry, these new challenges and hope for us have rolled them back already. I feel new and recharged again." Like he was going to kill himself. No bloody chance of that. Too much to do.

"Well then, there is no more point hanging around here. We have work to do. They want policies and ideas, let give them some. I will race you back to the palace and we can get started. I warn you I know nothing of ships at all, however."

"That is alright my dear, it just so happens I do."

There was something....off about his wife, or his memories of his wife. She would have no more hit him than jump of a cliff from the memories he had inherited. Fuck, his jaw was still sore. Her eyes were sparkling with determination now. It was like she was a different person. No, that was impossible. Impossible enough to make him think of what had occurred to him. It was not like they had had deep and meaningful conversations these last two years and that isolation would have changed her. Not that much, surely. He did not disapprove of the 'new' Stephanie in any case. It would be interesting to observe her with her own family in Belgium when they visited in February. The women sitting high in the saddle as she spurred the large grey to greater speed seemed a long way away from the women he remembered marrying in another life.

November 1888-Reindolf goes Fishering. Search for an admiral

4 November 1888, Hofburg, Vienna, Austro-Hungarian Empire

He contemplated the contents of the telegram yet again as the flickering fire burned down. It seemed in order and if the man as not interested there were other options out there. He had spent the day going over the contents of the KuK navy. It was depressing reading indeed. Not counting four antiques he would hope to scrap immediately, the navy consisted of one battleship, two cruisers and seven largish destroyers. The level of infrastructure for servicing and building ships, training, the level of technical expertise, all were low indeed. He turned his eyes back to the telegram again.

To: Captain John Arbethnot Fisher, Director of Naval Ordinance, Admiralty, London.
From: Crown Prince Rudolf von Hapsburg, Pro Tem Minister from Naval Affairs, Hofburg, Vienna, Austro-Hungarian Empire

Sir,

we have never met, however, I have been an admirer of your career for quite some time and find myself motivated to write to you to bring forth what may be an opportunity for both of us. The Navy here is in a parlous state and has been for some time, hidebound by obsolete ships, obsolete ideas and a lack of adequate facilities and budgets. Now that I have gained control of it's destiny, I intend to reverse this habit and bring forth new ideas, innovations and an adequate level of funding to compete with the other Mediterranean powers such as the Ottomans or Italy.

To break through the institutional inertia of the KuK navy I require someone new who can cut through the hidebound ideas encapsulated by current naval opinion here in Vienna. Someone who can handle the political as well as the technical aspects of building an effective navy. In case you are wondering why I am articulating all this to you, I am after a person to head up the Navy here at the rate of full Admiral, a considerable advancement from Captain. I believe that person could be you. Naturally enough, a generous salary would apply, in addition to a fully staffed house in Pola and an apartment in Vienna. Schooling could be arranged for your children.

I will not belabour the point except to say that if you harbour an interest in this opportunity, I will submit further details to our embassy in London in an attempt to answer any further questions you may have. In the event you are not interested, I would crave your indulgence to recommend a suitable officer that may be stimulated by such a position.

Yours,

Rudolf

November 1888-Stephpova on the Congo

4 November 1888, Hofburg, Vienna, Austro-Hungarian Empire

She rose and went over to her husband's desk, where he was duly writing a letter. "Who are you writing to?"

"Captain John Fisher, Royal Navy."

"Never heard of him."

She picked up the assorted papers on the edge of the desk. "What is this?"

"Plans for a battleship from the Navy Office."

"Doesn't seem like a very good one. The gun thingies are all over the place, not down the middle."

"How do you know that's a bad thing?"

"Well, they are always down the middle aren't they?"

How curious he thought, no in actual fact they aren't, not for another 20 or more years. Plus the Belgian navy consisted of no battleships or cruisers. It brought back memories of what he had been thinking earlier today and he started to think about what might be a reasonable test.

"I noticed that you have not been idle whilst I have been writing to Fisher. What are you doing?"

"Writing a telegram of my own. Here, take a look."

To: Pierre Paul François Camille Savorgnan de Brazza, Alcase-Lorraine Grand Lodge of Masons, 16 Rue de Brazy, Paris
From: Crown Princess Stephanie von Hapsburg, Hofburg, Vienna, Austro-Hungarian Empire

My dear sir, you know not of me except perhaps as the unfortunate daughter of Leopold II of Belgium. I am aware that you will shortly be returning to Brazzaville and if it was in any way possible I would welcome the opportunity to talk to you prior to your departure. It should not require a lengthy conversation and I would be more than happy to cover any expenses incurred and provide accommodation here in Vienna for you.

I look upon your stewardship of the Congo in the name of France and consider the sterling job you have done with admiration, as opposed to the colonial adventures of others and would welcome an opportunity to learn more of your thoughts on the matter. Please reply post haste.

Yours,

Stephanie, et all

Rudolf read to the end. "Who is he and what is the motivation?"

"He is the governor of French Congo and the motivation is clear enough. Do you know that my father personally owns the Congo?"

"Yes, of course."

"What is less publicly visible is his reign of terror there; where if people fail to meet their quota of harvested rubber their life is immediately forfeit. As 'proof' of their death, their hands are cut off and presented to the local inspectors. Charming stuff."

"Where are you going with this?"

"Well it would be damaging stuff to if it was to escape into the public arena. Let me change tack for a moment. You know that I should be the next Queen of Belgium right, if only poor females were allowed to inherit? My brother died, my older sister married a Protestant and was disinherited?"

"Well yes, however, Belgian House Law dictated male succession only."

"Of course, male succession only. As if us poor females would be capable." she spat. "However, the Congo is another matter. My father's private property. He could leave that to whom ever he chose. Like his next in line daughter."

"Why would you want an African wilderness?"

"Well to spare it's people the savagery going on at present. No matter what I do in the place it can't be worse than what my father has done. You have no idea how I hate him. Plus it will be a prestige boost for Austria as well."

"I have no objection although I have no idea how you plan to have him relinquish it."

"Oh, I have some ideas."

"Rudolf, can you put Erzsi to bed, read her a story. We need to concentrate on her as well. If I really am now infertile, she may be the only child we have. She needs to be educated, loved, valued. I will not have her grow up like I did as a child. And what I will not tolerate under any circumstances is someone trying to swindle her out of her inheritance just because she is a female. I won't have her married as a 15 years old child like I was. I won't have her bypassed in this dynasty, set aside because of her sex. If we have no other children then she will sit the throne after you. If that requires you sit the throne and make these policies, not your father, then that is what must occur. This is just between you and me but are we clear?"

Her eyes glittered like little blue sapphires, unyielding. So unlike Stephanie he yet again thought.

"Yes, of course. You realise some may say that is treasonous?"

"Of course."

"Well, we had better keep it to ourselves then." He smiled fully.

November 1888-Fisher gets a holiday in the Med

6 November 1888, Admiralty, London, United Kingdom

Fisher was shown into Sir Arthur Hood's office. It was not the first time he had been here but it was certainly one that reflected the most unusual circumstances.

"Jackie, sit down. Well let's not beat about the bush, you have received an offer from the Austrians of all places."

"Yes Sir, completely out of the blue I might add. Let me also add that it is certainly something I have not canvassed and would not consider under any circumstances without the consent of the Admiralty."

"Thank you for your candour and bringing this to my attention immediately you received it. Have you discussed it with Frances?"

"Yes, she is amenable if it was to come to pass. Cecil would stay here with the navy, the girls would come with us. However, it seems an unlikely possibility, surely?"

"Well Jackie my boy, you have been earmarked for flag rank for some time, I guess that is no secret to say. Her Majesty's Navy has no intention of losing you to the Austrian Navy or wasting your talents in a backwater, however, there are reasons why this may be a good thing for both you and the Navy if it was to proceed on a short term basis. Firstly, for yourself, it will give you greater command experience managing people at the highest levels and a grasp of how at those levels political expediencies are also so very much a factor. Secondly, it will go very well on your resume after you have returned to Her Majesty's Service. In terms of that service, it will give us a detailed run down on the Austro-Hungarian Navy and their perceived plans. It will also help cement closer ties between the Navy's of both and show good will. Lastly, it may give you time to demonstrate certain technologies on Austrian coin and then let us know of their possibilities. With these factors in mind, we would be happy to release you to the KuK navy for no more than two years commencing say February 1889 with an option on an extension for no more than another six months. What are your own thoughts?"

"Well it is an opportunity for sure. I would want to make it quite clear that my allegiance is to the RN and that God forbid in the advent of any hostilities against the interests of Great Britain I would have to recuse myself. Other than that I did enjoy Mediterranean service."

"Yes, weather and all that. All right Jackie. If you agree I will arrange a reply through the Admiralty so they know it is conditional."

"Thank you sir. Fine by me."

"Very well - better go see what you look like in white."

November 1888-Stephpova plans, tennis

7 November 1888, Hofburg, Vienna, Austro-Hungarian Empire

He was sitting comfortably reading when his wife let out a delighted little laugh. "What is the good news."

"Well Pasteur has accepted the invitation and so has deBrazza. Both will be here within the fortnight."

"That is good news. How did you know about Pasteur?"

"I'm not entirely ignorant Rudolf. Now that we are talking I want your permission and of course some money to renovate the old Ballhausplatz."

"What ever for?"

"Well no one plays real tennis any more."

"So what would you want to convert it to?"

"A proper indoor modern tennis court."

"What on earth would you use a tennis court for?"

"I have a little project in mind to raise the stature of women's sport not only in Austria but world wide."

"Well in the spirit of our new found co-operation I think that would be a fine idea."

Excellent she thought. William Renshaw, you may be in for a surprise. In the meantime, something needed to be done with this body to get it fit.

November 1888-Tantalising Tesla

8 November 1888, Hofburg, Vienna, Austro-Hungarian Empire

He had completed the letter and scanned the contents again. If there was any possibility of pulling this off at all it was worth pursuing. In the meantime, he was also contemplating his "test" for his wife tomorrow. He just wondered again, it seemed so unlikely yet the impossibility of what had happened to him opened the door to the possibility that someone else had also returned. He looked again at the missive.

To:Nikola Tesler, Hart's Hotel, Pittsburg

Dear Sir,

I have become aware of the difficulties of obtaining funding at present for your poly-phase system through Westinghouse and the current paucity of money and therefore opportunities for research. With that in mind, I write to you to indicate that if you were interested in coming home I as the newly appointed Minister for Science and Technology would be more than happy to guarantee full State based funding for your research and access to manufacturing facilities under your direction to enact production of said patents. I would be happy to discuss generous profit sharing arrangements in more detail if you are amenable to a personal meeting.

In terms of the location of such a facility, I am more than flexible and open to any suggestions you may have. Certainly, with projects coming up such as the commencement of an underground electric railway for Budapest, your ideas would be more than welcome.

I have taken the liberty of contacting your Alma-mater Graz University and in view of your sterling work in recent times, they were happy to issue you a full completion of your studies (certificate attached). I have long been an admirer of your work and would welcome the chance to talk more fully.

Rudolf,

Crown Prince of Austria-Hungary, Minister for Science and Technology, et all

Well, the line had been thrown out, now it remained to see if the fish would bite.

November 1888-Discovery

8 November 1888, Draschpark, Vienna, Austro-Hungarian Empire

When it has first been suggested he had laughed out loud, much to her annoyance, however, after a four kilometer jog that had accelerated into a run and then finally a sprint he was not laughing any more. Yes, he had won. Then again, he did not have the disadvantage of running in a skirt. Stephanie looked completely out of breath. He felt like he was going to be sick and was struggling for air. It was only after five minutes break that she came and sat back down. "Thank God that is over." She smiled sweetly at him.

"We have to go back yet."

"We can call a carriage? I think the sight of a woman running in a skirt showing her ankles has scandalized enough people, let alone that contraption you have your hair in. A pony tail?"

"Yes. But no, we will not get fit enough that way. A run again? We need to get back after all."

Well he was damned if he was going to let a women beat him for determination. Or speed for that matter. In fact he was beaten for speed but between the blinding stitch down one side he was still able to think about how this might work to his advantage. Yet he was laughing at how disheveled she looked at the end of the run, which finished with him fifty meters behind. For the first time Stephanie looked like a younger women, full of life and vitality, as well as happiness.

"Can you come into my study to look at some plans I have made?"

"Rudolf, I am sweaty and exhausted and I need to change."

"Just a moment. Please."

"Well alright. Just a moment."

"What do you think of these plans for an aircraft carrying ship, an aircraft carrier?", he asked passing across the line drawings.

"They look fine to me."

It was then that he knew. "Stephanie, I think we need to talk."

She looked back at him, suddenly more guarded. "Let me have a bath and I will come back to you. Umm, what about?"

"Aircraft have not been invented yet, have never flown. I think you know now what about. I feel like I have been living a new life these last few days, have you ever had that feeling, like you are two people in one person's body? I have."

Her blue eyes hardened. "Let me have a bath Rudolf and we can talk later tonight over a private dinner. No beef this time, I am not really a big red meat eater."

So he was right. Fuck.

November 1888-Stephpova's bath ponderings

8 November 1888, Hofburg, Vienna, Austro-Hungarian Empire

On reflection it was a pretty simple mistake really. She cursed herself at falling into such an obvious trap. So Rudolf himself was some sort of 'insert' as well. Whatever he was, stupid he was not. It was a more than complicating factor. Unlike chess, the Queen in the Austrian court held no real power at all aside from the power to influence. That meant rightly or wrongly her wagon and fortunes were hitched to Rudolf(or whoever Rudolf really was), like it or not. Not a comforting thought since he could be a pervert, a psychopath or something similar, although thankfully there was little sign of that currently. He could be a Russian, Ottoman, Italian or German agent bent on the destruction of the dual monarchy. Either way, the only way she would obtain any real power was via her husband, aside perhaps from her own plans for the Congo, which now assumed an even more urgent tone. That she could control, if her plan to obtain it, now well formed in her own mind, was to succeed. By the time she was finished with her father, he would be begging her to dump ownership of it. Pity the same could not be said about the Belgian throne, where the intransigence of ministers and the latent sexism of the day would protect Salic Law.

She settled back into the hot water and thought further. Yes, she had hitched her wagon to Rudolf no matter what. The presence of the girl only further complicated matters. Divorce was nigh on impossible. Quite apart from the scandal, her father would not take her back. She would lose Erzsi, whom she had already grown very fond. Plus, she would be poor. In 1890. Not a pleasant thought. Plus, then there were other thoughts. Were there other 'inserts'? Was this some sort of competition where they were like performing lab rats for other's amusement? Considering what had happened to their original lives, if she waked away and ended the "competition' would she simply be killed out of boredom or spite like in her original life? No, walking away was not an option. That being the case, Rudolf was rightly or wrongly part of the package. Plus, at the end of the day, there was an opportunity here. Potentially the horrors of the Congo could be avoided. As could World War 1, at least as she knew it, let alone World War 2. Hell, she could drop Adolf Hitler on his head. Or Stalin.

As far as Austro-Hungary was concerned, it was a disparate empire, 1/4 German, 1/4 Hungarian and 1/2 Slav. Despite the twin parliaments, the huge public service, the non reactive manner in which it functioned, the Empire was in some way a stabilizing force for its people and the rest of Europe. To the scattered ethnic groups of the Habsburg lands, it filled the twin roles of referee and bouncer, mollifying the region’s indigenous rivalries and protecting its small proto-nations from nearby larger predatory states. This in turn also placed a check on the expansionist appetites of both Germany and Russia. The big problem was the Slavs. The twin union excluded them from a voice. The clearest lesson from the fall of the Habsburg dynasty was that a multinational union cannot exclude an ethnic group from the ranks of stakeholders unless they were very small. As long as this occurred the Slavs would forever see themselves as second-class citizens. The best it could hope for was what the Viennese called fortwursteln – muddling through from crisis to crisis under the pretense of progress. Lastly, Austria needed to avoid over-dependence on external powers. Much as Austria-Hungary formed in history an alliance with Germany to fill a strategic need it was incapable of filling for itself, namely military defense and security.

It was not just in her own mind that this was a mistake. The futility of acquiring more Slav subjects was all too obvious. Whilst parts of the Empire like modern day Croatia and Slovenia, as well as Czechoslovakia, using the Latin alphabet and being Catholics could be made to fit, areas like Bosnia with it's mix of Eastern Orthodox Serbs and Muslim Bosnians would forever be a weeping sore. In her own mind the more likely way an Empire such as the Hapsburgs could expend was in fact to the North, where Austria's former allies of 1866 lay, the Southern German Catholic Kingdoms. But that was not a conflict that could or should be won by Austria alone. In addition, the idea of war just to obtain territory was abhorrent. However, if Wilhelm II was just as much of an idiot as he was in her known history, God knows what would happen.

Well, if there was one thing Maria Sharapova was used to, it was winning competitions, if indeed this was what it was. That meant being smarter, more determined and tougher for longer than anyone else. That she could do. As for Rudolf, she had seen how he had looked at her during her run. If she could cure her current 'condition', she remained confident she could handle Rudolf, whoever he was. Truth be told, she preferred girls as much as boys, but there would be little opportunity for that in 1890. For now, Rudolf was the key. She needed to find out as much about him as she could and at the same inject him with enough motivation to ensure he performed well. When the time came, the old man would have to go as well, but there was plenty of time for that, ten years or so.

For now, handling Rudolf was the key. She dried off and dressed carefully, strategically applying perfume. This would require her to look her best.

November 1888-Secrets revealed and detente

8 November 1888, Hofburg, Vienna, Austro-Hungarian Empire

She came out wearing only a belted kimono with her hair down. It was an appealing view but what he really wanted was answers. "So, what can you tell me, how did it happen?"

"I woke up in a panic. I checked the bedside clock and it was half past 5. It was though I was acting on instinct alone, like I was compelled to do it. I shot myself with a pistol. When I woke up I was here. I maintained all my memories, but at the same time I have...hers as well."

He grunted. "Well, not much to learn there. My story is exactly the same. Probably the same time, same method, same memories. Are you from the future? 1931?"

She sighed and seated herself next to him on the ottoman. It was best to come clean, there was little point in trying to hold back and at the same time hope for co-operation or more. "The future, yes. 1931? Are you from 1931? I am afraid I am much further along than that. 2016, eight five years after you."

"Yes, 1931, I am from 1931. German. I am, or was, a 27 year old naval officer. You?"

"I was a professional tennis player. I spent a long time as the World number 1 player, winning every major tournament. I was 28. A Russian, although I have spent the vast majority of my life in America."

"A Russian? And a tennis player? Hence the tennis court. Do you make much money as a ladies tennis player?"

Oh, about $36 million in prize money and probably ten times that in endorsements, you know, promoting products. Hence your interest in naval affairs."

"300 million. Mein Gott! It must be a different world. What is your name?"

"My old name. Maria. Maria Sharapova."

"Mine is Reinhard Heydrich."

"Not the SS Reinhardt Heydrich?"

"No. All I have ever been is a music teacher and then a naval officer."

Thank fuck for that she thought. "I think it best if we use of names as they should be here. If anyone else was made aware of this they would think we are quite mad. Now I am going to be quite candid with you. All we have here is each other. I have memories of these other people but I feel no real connection. The only person I have made some sort of connection to so far is you. Plus Erzsi. We can say nothing of who we are, unless something else happens to show that this has occurred to other people and even then we would likely be reviled, would not keep the positions we are in currently. We must rely on each other, or we have no one to rely on.

I have no special skills aside from sporting prowess. What I do have is a layman's knowledge of history these last 128 years. I know that Germany and Austria lost the First World War and that the Austro-Hungarian Empire collapsed. I know Germany lost the Second World War and was partitioned by the UK, US and Stalin's Soviet Union. I know the basics of technological development beyond 1931 where you died.

You will be Emperor. That means I need you, as I have no power here beyond what you give me. I also need someone to talk to, I cannot keep all this bottled up or I may go mad. But I can bring you things you need to. Advice. Knowledge. Stability. Respectability. Family. Ambition. Love. Sex. Yes, all of those."

Heydrich looked at this girl. She looked intensely desirable, the robe parting to reveal the tops of her breasts, the smell of rose perfume. Germany lost a second war? How? His thoughts, muddling at best this last week were now all over the place. He had to thrive in this environment. This was a pit of chaos, pure and simple, this situation, this Empire. Yet chaos could also be a ladder. Everything else was an illusion. Only the ladder was real. The climb is all there was. If there was no going back, then this was all there was and he needed to make the absolute most of it. He did not want to admit it, even to himself and would whisper it down a well only at midnight, but he needed someone, just one person at least, to talk to and no one would suspect two people who were husband and wife spending so much time together. It was the perfect cover.

Plus this girl was no fool and she knew things. He needed to know how Germany had failed again. He needed to know all what had happened after 1931, so that he could gauge the drift of public and world opinion. There was little point in trying to order back the tide. History was nothing if not a great teacher and this girl knew it, 86 years of it. With his own knowledge it could trump most situations. In addition, he needed a wife. He could not just make her disappear, even if he was minded to do so. Plus they were legally married, it could not easily be set aside. Plus, the girl. He liked the little girl. It felt good to feel loved unconditionally, it was not a feeling he was familiar with. In addition, she knew how to possibly cure his condition. He turned to look directly into her eyes, finally leaning forward to hug her thin frame to his own, kissing the top of her head.

"I agree, we need one another. In this together?"

"Yes. I agree."

He held out his hand.

"I think we can do better than that." She leaned forward and pressed her lips to his own.

"It's a pact, like marriage-better or worse."

November 1888-Discussion, tennis, plans to bring down Leopold

9 November 1888, Hofburg, Vienna, Austro-Hungarian Empire

Rudolf came over to her as she sipped quietly at a cup of coffee, making notes as she was going. "Well, I suppose we need to talk strategy. It seems to me that we have four things we might wish to work on here, namely the naval briefing, the briefing for Science and Technology, your plans for the Congo and our plan to get back into good health. I will have to take the lead on the first two, I was going to suggest you take the lead on the others."

"I agree. In regards to the later, Pasteur will be here in a week. Firstly, I need to commission him to supply me with penicillin. It's too dangerous to inject it in this sort of environment so we will need to take it orally via either a dissolved solution or a tincture, the second may deactivate the active ingredient so I will need to ask about that. There is no guarantee that this will work. It's not pure product like in a later day 21st Century laboratory, but I think worth a try. Once I have enough notes from Pasteur, I can then try and point local experts down the path of 'discovering' the drug."

"That sounds reasonably well thought out."

"Oh thank you", she smirked at him.

"In regards to our health in general, I propose we play tennis once per day, in addition to riding, stretching and running at least six kilometers a day."

"Sounds...punishing. Why back to tennis?"

"It's what I know, an island of normality. In addition I want to win the All England Lawn Tennis Championship at Wimbledon. Against the men."

"Are you crazy, they won't let you play against men."

"Well, at this stage, even though they have just started a ladies competition a few years ago, the men's competition is still labelled as 'Open', there is nothing officially to say women cannot compete."

"This will create a sensation, you realise that?"

She smiled sweetly. "Of course I do my dear Rudolf."

He sighed. "What about the Congo?"

"Well as I went over before, I am actually my father's legal heir with my older sister disinherited. That will make things easier. Now, he thinks the Congo is his own private playground and he can do what he wants there. He has a whole network set up, a Secretary General, under him Director Generals, then division chiefs and so on. He also sends inspectors to monitor the progress of the exploitation in the Colony quite independent from all of them. Now you know of the new developments in regards to celluloid film?"

"Yes."

"Well, when our French friend gets here tomorrow, I am going to lay out a part of my plan to him. He abhors what is occurring over the border and would be more than happy to discredit my father and shame him into change. He will provide the means. He will recommend two suitable men who will proceed over the border to the Free State under the guise of being inspectors for my father, for which they will have the necessary warrants and credentials. I already have my fathers seal, I just need the relevant stationary which will present no great issue. These two will conduct an extended tour. Take photographs, even take film of the executions, the dismembering. Father has had such reports before.

When we have this information, we will be in a position to move. We then threaten to release such information to the world at large, probably actually release a small part of it in terms of written reports, rather than film and photographs, just to get the ball rolling you understand. I then go to my father and threaten to release it all. Now that will not be enough to get him to transfer the ownership of his favorite toy. No, he can always deny that he knew anything about such activities. However, what he cannot do is make such denials if I am in possession of reports addressed back to him detailing numbers of executions for failing to meet the rubber quota and the like."

"Where would you get those?"

Oh, little Stephanie knows exactly where they are. I just need to get my hands of a couple of the stored reports. That is why I am so looking forward to going home to Belgium in February. Linking him to known atrocities via the reports will be the final straw. He would be lucky to stay on as King of Belgium. He will know that and passing on a personal asset to his nominal heir will raise eyebrows and suspicion, but not be so far out of the ordinary as to be impossible."

"An interesting plan. I am impressed."

"Look whatever we do, for those poor souls down there any change at all will be a Godsend. In addition, the province is rich in natural resources that could be exploited much more humanely. Rubber, in particular, will only gain in demand and the price will subsequently surge."

"I need to report to my father on our new found reconciliation. When I get back we can talk about the Naval and Science and Technology plans."

"I look forward to it."

November 1888-Reindolf, Franz Joseph, 1871 Fundimental Articles

9 November 1888, Hofburg, Vienna, Austro-Hungarian Empire

"Father, you summoned me."

"Yes, I want to know how you are going in terms of drawing up the plans that I requested for the ministries you asked for and at the same time I also wish to know how you are proceeding in relation to your reconciliation with your wife."

"Things are going well father. Stephanie and I have fully reconciled and we have made plans to visit her father in Belgium in February. We have decided to be more involved in projects together and to keep to a fitness regimen. In addition, I have given up drinking except with meals. In addition I have talked to all my former acquaintances, Stephanie has talked to hers and we are committed to each other. In this, your wishes have been answered."

"Good, good, it's about time. Rudolf, I have thought more about what you had to say and you are right to a degree. I did notice, as did others, your wife's rather undignified running. It is time you step up and take responsibility. I am not sure these two ministries are what I had in mind but it makes me happy to see you take responsibility for something."

"Thank you father. I wanted to discuss four other things whilst I was here. I think you will notice more of the running by the way."

"Very well, go on then."

"Firstly, the Navy upon which you wanted a progress report. I have identified a forward thinking British officer who is an expert in modern, quick firing weapons. I wish him to head the Navy for a period of time as we re-orientate towards some sort of modern organisation. Father, we need to rebuild rapidly and I am more than conscious that the Army will always have first call on funding but we have an eclectic collection of largely useless scrap. So many of the ships we do have consist of masted ships that are completely obsolete, many have muzzle rather than breech loading. Before we lay down any new ships we need to scrap a large portion of our tonnage and what we have now, or a large portion of it, are nothing more than coffins for our sailors in the event of a conflict. We could not hope to repeat the Battle of Lissa, the navy is now so far behind the Italians it does not bear thinking about. I would recommend scrapping 11 ironclads and three battleships. As well I have the possibility of a sale for one extra battleship and four torpedo cruisers to China in view of their increased tensions with Japan. The cash and resources freed up by doing so will allow us to lay at least two modern capital ships as well as a screen of torpedo boats that should work well in the Adriatic.

It's not just the fact that we have so many obsolete ships. The men need to spend more time at sea. We need to develop good facilities for building and maintaining modern ships. A symptom of the issues we face are the fact that so much Army artillery is still cast in brass. We do not have enough heavy industry that is capable of modern steel-making. These things must change.

In fact, I would recommend if we do scrap these ships, that as much steel as possible is recycled so that we can use it in the production of useful items for the Army. Of desperate need, aside from machine guns based on the Maxim design, are modern alpine guns, preferably a smaller 65-70mm design, plus small man portable mortars."

"Well, I can see you have given this some thought, however, these are fairly radical proposals that will meet resistance from some Admirals."

"We have far too many reactionary Admirals that owe their position far more to accidents of birth than competence. Hence why I am bringing in my own man. At 60 it is time for von Sterneck to retire from sea duty in any case."

"Very well, I will endorse your decision, but our main priority will always be the Army. With that in mind, I cannot endorse more than a 20-25% increase in the Naval budget and you likely know that that will be opposed by Tisza in Budapest."

"I can work with that figure."

"What about your Science and Technology ministry?"

"Father, that will take time. It will require a building, staff and in addition testing facilities where people are able to work on developments. I will give you a full report within the two weeks you asked for but I really need to recruit and mixture of bureaucrats and technical experts to be able to start a coherent policy. In broad brush strokes, what I have in mind to to make series of centers of excellence to focus new and innovative ideas. Firstly, one on electrical applications headed by Nikola Tesla who has accepted and will work closely with the Ganz company in Budapest, a second based on automobile development and I have written to two German engineers by the name of Daimler and Maybach offering government grants and contracts to pursue such work since they have little in the way of finances at present. Thirdly, I have asked Robert Koch on Pasteur's recommendation if he would be interested in heading an institute to study infectious diseases here in Vienna. I have as yet not as yet heard back from the later options."

"How much is all this going to cost?"

"I believe I can get things started for less than five million Crowns." Franz Joseph winced. Father, I will throw in 1.5 million Crowns myself in addition to the five if you will do the same. In the context of where we are, with overall national debt at 10 billion Crowns, much of it to subsidize what I might add are much needed railway developments, it is really a drop in the ocean and has the capacity to repay us ten or a hundred fold."

"Very well, what is your final point?"

"We need a counterbalance to the power of the Hungarian influence within the empire, we need to move forward and the gap between the German and Hungarian 'haves' in terms of political power and the 'have nots', namely the Slavic members, is becoming more stark with every passing year from 1867. We are moving into an era of nationalism and if we offer nothing to these people we can have no reasonable hope they will support us if offered more desirable possibilities such as self government by external forces."

"It is their duty to support us, there us no other option. Plus, I have never felt the burden of Hungarian expectations."

"None the less, you cannot pretend that all members of the Empire have an equal voice."

Franz Joseph sighed. "Well, you seem full of bright ideas, what do you suggest?"

"We need to look again at the Fundamental Articles of 1871."

"These thoughts floundered on the rocks of Hungarian suspicion of a third crown and vehement opposition from Germans within Bohemia who felt that their position there would be undermined."

"Yes they did, but what I would propose is something more radical than that. We can no longer think in terms of the historic parts of the Empire that have lasted hundreds of years in a modern age. We need to look the ethnic composition of the Empire and then build a implementation of the Fundamental Articles around the group we really desire to bring into the fold. The Czechs. Broadly speaking, we need to separate out German Bohemia and possibly Silesia and then implement the articles based on the remainder as the Kingdom of Bohemia by crowning yourself in Prague. It is the third largest city in the Empire and has three times the population of the fourth largest, Trieste. Germans and Hungarians make up over 20% each of the Empire. Czechs another 13%. Every other group is less than 10%. It is logical, it makes sense and will fulfill a promise that was never delivered to the Czechs. Yes, the Hungarians will not like it yet the proposal will not effect their borders and will bring the Czechs on board with us as the KuKuK. I think with the growth of Nationalism it is a necessity.

"I think this doomed to failure but bring me more information and I will think on it."

November 1888-Women's rights talk. Stephpova rubs him up the right way

10 November 1888, Tiergarten Schoenbrunn, Vienna, Austro-Hungarian Empire

She backed into him, encouraging him to reach around and put his arms around her, which he did.

"Well, how did it go?"

"Said he would think about it."

"Not exactly words to inspire. Christ it is cold here and I say that as a Russian" she said, lowering her voice.

"I thought you Slavic types were used to this sort of thing."

"This 'Slavic type' has spent most of her life in the warmth of Florida. In relation to Franz Joseph he is essentially a reactionary. If you get this current reform through it will be a herculean task in and of itself, yet you realise that it is likely only the first step, although whatever comes or goes we have to try."

"Yes at some stage we need to work on a succession plan. In the timeline I am familiar with the fact that he lives another 28 long years."

"I am aware. There are a couple of other things we need to talk about as well."

"Oh?"

"Yes, one thing we need to think about is our own personal security. If we are going to raise our profile, we need to be out and about. We cannot risk a repeat of Franz Ferdinand."

"Yes, I quite agree. It's something we should look at."

"Secondly, women's issues."

"Really? I know nothing about women's issues" said Rudolf.

Stephanie pushed back into him and commenced rolling and rotating her hips, pressing her small and shapely rear, enclosed in simple riding clothes, into him. "Yes, women's issues. I am sure you know something about them. Rudolf, whilst we are talking about it, do you know that women can vote in Bohemia but not here in Austria or Hungary or indeed anywhere else in the Empire?"

"No, I can't say that I did." he whispered as she kept up the pressure.

"Many people say that women's suffrage is not the most important issue, but I cannot agree with that. Without women having the vote, issues and opinions that affect them will never be taken seriously by those who make the decisions in government. That is how it has always been and unless reforms are enacted this will never change. You know what will happen in World War 1, I know what will happen after World War 2 and I have told you much of my own experiences over this last week. Unless we start making some real changes soon in this area, Austria will be left behind. Finland has already granted women the vote, others will follow. One person, one vote is coming. For the moment we have restricted voting right?"

"Yes" he panted. Thank God this was a private viewing after hours. "You need to be a land owner at a rate of more than five crowns per year, plus you must be over 24 and urgh.. male". In addition you need to meet the criteria of basic literacy."

Masha smiled inwardly. She was familiar with this game and for another five minutes proceeded to move up and down. "Well it clearly needs reform. For God sake if you can be Emperor at 18, how can you not be able to vote? What seems like a sensible change to me is to perhaps lower the age to 18 and expand it to include women, who also should be allowed to be elected to the various parliaments if they are allowed to vote."

"It won't be popular with the establishment, let alone my father."

"Well, if it is happening in Bohemia already, ...dearest....plus sometimes the establishment need to be shocked into change, pulled by their tiresome old reactionary noses into realizing that women can do just as well as men in most roles. Hence my thoughts about tennis. Changing perceptions is a valuable tool. How is your tool, by the way?"

Dear God, the tightness was starting to build up and he looked around. Thankfully they were still alone. "Well, yes, it could be...worthwhile."

"I'm not going to be satisfied being a second class citizen Rudolf, not satisfied at all. You know the old adage 'happy wife, happy life' she said as she almost viciously ground back. But you have a couple of things aside from feminist policy that I am sure could make me satisfied."

"Oh, fuck" he gasped, going weak at the knees. "Fuck."

"Oh yes, we will when we get the chance" she said as she spun out of his embrace. She looked down. "Hmm, it may pay to get that cleaned up- otherwise people may suspect that you find these kangaroos vastly more stimulating than most."

Shit, this was an unusual woman he thought, still breathless. He felt himself being drawn in further almost against his own judgement.

November 1888-Reindolf naval design pondering-full broadsides

10 November 1888, Hofburg, Vienna, Austro-Hungarian Empire

He really should have been doing other work, but they were only preliminary sketches in any case so did not take too much time. He just wanted to play around with ideas for an hour or so whilst he dwelled on the events of the day, especially those of his wife. Was it dangerous too get too close too quickly? Probably. Likely, in fact. Yet contact made him want more contact. It was a dangerous circle.

Fisher had confirmed he would report on or about the 1st of March 1889. In the meantime, he had appointments at Pola in two weeks time that would involve a meeting with von Sterneck. At around 10,200 tons the what was in effect a large and powerful armoured cruiser mounted 6x240mm guns that could all fire on the broadside as well as a secondary battery of 5.9 inch guns and should be capable of around 22 knots. The small destroyer was suitable as an escort at 230 tons with two torpedo tubes. They were just ideas for now but the idea of a central battery that could fire all main guns broadside on was revolutionary enough in design.

View attachment 323909

November 1888-Discussions on the train to Pola

30 November 1888, Private Carriage, near Graz, Austro-Hungarian Empire

The train swayed gently as the inner door opened, revealing Stephanie.

"She is asleep?"

"Yes, nodded off."

"I am not sure why you wanted to come with me for a visit to a Naval base."

"Well it's a break from the bleakness of palace routine. I thought I would do a bit of shopping. Anyhow, where are we with things?"

"Well I handed my father my plans for both ministries. They are so small that both can fit into a building I have acquired on the Biberstrasse. He actually seemed pleased yesterday and delivered me the formal go ahead. In regards to the Czech proposal, as you know he turned me down. Said 'While I applaud your initiative and may have some sympathy for your aims the time is past and now it is just a fancy. In addition I will not break the historic borders of the Bohemian Crown.'"

"So we will have to take steps to garner more support from the Czechs by letting them know that we support such a cause, to gradually ramp up pressure."

"Yes. It seems both your meetings were rather more successful?"

"Yes, our French friend was more than eager to assist in any way possible with our Congo plans. In regards to Pasteur, he has supplied me with a fairly large quantity of the penicillin mold itself and given a list of local scientists who should assist in making more and are capable researchers. I will follow them up when I return. Here, drink this."

"God - this is disgusting."

"It is worth it though if it works" countered Stephanie.

"Yes, perhaps so" said Rudolf with a grimace. "So, we are still in agreement overall?"

"Yes, why would we not be? Try and do some good, try and assist Austria-Hungary and the Congo, but our own positions and that of Erzsi must be paramount above all else. For that reason we move in lock step on all things."

"What about our secondary objective agreements?"

"Yes, I am quite familiar and we have agreed this three weeks ago Rudolf, there is no need to belabor the points. I remember them well enough. Firstly, try an avoid the Great War. Secondly, try and avoid the creation of communism as a world force and thirdly as I am sure you want me to say, the preservation of the integrity of Germany, which we both agreed could possibly occur under Austrian leadership. Lastly, we do everything possible to try and avoid upsetting the timeline in terms of our own birth and ancestors. Not sure if it would or could wink us out of existence but it's a frightening thought. We still disagree about Hitler though. You can't just bludgeon a baby out of existence for 'leading Germany to destruction'. Besides, killing him may simply lead to someone you don't know taking his place."

"Excellent. We can talk about Hitler later. Well we will be at the Naval Base tomorrow and I will be having discussion with the Admiral. After the formal reception, officers can be detailed to accompany you into Pola itself."

"Handsome Naval officers. How terrible." smiled Stephanie, looking impish.

Rudolf grimaced.

"We need to keep working on your sense of humour."

"Ha. See, I am laughing."

"We need to think about the future as well. We have Belgium in late March, the wedding of Princess Louise in London in May. Plus the Greek wedding later this year. It will give us a chance to travel and make contacts."

"Yes it will. I will need to talk to Fisher before we leave and get plans in motion there as well."

December 1888-At Pola with von Sterneck

1 December 1888, Pola Naval Base, Austro-Hungarian Empire

There had been the usual tiresome parade and inspections of course, before his wife and daughter had departed by carriage accompanied by six junior naval officers, Stephanie smirking at him as the carriage departed. It was now time to sit back and talk to von Sterneck. Stephanie was right in her thoughts, he should stay in his position. What was required in future was a raised status for the Navy and modestly increased budgets. That could not possibly come via the lobbying of a foreigner, even with his own support.

"Your Imperial Highness, you wished to meet." von Sterneck was very formal and stiff, no doubt well aware of the stories.

"Yes, you are no doubt well aware of the formation of the new Navy Department, of which I will head. von Sterneck, what I want is to expand, modernize and overhaul the navy so that whilst it will be smaller than that of the English or French, it will be one that can stand off the Ottomans or Italians and hold the Northern Adriatic against almost any opponent via the use of light forces and unconventional warfare. At the same time I foresee an expansion of our overseas interests and consequently our merchant marine and we will also end to re-orientate to protect these interests as well. Our merchant marine is the 13th largest in the world. 13th! Not exactly the mark of a world power. Right on 100 ocean going steamers of just over 200,000 tons, pretty much all based from Trieste.

In simple terms that would mean more funding to the Navy, and that may well happen, however, we need to be realistic. The Army will always be the first priority for expenditure and it cannot be all about expenditure. Therefore, we need to build smarter, use the latest in technology and make sure that what we build will remain useful for many years to come.

That is all about hardware. We need to develop our men. They are our biggest resource, make sure that if we have competent men that we can retain them. One of the things I would like to do is expand our facilities in Fiume to train enlisted men in technical trades. Whitehead's torpedo factory is there and we can make use of that. In effect, I would like to create a technical academy for both enlisted and officers. Enlisted men who graduate would go straight to the rank of Unterbootsmann. I would also like to increase pay rates for enlisted by 8%."

"I would support all of these initiatives, although I cannot see where we would obtain overseas territories. What about my own future in relation to the Englishman you have obtained the services of?"

"You would remain the head of the Navy and would assist me not only here but also in Vienna to try and obtain not only more funding but more recognition for the Navy. Fisher, when he arrives at the end of February, will be appointed to a new position as Commander in Chief, Fleet. It will be his job to brief us on the latest technical developments that are coming out of Britain so we can design a future fleet that takes advantage of such lessons. Plus, I have a few ideas of my own. At the same time, as new ships are laid, older ones will be sold or scrapped. His main job, however, will be to exercise the fleet, get it out of harbour, conducting foreign port visits, learning from other navies, combat simulations. We need to become more active, better trained. For that purpose, we will need you to assign him a couple of English speaking liaison officers.

In regards to overseas territories, there are a few things that may crop up. Three or four, in fact, as far afield as Africa, the Arctic and the West Indies. That will come later, it does not pay to dwell on it now. For now we need to concentrate on Fisher's arrival and gain the maximum benefit of his technical knowledge. In relation to scrapping or selling obsolete types, all of the older Types before the Kaiser Max Class can be sold or scrapped, likewise the Zara Class cruisers. I have a potential sale to China of two battleships and the Zara Class, which should give us enough money to build two extra Kaiser Franz Joseph I Class cruisers almost immediately, although I would like these to have some changes, making them faster among other things. In addition, I have some newer designs I wish to discuss with both Fisher when he gets here and yourself."

"That seems...drastic, however, you are correct in the fact that the ships are obsolete."

"Yes, muzzle loading ships have had their day, as have ships with full rigs, as well as ones that have a maximum speed of less than 16 knots. When we establish it in addition to the current naval academy at Fiume, I would also like to allocate some older ships for training purposes to the technical academy. Probably four of the older, smaller torpedo boats and also at least one fully rigged ship as a sail training vessel."

"I think that can be arranged."

"I want us to work closely together for the good of the Navy. Fisher to, when he arrives. Can you do that?"

"The Navy had always been my first love. If you want to nurture it, build it, how can I say no? Yes, your Highness, you can count on me."

"Excellent. How about we take a tour and meet the ordinary sailors informally whist I wait for my wife to come back from spending all my money."

Von Sterneck actually laughed. "Of course."

December 1888-Medicine, colonies, shoes

1 December 1888, near Laibach , on board Imperial Train

"Urgggggggh."

"Don't you like your medicine papa?"

"Papa needs to toughen up, liebchen. He is being a MAN. They don't like taking medicine."

The little girl laughed out loud.

"Rudolf kiss her goodnight, I will take her to bed."

She was back 20 minutes later. "Well, how did that go?"

"Yes, good, I think from a naval point of view we are on the right track, at least for now. I have a lot of writing and memo sending to do of course that is likely to keep poor Hans busy for weeks with writers cramp."

"I am sure he will survive. Good. What about your colonial thoughts?"

"Still much the same. Claim sovereignty over Franz Joseph Land when the time is right, after you have hopefully acquired the Congo, then offer to buy the Danish West Indies, which Denmark have wanted to sell before, maybe packaging Franz Joseph Land up as part of the deal since Denmark already own Northern lands. Purchase price should be in the range of 14 to 25 million crowns. In addition, as I discussed, Spain actually offered to sell us their Saharan territories in 1898, assuming the Spanish-American war still occurs, cheaply to. Mind you, that is not surprising as there is nothing there in terms of resources or even people, although it would be a good coaling point for shipping to the Congo."

"Well, we are a few months away from that being an issue. Congo first."

"True. How was your sojourn?"

"Clothes shopping. Oh terrible(smiling).....no good, of course. Reminds me of my old life. People throwing their designs at me and wanting me to wear them for free, as long as I drop a hint as to whom I obtain them from. I obtained some cute shoes. Want to see?"

"On that note I think I will go to bed."

December 1888-Musings on oil

9 December 1888, Boryslav, Galicia, Austro-Hungarian Empire

It was remarkable that he knew so little about this, even though at the back of his mind was the fact, known no doubt through Rudolf, that Austro-Hungary supplied 5% of the world's oil. Galizisch-Karpathische Petroleum Aktien-Gesellschaft's enormous refinery at Gorlice employed over 1000. The interesting part was he also now knew that oil existed near Matzen in Austria as well. Whether to immediately supply this information to William McGarvey at GKBHG was the question.

Quite aside from the general economic benefits, he had initially though the provision of oil burning ships to the KuK navy was an issue in question considering the issue was not one of supply, but if adequate storage facilities were built at Pola and other bases, this would likely not be an issue at all. And that was interesting, as oil burning ships that did not require long range such as RN ships were burdened with could be completed with more weapons and armour devoted to tonnage than those of many opponents. Of course, improvements in regards to storage and transport by rail would also have to be made.

The conditions in Galicia were ample proof of what he already knew, that this was one of the most backward areas of the empire, matched only by Dalmatia, Transylvania and Bukovina. The more that could be done to bring industry and raise the standard of living here so much the better.

Galician oilfields

Interlude-Stephpova character photos

Dramatis Personae-Stephpova(Crown Princess Stephanie and Maria Sharapova)

Interlude-Reindorf character photos

Dramatis Personae-Reindorf(Crown Prince Rudolf and Reinhard Heydrich)

December 1888-Daimler and Maybach in Vienna and Ostrau

16 December 1888, Hofburg, Vienna, Austro-Hungarian Empire

"Mr Daimler, Mr Maybach, thank you for meeting me."

"Your proposal certainly drew our interest Your Imperial Highness, it would be churlish in the extreme to refuse to do so."

There was the usual exchange of small talk before Rudolf got down to business. "So, to again go over the proposals as espoused by my letter, the Austro-Hungarian Crown would provide the necessary expenditure to build you a purpose built factory as well as any accommodation required for yourself and your families plus any key workers you wished to bring with you. In addition we would provide a line of credit up to one million crowns to assist in expanding your business, development costs and the like, housing for workers. More may be available as required.

In return, you will run your business as normal and if you get to the stage where you are then turning a profit, as per the normal profit and loss statements that you would submit yearly for taxation purposes, the state would then require the loan to commence being paid back. No interest will apply.

Finally upon signing a deal to this effect, the Austro-Hungarian state will assume a 2% interest in the company, something that will continue if you decide to become publicly listed as a company at some stage. This interest can be purchased back by your company at any stage during a 15-30 year period from the signing of the deal at fair market cost.

I have thought more on a suitable location of such an industry and the most likely I can think of is Ostrau in Bohemia. There is land available right next to the Nesselsdorfer works, railway connections already exist, it is right next to the river junctions, it is right next to a foundry for any larger work and therefore the set up work would be minimal. What are your thoughts?"

It was Gottlieb Daimler who spoke first "Your Highness, it would be foolish to deny that we have an interest in your proposal, otherwise we would not have traveled here to have these talks. However, it would mean uprooting our families from Stuggart to move here and that is something we would need to discuss with them and certain other personnel. I cannot answer now and in addition I did indicate that we would need to see any future site."

I quite understand, for that reason I have taken the liberty arranging a space for you both at my box at the opera tonight and then tickets through to Ostrau, where you will tour the site itself and also the nearby Tatra factory. When do you think you can let me know?"

Maybach replied. "The end of January?"

"Gentleman, that would be more than sufficient. Now, can we talk about some of the technical details of your work, I am fascinated. Tell me, do you think it possible that engines such as your own could be used on dirigibles such as Kreb's La France airship?"

"Well, that could be possible...."

December 1888- Viennese Mortars

20 December 1888, G Roth Factory, Vienna, Austro-Hungarian Empire

Karel Krnka looked over the designs as presented by the Crown Prince. It was a very interesting concept. "So, you wish it to be able to be broken down into three pieces?"

"The idea is to make it man portable by a two man team, although in good conditions it should weigh in the region of 40-50kg and just be carry-able by one person. To my mind it should be useful in static warfare where two sides are entrenched yet light enough that it could be able to be moved by cavalry in the event of a breakthrough, then set up rapidly and used to bombard enemy strongholds in the advent of resistance."

"Well it is certainly interesting, and simple as well. What would like like Your Highness?"

"If you can make a run of ten I will pay for them personally. I am still an Army General so I intend to conduct a demonstration during the Army maneuvers this year in Croatia in June. For that reason I will need them by the start of April so the troops in my wife's personal regiment have some experience with them. Of course, we will require munitions as well, both practice and live."

"I think that is more than possible."

"Excellent, thank you Karel."

December 1888-Flamethrowers and Christmas presents

22 December 1888, G Roth Factory, Vienna, Austro-Hungarian Empire

"Back again your Highness?" Karel Krnka looked up from the drawings he was working on. "I have been looking into the base-plate and it is important that it is sturdy enough to do the job so there may be some weight increase there but by and large this looks quite promising."

"That is excellent." said Rudolf. "Actually I suppose I did come to look check on what was happening in regards to that but I also want you to have a look at this." He placed the plans and unrolled them on the only empty space on the Czech engineers desk. "As you can see the outer two chambers are filled with a petroleum and oil mix, the middle chamber with compressed gas of a flammable type, Butane would be my recommendation. A tube leads to the gun’s ignition system, while another tube leads to the two side fuel tanks, allowing the compressed gas into an open area above the liquid fuel. The gas applies pressure to the liquid fuel, which forces it out of the tank, through a connected hose, and into a reservoir in the gun. There is a long rod with a plug at the end that keeps the fuel from flowing out of the nozzle when the trigger lever is released. When the trigger lever is squeezed, it pulls the rod and attached plug backward, letting the fuel flow through the nozzle."

Karel Krnka looked at the design again. Where had he thought of this, he pondered. "Well, it's not really my area of expertise, but this looks.....interesting. My God it would be dangerous for the operator."

"Dangerous to be on the other end I would imagine as well." said Rudolf.

"Yes, not much doubt about that. Your Highness. Can I keep these plans, ask someone better qualified and come back to you with some opinions?"

"Of course, I do not need an answer straight away. I had thought to demonstrate these weapons in the summer next year, so there is plenty of time. Whilst I have you here I will take the opportunity to ask you a question."

"Of course."

"The truth is I am not that good with women. Attracting them yes, holding conversations, yes. But in terms of really knowing what to say and how to act, emotions and the like....not so much. I purchased my wife a present for Christmas. This is it."

Karel looked at the delicate edelweiss in it's case from Vever with yellow topaz gems sparkling. "Well Your Highness I am no expert on women either, indeed what man is, however, you would have to think Her Highness would be happy with such beautiful work."

"Well, thank you again Karel. I await your contact."

"I will contact you back within two weeks Your Highness with some thoughts."

December 1888-Future plans and Christmas presents

24 December 1888, Hofburg, Vienna, Austro-Hungarian Empire

He strode into the room that had previously been a sitting room but had partially been converted to a study. She looked up from the desk at which she was working.

"So, just us then, she has gone to sleep?"

"Indeed. I have made some good progress on the military front these last few days and plan a visit to Whitehead's torpedo factory in the new year."

"That is good. I have not been idle either. I have had discussions with Wilhelm Prausnitz, he is happy to take up a post as head of an Institute of Infectious Diseases. In turn I have discussed the potential application of molds and the possible uses of penicillin just to point him down the right direction. This Institute will sit inside the overall plan we had developed to create an Academy of Human Medicine here in Vienna and have offered Julius Wagner-Jauregg the position of Director.

It's probably pertinent to point out that my own condition has.....responded to the treatments we have been taking so there is further evidence there.

There is, of course, much to do in relation to budgets, securing staff and indeed a building, funding and the like but I have developed the bare bones at least. You are aware that the budget you asked your father for will have to be increased?"

"Yes, I rather fear that may have been the case. In relation to the other, I have been feeling better as well, despite how shocking that stuff is to drink."

"What about your father? He is going to be a giant stumbling block to most agendas we would like to get done. He had already crushed your Czech proposals and in regards to the other ideas we had as far as changing the boundaries of the two Kingdoms and some of the provinces that would seem to be quite impossible with him in place."

"I will take care of that when the time comes. There is as still a lot to learn for both of us. If events follow what they did in the world we both know, there are no incidents that may lead to war for at least another ten years. We could both use a four-five year apprenticeship to learn all we can, gather support for our own policies from those that agree and lay some groundwork. Then once we have the reigns of power, we can go to work in earnest. In the meantime, we can refine plans, make the smaller changes needed, gather support and knowledge. You will have enough next year with the Congo. If that comes off there will be a mountain of work required. We will have to put an administration in place from scratch after we remove the Belgians. That will be a massive undertaking. In addition, we have three foreign trips booked. We need to make the most of these trips in terms of making contacts, impressing as to our change of mindset, possibly making new allies. There is still much to do. By the way, my mother is here as well for Christmas."

"Oh excellent, I have always gotten on SO well with her."

"Be nice, she is probably more perceptive than my father."

"As long as she does not push me too far. What we really need to look at is the occupation more in this Empire follow than anything else, agriculture. The days of horse drawn wooden plows are coming to an end. Metal plows are the way forward, machinery such as traction engines and then proper agricultural tractors."

"Yes, I was thinking that as well, but where to start?"

"Well I was thinking that perhaps many smaller farmers would benefit from 'agricultural collectives' where modern equipment and machinery could be provided to a collective group on a fee for service basis. Of course, it does not solve the other huge issue, the fact that so much land and the best of it at that is in the hands of small groups of noble families."

"It sounds a little...socialist."

"Well not all socialist ideas are flawed and these people, these peasants, often have too small a plot of land in nearly every case and need some way of maximizing their yield by way of compensation, which in turn may give them extra money to expand their holdings. It's a small start, though again likely to be initially expensive for the state. In terms of land ownership, we could introduce a land tax on large holdings of agricultural land with tax breaks for sales to small landholders, of course, it is a method your father would not be likely to approve of."

"It's a possibility for later. For now, I need you to come with me. I have a ride and then a short walk I would like you to come on."

"At night in the snow?"

"Yes, yes."

"Alright, give me five minutes."

It was only a short trip to the Neugebäude and Stephanie was mystified as he opened up the outer door of the newly painted building. I was when they went inside that she saw the fully formed and completed indoor tennis court.

"I tried to get it done before Christmas and I have another present as well." He pulled out the jewellery box and opened it to show the delicate flower. "It is an edelweiss. Beautiful and delicate but hardy and tough to. I would like to think it reminded me of you. These last two months to have someone else, to not be alone...."

He stopped as she pressed her lips to his. "Come. I have a proper present for you tomorrow. However, I think it is time you received another one tonight. Lets go back to my chambers."

December 1888- Intimacy, foreign policy thoughts, Reindorf situational acceptance

25 December 1888, Hofburg, Vienna, Austro-Hungarian Empire

He awoke to the feeling of the warmth of a body pressed against his own and then allowed his mind to drift back to last night. It was a most…remarkable experience.

It was not long after they had gotten back to the room that Stephanie had started tearing at his clothing, leaving him unclothed in no time at all. The first surprise had been the tying of his hands behind his back as she had then leapt back off the bed, commencing removing her clothes button by button ever so slowly until she was left only in her silk undergarments. It was then that she had climbed up him like a ladder, slowly and rhythmically moving against him.

Then it was finally happening as she slowly rocked backwards and forward on top of him. “Close your eyes, liebchen”. He closed his eyes and picked up the rhythm. Next he felt his wife lift off him and a pressure. She had tied a ribbon tightly around him!

“Can’t have things happening too soon, only when I am ready, liebchen, only when I am ready.” It had taken 15-20 minutes for her to move to completion, her body covered in sweat and hair loose. Finally she had whipped off the ribbon and he had completed. “Oh, there is a good boy, that’s it.”

It was half an hour later that she had motivated him to another session of slow, much more conventional love making. It had been a remarkable night. He had never known a women could be so bold, so in charge. It was a complete role reversal for someone used to being in charge and giving, rather than receiving, orders; in both previous lives. Like this remarkable move back to 1888 and Rudolf’s position as Crown Prince, it was an exciting prospect.

He moved back to the warmth. He had always wanted to reach the heights of senior service in the Navy. Here, he had a chance to go right to the top, influencing design, policy, everything - and that in a service bigger than Weimar Germany's small Navy. In addition, he could use his own and his wife’s future knowledge to try and drive the country to a leading position in regards science, technology and medicine. Plus, there was always the fact that he was only one step away from supreme political power, if he could make the changes necessary to stop this ethnically diverse entity from flying apart. As of yet, he had made no real approaches to the Hungarians. They could be the key, if only he could get them to see sense. He needed to investigate the best methods and people to approach.

In the meantime, war needed to be avoided, at least until he could make sure there was some chance of winning such an adventure. Was a revival of the seemingly stale Drei Kaiserbund the best option? It was best not to overthink things either. If he was planning on not assuming control until 1892-96, who knows how things may have changed diplomatically in that time? It was probably best to just maintain friendly relations with each of the Great Powers, be seen as a serious successor to his father. 1889 would see trips to France, Italy and the UK. That left only the Ottomans and the Romanovs. When he did take power, he would then need to make assessments on things as they then stood in terms of foreign relations, chart his own course as it were.

Plus then there was the succession. He needed to be in power by 1896 at the latest so if he was unable to have any further children, which was possible after gonorrhea, he could alter House Law to allow succession of Erzsi. His father would never agree to educating a female for the reigns of power, but if he had no other option, if he did not have a son, he would have to commence doing so at some stage.

Either way, he had come to the realization that he was better off here, with so much more in the way of positives than 1931, of which he missed very little. 1889 was something he was looking forward to, 1931 was just a memory and not that pleasant a one at that.

January 1889-Whitehead and torpedos, tennis, Horthy

16 January 1889, Whitehead Torpedo Production and Testing Facility, Fiume, Austro-Hungarian Empire

He looked again at the prototype Whitehead was showing him. "Yes, with the inclusion of the new flywheel technology we have obtained from Howell, we anticipate a performance of 30 knots and a range of 900-1000 yards. This model should be ready for full testing in the summer and then would be available for purchase next year" said Robert Whitehead.

He looked again at the plans, studying them for a full five minutes or more.

"You seem to be thinking deeply Your Highness, you have some thoughts?"

"Yes, actually. This is your standard flask body, correct? Plus you use normal compressed air?"

"Yes, that is correct."

"Well I was thinking that instead of using bronze for the main chamber that instead you use instead Aich's alloy, which is being smelted and used right here in Austria. It is stronger, lighter and more resistant to seawater's corrosive effects, all of which should prove useful. The weight saving should increase range slightly. At the same time, I was thinking that perhaps instead of using normal compressed air, you use a mixture enriched with commercial 'dirty' oxygen in a 20/80 or 25/75 mix which should increase your normal oxygen percentage to around 32-35% rather than 21% and this would serve to increase both the potential speed of your torpedo and consequently range as well. Of course, there will be extra expense and whilst the 32% mix should not be dangerous the 'dirty oxygen' itself will need some precautions prior to mixing.

I was also considering speed. If, which seems likely, you achieve a speed in the range of 30-35 knots, this will be more than sufficient to "run down" all known current ships. The next question then is range. The greater the better. What if it was possible to limit the speed or set the speed, gaining extra range by sacrificing speed? This could be accomplished by physically changing the reducing valve plug or varying its setting within the reducing valve, controlling the pressure/flow of air and fuel to the combustion pot, could it not? A slower speed would lower the burn rate and increase range. At 20 knots the range would likely double from that at 30."

Whitehead thought about the outcomes of this what was seemingly at the time, a likely time wasting visit. Now it seemed far from such a thing. "Forgive me Your Highness, I was quite unaware of the breadth of your technical knowledge. All three suggestions are very interesting and perhaps technically feasible. We will investigate and I can send you updates perhaps?"

"That would be good. I understand that you are considering opening another facility at St Tropez, however, we would be keen to maintain your presence here if possible, with manufacturing facilities both here and of course in England. Will you give this some thought? I am sure we can come up with a more attractive proposition than the French, after all."

You seem remarkably well informed thought Whitehead. Then again, Austria had been good for both himself and his family, as well as his business. "Indeed I will Sir."

He had finished his meeting and was now due to pick up his wife from the Naval Academy where he had left her in the care of officers. She had seemed delighted to find a tennis court combined with a fine, if somewhat cold day. It was there that he found her, a large crowd of officers and Cadets having gathered around the scene. The Crown Princess tossed the ball in the air, the racket emitting a solid thunk as the overarm serve, a novelty in women's tennis at the time, propelled the ball at a surprising velocity towards the other end of the court, where a young man with dark hair waited. The ball reared and spun upon bouncing, causing a subsequent mishit that veered off court and a buzz of conversation among the cadets and junior officers that had gathered to watch.

It was ten minutes later that both protagonists came up towards him, the crowd parting to make way.

"Rudolf", his wife said, covered in a sheen of sweat.

"Finished I take it?" Stephanie nodded. "This young man has been giving me a solid game. He said he reached the semi finals of the Croatian Cup last year."

He looked at the dapper young man. "Nice to see you have been keeping my wife occupied. I hope you did not let her win?"

"No, err Your Highness, sir, I did not LET her win. The Kronprinzcessin is remarkable..err a remarkable player. For a, a lady. Of course."

"There you go Rudolf, I am remarkable. This young man is Fähnrich zur See Miklos Horthy. Apparently he is the best player on the base."

"Miklos Horthy!?" It clearly meant nothing to Stephanie. So this was the potential future Hungarian dictator. At the moment he seemed only like a young man eager to please. Perhaps a later stint as a ADC in a few years would allow him to keep an eye on him and see how he progressed. For the moment he was still a cadet. "Yes, nice to meet you young man, nice to meet you."

January 1889- Ethnic map, boundary change thoughts

17 January 1889, Laibach, Austro-Hungarian Empire

He had met with Ivan Hribar and made the assurance that it was his own personal wish, if not currently official policy, that he would like to see as much as possible all Slovenian territory within the Empire itself gathered together under one state, thereby changing the current boundaries of the South Western areas of Styria, Carinthia and Carnolia. He had not actually drawn lines on a map as such, simply expressed this as his own personal policy. The Slovenes were one of the more loyal groups in the ethnic patchwork that was the Empire, in fact in many ways less fractious than the Germans, who were always intent on protecting what was seen as their own privileged position within it's structure.

He looked back down at the map showing the various ethnic groups that made up the Empire that he had created. His wife came over to him, picking the map out of his hands. "Rudolf you can not look at this forever and it is very unwise to keep flashing it around. If it ever became public things would get very difficult."

"Yes, I know." He looked down again. He had written in thick black lines the changes he would like to make between the borders of the Hungarian Kingdom and the Austrian Empire. Drawn in new state borders in purple. Partially rubbed out the old borders that would no longer apply in white dots. The blue area would constitute the third Kingdom, a new one of Bohemia that would be overwhelmingly ethnically Czech.

"This sort of thing is only a first step, there will need to be other changes, plus to get the Hungarians to change the border in favour of Austria we will need to offer them something, the question is what? Eventually there will have to be a resolution of the Bosnian issue, it could be that or perhaps parts of Dalmatia."

"It's difficult isn't it? There is such a fine line. All of a sudden you have no peers, you are apart from everyone, yet at the same time you do not actually have the power to make binding decision, be an autocrat when needed."

"It's going to be a matter of gathering support, allies. That will take time."

"Yes, I suppose so." He looked again at the map and slid it back into the lockable soft case, adding the key to his fob chain before sighing. "We can talk about things tomorrow."

January 1889-Chinese purchases

26 January 1889, Hofburg, Vienna, Austro-Hungarian Empire

He scanned the telegram again. It was a good result, at least in his own mind. Li Hongzhang had accepted the offer to sell the ships to the Qing Empire. They had purchased them for a total price of 400,000 florins, more than fair considering not so much the age of the ships but their lack of fighting utility. It was to consist of the turret ships Lissa, Erzherzog Albrecht and Curtzosa, as well as the four torpedo cruisers of the Zara Class. Not a single ship was capable of more than 13 knots.

The ships had left Pola on the way to their final voyage under the KuK flag to Alexandria, where they would await the arrival of their new Chinese crews. If history still followed it's former stream, they may be at war against Japan in five years or so. He had also ordered the scrapping of three other ironclads, which would give him a war chest of more than 425,000 florins to put toward new construction.

The other information was also interesting. Fisher had arrived in Pola. Tomorrow he would travel to meet him.

January 1889- Fisher, Rudolf at Pola

28 January 1889, Villa Margharita, Pola, Austro-Hungarian Empire

Stephanie eased herself up off the Ottoman. It had been pleasant chatting with the four Fisher women. The mother, Frances, who called herself Kitty was a handsome, thin faced women, her daughters all brunettes and all quite attractive, the oldest Beatrix 21, the youngest Pamela only 12. The villa was more than comfortable and came with it's own cook and housekeeper. The youngest Pamela had an interest in tennis and there had been some conversation on that. All were well read. It was during the ensuing games of cards that she had finally detected the sounds of raised voices.

It was Frances Fisher that had rolled her eyes and then stood up. "I am sorry Your Highness, I wish to apologize in advance for him. It is just the way he is."

She had followed the Austrian Crown Princess into the salon where spread over the table was a profusion of paperwork. Stephanie waited at the double doors, both men having their back to her, just watching.

"By God, it's an interesting concept to be sure. Are you certain that Whitehead can improve the performance to more than 30 knots?"

"Yes, but have a look at this.." Rudolf said, dragging what seemed like the detailed plan of a ship across the table.

She turned back to Frances Fisher and whispered "It looks like love at first sight." The braying snort of laughter from Pamela Fisher, the youngest, was enough to turn both men around. Fisher was a seemingly unimposing figure to her own eye, yet Rudolf had seemingly not picked him at random. His eyes were lively, flitting here and there like a nervous cat and he seemed almost thrumming with energy. Where as his wife and daughters were quite tall and attractive, he had a round, plain face, aside from his expressive and animated eyes.

"Captain, or should I say Admiral Fisher, I see you are having fun with my husband."

"Yes, Your Highness, some of his ideas are fascinating, quite fascinating. I look forward to discussing them further."

Well my dear Captain, you commence with our navy in four days, I look forward to seeing you in the white uniform. You have a beautiful wife and daughters."

"Well, I am not sure that myself in a white uniform is that much to look forward to. My wife and daughters are a treasure. As for myself, well my mother was a most magnificent and handsome woman....my father was 6 feet 2 inches..., also especially handsome. Why I am ugly is one of those puzzles of physiology which are beyond finding out I would suppose. Not that you would know anything about being ugly maam, of course."

She laughed. "Well Admiral Fisher, you will fit in well here you flatterer."

It was later that night that Fisher sat down to write a letter to his brother.

To: Lt Commander Frederick Fisher, HMS Warspite, Portsmouth

Dear Fred,

We have duly arrived at Pola for my two year sabbatical. Kitty and the girls appear settled and our villa is in both a convenient location and has a delightful view. There is, as always, much work to be done in regards to a fleet that until very recently seems to have been starved for both funds and sea time.
What has been the greatest surprise is the Hapsburg Crown Prince, who is also the Minister for the Navy. He has shown me some radical new designs both in relation to fast, all big gun ships of the line, in addition to what promises to be more than incremental performance improvements in regards to torpedoes, as well as ideas in regards to improvements for magazine protection and new armouring schemes. He is an intense man, not one to suffer fools gladly, but then you know I fall into a similar boat. His wife is witty and charming. Of course, I will reports developments as they occur back to London.
I had initially thought that my time here would season me with command and leadership experience and little else aside from perhaps a good bronzing of the skin, however, perhaps I may the one to do some learning after all. In four days time, I will don the KuK white uniform, where I am certain I will look like a pudgy ice cream salesman. Anyway, it is just early days as yet and I will write in more detail at a later stage.

February 1889-Reindolf, Stephpova discussion on Fisher, plans

1 February 1889, Pola Naval Base, Austro-Hungarian Empire

His wife sat up in bed, a folder of letters, reports and a few photographs spread out upon the bed. "Well, the first day seemed to go well. What I haven't asked, because it is not my area of expertise, is what is the plan?"

"The plan?"

"Yes my dear Rudolf, the plan. If there is one thing I have learned so far it is that you are a planner. You plan everything and you do not like deviations from your plans. I am quite sure you even planned me back into your bed. What is the plan for Fisher, why him?"

He blinked in surprise. "Oh, plan...yes. Well, overall there are a huge amount of things that need to be done to try and re-glue together this ramshackle Empire, however, one thing we do have, at least I hope we have, is time. I think we agreed that an appropriate time to take control was the 1892-94 period, after we have learned the levers of power and established a reputation for competence, so until that time we only have as much power as we are able to obtain through our own efforts. There are so many things that need doing, but most we cannot directly effect until such time as we are firmly ensconced into the seats of power.

In the meantime, we need to gather together as much power and influence as possible, to be seen as serious figures in this country's future. To do that we need to have successes in areas and raise our profiles, be seen as serious people. To get, as Fisher called it 'runs on the board', whatever that means.

He walked over to the sideboard and downed his medicine in one go with a grimace. "You know this stuff is not so bad now that I know it's fixing things. Anyway, back to the subject at hand. I have been given the Navy and Science and Technology portfolios to deal with. Firstly, the Navy. This is something I actually know about, something I enjoy. The Navy has been starved for funds for many years, due mainly to two reasons, it's lack of importance compared to the Army and also the Hungarian parliament. Hungary have never had a seagoing tradition and have always viewed the Navy as a poor cousin at best, an unnecessary annoyance at worst.

Because it has been starved for funds, the Navy has tended to build a 'fleet of samples', ships have little sea time, morale consequently is indifferent since sea time builds cooperation and esprit de corps and for those reasons alone these factors are at a low ebb. So, to come back to your original question as to 'why Fisher'. A number of reasons, really. Firstly, he is a man of indescribable energy, drive and ideas. He will shake the Navy out of it's comfortable port bound existence and drive them to strive for not only sea time but excellence. Just because it will be a small service, it does not mean it cannot be a beautiful one. Secondly, he comes from a technical background and he will have ideas and new technologies that we can apply to developments here and improve everything from our shore facilities, our training, our ship designs and our hardware. To tease that information out of him will require some quid pro quo and for that reason I have floated some 'new' ideas of my own to him, such as torpedo improvements, all big gun ships, magazine sprinklers, sloped armour and the like. Others I continue to hold back such as turbines, oil burning, all or nothing amour, super-firing mounts, propellant, Dreyer Fire control and the like that I still retain in my head as the time is not yet right. Thirdly, it will establish more solid ties between both navies and, since the RN is so important to Britain. I am far from convinced that like in our remembered timelines, we should fall into Germany and her unstable Kaiser's orbit. That being the case, we may need another option. The British could supply that and possibly bring the French with them. Lastly, profile raising. Appointing Fisher has already made people look up and notice the Navy, even in Hungary. Whether they regard it as a good idea or an insult, they are noticing us. Now we need to make sure they are noticing us for the right reasons.

I have already given Fisher carte blanche to to assess and remove, if necessary, those officers that are not up to standard. Those that are incompetent will not remain. This will be made easier by the fact that at the moment we have actually reduced the fleet by the sales to China. Those that are so highly placed that they cannot be removed can be placed where they will do no damage. Expanding the Navy is needed to stimulate heavy industry as well. However, there is a limit. Ultimately, it is the Army that is more important. However, I am not going to be able to get my hands on the Army unless I succeed somewhere else first, no matter what fancy innovations I show at the summer Army maneuvers.

In regards to Science and Technology I do not have the technical knowledge I have of Navy, especially gunnery, which was my forte. That being the case, to some extent I have had to resort to simply obtaining funding, placing those that are seemingly competent in charge and perhaps giving a few gentle suggestions such as you did with penicillin. I can also attract back the best of minds, such as Tesla by offering state support. By the way, he has written to say he will be here within weeks having concluded his American business.

Aside from the Czech question, which we will not be likely to address until actually in power, the other changes I would like to make are agricultural via the collective machinery rings we talked about. Agriculture has always been dominated by Hungarian ministers and to make these changes we would need support from that quarter. However, I think you can help me here."

"How so?"

"Well, the Congo. If we are to obtain the Congo then this will be a stunning development, a profitable one to if rubber skyrockets in price in the 1890's like it did in my knowledge. This will give us the profile to then go to the ministry and push for this development. Which will increase yields so should be self funding, but more importantly it will provide a huge difference to the average peasant. It is a not unimportant point when one remembers the lessons of 1917-18. How are you going with your Congo project?"

"These papers are my Congo project. Letters, testimony, photographs are now starting to arrive. Our friend has three men on the job, all with the relevant credentials. Apparently a film is also on the way. When we visit in March I will obtain a portion of my father's personal correspondence. Then we go back in early May and ask for the transfer to be made on my birthday, 21st May. I have thought long and hard about trying to prepare, but I think it need to come as a 'bolt from the blue'. We cannot afford any prior plans to tip anyone or anything off as to what we are doing here. If there is a delay in our forces talking possession then so be it. Once we have it, we can then arrange another Polar Expedition, claim those desolate islands and then approach Denmark.

It should see a greater need for a Navy as well, so it helps your position. You are correct, I should give you more kudos for your agricultural project and the Agricultural Ministry would obviously have powers in the Congo as well, although I believe we will get excellent returns by involving the natives in profit sharing. We need to turn 180 degrees away from my father's policies."

"If you think so. We also need to discuss something we have raised before but done nothing with. Bodyguards. You will especially need them in May."

"You think my father will try and kill me?"

"Well, I would certainly consider it and from what you have told me of him and my own memories, I would not put it beyond the range of possibility. After all, the Congo seems to be his favorite project, aside from his mistresses of course."

"Very well, let me take care of it. I have recruited bodyguards before. You err......would not consider killing your own daughter under any circumstances would you?"

"Oh God no." He thought about the energetic young girl, as mass of dark hair. "I have become........attached. Even though a part of me said she is not your daughter, that has quickly faded away."

"Yes, I feel the same way. Curious to be a mother without being a mother. I think every women is born with maternal instinct, although some express it through work, babying their spouse or even pets. Anyway, so Fisher was important then?"

"Well I like him. However, he is just a cog in the wheel, one that will eventually leave. That is why I have detailed Kapitan Spaun to follow Fisher and learn as much as possible from him. I have assigned your young admirer Horthy as his liaison. But without cogs wheels cease to turn."

Stephanie laughed. "It is not young boys but young men that interest me. Thanks you for sharing your plans, it was an in depth and oh so pretty speech." Stephanie moved the covers aside, freeing her legs and with bottom half largely uncovered. "Perhaps we can find another use for that pretty tongue of yours.."

February 1889-Budapest, Ganz, shipbuilding, Tesla, Plural voting

24 February 1889, Ganz Works, Budapest, Austro-Hungarian Empire

He sat across from András Mechwart and attempted to summarize what he had come to say.

"So in brief I suppose what I am trying to say is you have been here long enough to know how things are done here. The Navy is not well funded and attempts to obtain new ships are invariably blocked by the Hungarian parliament, both because they in many cases have no understanding of the Navy but also because the contracts to build Navy ships go exclusively to Austrian firms. Not because of any sinister purpose mind you, simply because there are no Hungarian shipyards.

However, changes may well be afoot. I will say nothing now, but the time may come when Austria-Hungary seizes the mantle of overseas trade, requiring ships, port facilities, storage houses. As I have already discussed, the Navy will go through a renewal no matter what. This will involve an expansion of existing ship contracts. It has always been easier to gain money for rebuilds of existing ships rather than new construction, hence our plan for two large ships and three cruisers, as well as eight torpedo boats, these will be couched as "rebuilds" when in actual fact they are new ships. More will follow. For that reason alone, I would think it prudent to purchase the vacant land next to the Whitehead torpedo factory in Fiume. If, as I say, you foresee the need for future expansion in a naval sense, you will already own the land and have a jump on competitors in terms of construction of a Hungarian shipyard. As the only Hungarian shipyard, orders are sure to then follow."

András Mechwart replied. "Yes, I can see your point. The company has done well enough these last few years so there is enough cash to make such a modest purchase of land no questions asked, although some will ask why.

On another note, Your Highness, what am I to make of this Nicola Tesla you have brought with you?"

"I have entered into an agreement with Mr Tesla to fund his research in it's initial stages and give him access to facilities to pursue his ideas. I am quite convinced he has only scratched the surface of potential breakthroughs. Towards that end we have advanced him 100,000 guldens, if you can provide him technical expertise and facilities, as well as access to the necessary equipment, then Ganz can be guaranteed a cut of the deal we have negotiated in the event of patent revenues, which is 20% of total. Tesla himself retains 60%. As you are no doubt also aware, I am the Chairman of the Budapest Underground Railway committee. I am sure Ganz would be a fine firm to be involved in it's construction."

András Mechwart sighed. "Well then, it seems we are in agreement. Now, I have that other small item for you as requested."

"Good, I shall summon my wife and daughter." They walked through the factory, picking up both females on the way until he came to a small shed.

"Erzsi, Mr Merchwart has something for you, make sure to say thank you when he shows you."

"What is it papa?"

He opened the shed door revealing the contraption. "It is a quadracycle. You see, you sit here and peddle...."

25 February 1889, Royal Garden Pavilion, Budapest, Austro-Hungarian Empire

Stephanie reached over and took the pancake, coating it with lemon juice and sugar.

"You said you did not want any more. now you are eating mine."

"What's yours is mine, remember? So, it went well?"

"Yes, a lot of carrot and a tiny hint of stick. Plus Daimler and Maybach have accepted and will have relocated here by April, so all is well there."

"That being the case, we probably can let things drift until we go to Brussels in mid March. We then travel to Paris for the exhibition in May, back to Belgium to confront your father and then on to England. You know the Kaiser will be paying a state visit in September on his way to Athens for Sossy's wedding, which we will also be expected to go to."

"Yes, by that stage hopefully our colonial adventures will have been tied up. I have already arranged an expedition North via the Navy to take place in June."

"Well, I have been thinking about our other conversations, about women's voting, for that matter about all men voting and have had some preliminary talks with a few interested parties. It has been raised before in Austria and seems to be only a matter of time, after all it already exists in Germany, Greece, Spain, Portugal. Again, most of the resistance will come from here in Hungary, but in all fairness, they also have the most fractious minorities."

"I am sure you have a point."

"The point is we need to defray the concerns that the elite have in regards to granting universal voting rights, including women's voting rights."

"How would you do that?"

"Well, I was thinking the best way to approach it might be plural voting. That way you can approach it from the other side. It can be pitched as unlikely to impinge hugely on the power of the current magnates, whilst at the same time giving the disaffected a voice. Then you can chip away at the reasons for plural voting later on, after others have firstly been given the vote."

"What is plural voting anyway?"

"It's where one person can cast more than one vote. In this instance, I would suggest something along these lines: one vote normally, you gain an extra vote for each of the following: having completed a school diploma, a second for being a property owner, a third for having a bank account with more than 1000 florins and a fourth for paying poll tax of over 10 florins. Something like that. That would alleviate some of the current fears and promote the opportunity for a gradual change to one man(or woman) one vote."

"Well it's certainly interesting but getting it past my father even will be hard work, let alone both, or all four, parliaments."

"Well, we have to start somewhere."

March 1889-Bodyguards, contemplations of Prague and Brussels

8 March 1889, Hofburg, Vienna, Austro-Hungarian Empire

Well he had recruited the permanent bodyguards. His pick to head the team of them, Hauptmann Wenzel von Wurm, was quite shocked when he had indicated what he required from the other five members of his team. Four men, loyal but from the NCO ranks, men who had gotten into trouble for brawling were no problem, as long as they do not have a reputation for abusing either alcohol or women. Men who would not mind travel and appreciate a promotion to Feldwebel or Zugsfuhrer.

The last position had been more difficult to fill, however, eventually von Wurm had come up with Maria Mosconi, a small petite women with unusual and striking red hair whose father and grandfather were both Austrian colonels even though her family was ethnically Italian they had settled in Austria 100 years ago. Growing up a tomboy as the only one of two girls in nine children, she had learned to ride, fence and shoot well.

In two days he was to leave for Prague and a private meeting with Eduard Grégr from the Young Czech Party, before departing for Brussels and an unwanted but important sojourn with his father-in-law and in-laws in general. It would be the second stage, and a crucial stage at that, of the Congo strategy.

March 1889-Grégr, Federated Empire discussions

12 March 1889, Private salon, Grand Hotel Prague, Austro-Hungarian Empire

Rudolf leaned forward towards Eduard Grégr as he started to sum up. "I brought my wife to this meeting with me to further indicate that we are in this together, of one mind as it were.

There is no doubt in my own mind, nor I am sure in the logical part of your own, that a proposal for a separate Bohemia along the current border lines is doomed to failure, at least in the foreseeable future. It will be staunchly opposed by ethnic Germans and for that reason we need to move away from historic borders that are tied to former crown inheritances that no longer apply and look at what bests suits the ethnic and demographic realities of this diverse Empire we all live in.

To that end, these three possible border variations each contain a state that is overwhelmingly Czech. With any of these proposals, but particularly the last, the backlash from the creation of a third and separate Kingdom would largely be ameliorated and the governability of such an ethnically homogeneous entity would be greatly eased. Hence the proposal for two new Austrian entities that will come under the Austrian crown, Sudetenland and Moravia. The balance of former Bohemian and Moravian lands would all come under the banner of the Kingdom of Bohemia.

I can give you now both my own and my wife's word that if we are in a position to do so, that the creation of a separate Kingdom of Bohemia will be among our most immediate priorities along the path of the long term vision we have, which would be for a Federal Empire where all ethnic groups have a voice. However, as the third largest such group, you have my personal commitment that the Czechs are top of the tree, the first to benefit from such a change."

Eduard Grégr sat back to digest the conversation of the last hour fully. "Well there will be those that are opposed to such changes to traditional borders, but...I do not not count myself among them. Can you let me know again what powers would be retained by Vienna in such a Federal Empire?"

It was Stephanie who broke in. "I think this needs to be the sort of thing where progress is obtained one step at a time. Firstly Bohemia, then we can look to the Poles, Slovaks, Croatians and the like, splitting up the current Kingdoms into smaller entities, Kingdoms and Duchies of their own.

Most powers will lie with these states, however, certain powers will lie with Vienna. Firstly, the Head of State, secondly Defense and Foreign Affairs, lastly we envisage the creation of a basic bill of rights, not dissimilar to our idealistic American friends. This would guarantee universal suffrage, basic civil and criminal rights, allow the pursuit of criminals into different state based areas, freedom of language and religion and the like. In addition, taxation would be two paced, giving both the States and Federal governments a revenue stream, solving the strangling of budgets items for defense in particular by either parliament as can happen now."

Rudolf recommenced. "We see it as giving each group the voice it needs whilst at the same time avoiding the creation of large amounts of small, squabbling states that will be at loggerheads with each other and at the mercy of larger powers such as the Ottomans, the Italians, the Serbs, even the Germans."

"Well, your Royal Highness, these are certainly interesting, as well as radical proposals. They will be hard to push past the huge conservative faction at court in Vienna, as well as opposed by many minorities, who will see devil in the detail, however, I am happy to start quietly advocating for such things in 12 months time, as you suggested. It is...interesting and may I say unexpected. Of course you would actually need to BE Kaiser for such a plan to come to fruition, unless you could convince your father to change his current position."

"Yes, of course, however, planning for the future is always a good idea, that is all we can leave our children, is it not? Thank you for your time Eduard, I would like to make another appointment when the time is right."

"I look forward to it sir."

March 1889- Stephpova musings, preparing for Leopold

18 March 1889, approaching Brussels South Railway Station, Kingdom of Belgium

Stephanie had gotten Maria to assist her in getting ready and was now dressed in all the uncomfortable finery that embodied an 1880’s Imperial Crown Princess, uncomfortable corset lacing, hair swept up and kept in place with a multitude of pins.

The last three days had been torture to be honest, spent with her sister Louise, who had briefly co-habited with her husband Philipp during the three tense days she had spent in Hungary. Her sister, so determined to marry in 1875, most likely to escape her own father, who constantly picked on her when he wasn’t ignoring her completely and indeed banning her completely from Belgium after her marriage. The marriage had rapidly become unhappy, trading an authoritarian father for an authoritarian husband and after the birth of her daughter they had separated. Since 1882 she had been living permanently in Vienna whilst her husband, a Honved colonel, dwelt in Budapest, whilst Louise, the plainest of the three Belgian princesses, had commenced taking lovers.

She had not enjoyed the three days at all. Her sister was empty headed, flighty and a spendthrift to boot. Additionally, obsessed with gossip, she has force fed Stephanie as much of that as possible, whilst attempting to question her in depth about her reconciliation with Rudolf.

It was an uncomfortable topic for two reasons. Firstly, she was not the sister that Louise knew, at least not fully. Sure she had all those memories, could answer questions as required. She had always been the most intelligent by far of the three, so that helped.

However, ultimately there was a subterfuge here and maintaining it for three days in the face of constant questions and gossip was bad enough. Secondly, her ‘reconciliation’ with Rudolf was an uncertain subject for her in any case. This Reinhard/Rudolf was someone she needed badly to stay afloat in this universe and most of the time she was comfortable with that. She had always been a pragmatist, after all. Yet her husband was a complex man. He had a very hard edge, a dangerous edge perhaps. Someone who had isolated himself from feelings, he was at times like an island where she could not quite land. Yet at other times, he seemed like he desperately craved not only affection but validation. To get close to him was like approaching a furnace, watching it open, scared at being burned but at the same time comforted by the warmth. She had done her best to supply that affection, that validation, for when it was supplied he was capable of affection and loyalty in return aplenty. He was, in short, a conundrum. Like most men, she supposed.

As for her sister, she felt sorry for her two children, the ten year old boy and eight year old girl both largely ignored, particularly the later.

The one thing about having bodyguards, in addition to lady's maids, was that privacy was hard to come by. Unfortunately, it was something they badly needed to discuss plans and she had taken the time to clear the carriage for a last talk.

She lay down on the lounge seat, putting her head into Rudolf’s lap. “Now you realise that we will have to be very careful here and that we will be virtually obliged to eat shit?”

“Eat shit?”

“Be humble. Take provocations and insults without responding, be subservient.”

“I trust this is another one of your modern expressions?”

“Yes, actually. This visit has to just sail through with no one suspecting anything.”

She started to doze. “This may give your father a heart attack when it all happens.”

“Obnohuystvenno.”

“What?”

“Sorry I slipped into Russian. It’s an expression, it literally means all penis’s are the same, but roughly I suppose it means it’s all the same to me.”

”They must have a charming turn of phrase in this 2017.”

“Hmm. We need to make sure our girl is kept away from any conflict, although if nothing is discovered I am sure it won’t be too bad. Father will be too busy with his mistresses, more than likely, to bother with his granddaughter.”

“It’s your family, I will let you take the lead.”

March 1889-Cards, Congo, slavery

24 March 1889, Royal Castle, Laeken, Brussels, Kingdom of Belgium

Her father actually laughed out loud. He had just over-trumped her left bower with his right to take the trick and win the game, give him and her sister Clementine a 3-1 victory in their euchre match. Goddammit she thought, she had not been able to draw a single card that was any good all night. Laugh it up you sadistic, hedonistic bastard, she thought, when I am finished with you it will fell like you have been fucked by a train. It was certainly one of her failings compared to Rudolf, who seemed to be able to compose himself whatever the situation. As for herself, she was much less able to bring her emotions, particularly anger, under control.

Cards were of little matter in any case. With the knowledge she had, obtaining the documents that she had required had been far easier than she had thought. This was their last night in Belgium and one of only two her father had deigned to be present, spending the rest of his nights at the apartments of his favorites. Her father’s personal study was attended only by a footman and she had been able to get Maria to distract the one on duty long enough to slip in, obtain her father’s key to his huge working desk from it’s usual place in the bottom of a small toilet kit and then obtain the needed files before slipping out and back to her own apartments.

The material within was dynamite. Letters from Camille Janssens detailing measures to be taken by the Force Publique to ensure rubber quotas were obtained, including executions, lists of deaths at their hands, all quietly initialed as received and replies noted, including a specific inquiry a month ago asking that the implementation of such measures be enforced in more remote areas “with all possible speed.”

Perhaps the most damning of all was numerous letters prior to 1887 advising him that Tippu Tip was a slave trader on an enormous scale with 10,000 personal slaves and was actively procuring slaves from the Congo and selling them to fund a trade of 50,000 per annum into the Arab states and Ottoman Empire, 10 to 20,000 of these Congolese. Yet it had not stopped her father from appointing him governor of the Stanley Falls District, covering the Far East of Congo less than a month later. It was not beyond the bounds of possibility that a deal had been struck there, although she could not find any proof of such on a brief search.

Either way, there was more than enough, especially for a Head of State that gained control of such a land on a promise to end slavery. Now the implication was that he was actively supporting it. Together with the overwhelming numbers of photographs and testimony that were now regularly coming, even film, she should have enough by May.

From there, quickness of response would be the key. Both to stop what was happening and assume control before any muted initial objections consolidated into anything more. It was always best and generated the least amount of objections when something was presented as a fait accompli.

March 1889-Wimbledon

28 March 1889, Plombières-les-Bains spa, French Republic

The three day spa treatment had done much to relieve the stress of the previous week and they were due to leave to go back to Vienna on the morrow. She sat back and scanned the telegram again.

To: Crown Princess Stephanie, et all
From: Secretary, All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club

Your Royal Highness,

We were surprised to receive your application to play in this years Open All England Tennis Championship whilst in Britain for the July Royal wedding. We were unaware that you had a recognized proficiency in the game. I have noted that you have expressed a wish to enter the Open section of the tournament, however, this is, of course, only open to gentleman. For this reason I have taken the liberty of entering you in this years Ladies Singles tournament.

I remain madam, your obedient servant,

Cecil. C Bromley
Secretary

Well, now the battle had began. Could she convince them to enter her in the men's tournament? Unlikely, but worth a try.

April 1889-Arctic, West Indies, Danes, American, Navy plans

4 April 1889, Navy Department Offices, Vienna, Austro-Hungarian Empire

He sat across from the man, who was decked out in his newly created rank of Captain. "So, Captain von Payer, you understand the parameters for this mission?"

"Yes, Your Highness, indeed I do."

"So, to go over the route again, once you reach Tromso, you are to head due North to Svalbard, make a landing in the main bay and then drop off not only the shore party including Governor Capodilista and all their supplies. Ideally make a landing late June, leaving the bulk of the summer to build a permanent settlement. There is an abandoned coal scrape in the bay, so you may be able to use this to restock, but I would not count on it. From there make you way back to Jan Mayen and reestablish the weather station and finally back to England via Iceland. Once you reach London you are to cable me and I can confirm the announcement, the text of which I have already given you. Is that clear?"

"Well I have no doubt that we will encounter difficulties, however, it is a less difficult task that that of 15 years ago and the ship you have given me, the Aurora, is both larger, longer ranged and faster than in 1874. Even more so after we have stripped the main armament, reduced the navy crew and increased the bunkerage. I am confident and I will not let you or Count Wilczek down I am sure."

"Well then Captain, I wish you the best of luck indeed. The eyes of the Empire will be upon you. Again, I emphasize that the documents that I have given you are to remain completely confidential between only yourself and Governor Capodilista until such time as you have left Tromso."

"Of course Your Highness."

He sat musing after von Payer had left. It had taken some time and effort to renew old enthusiasms in regards to Polar Exploration, but Count Wilczek had been an enthusiastic backer yet again, among others, and the Navy had been happy enough to use it as a training exercise, although Fisher had been less than keen.

The Danish would be less than pleased when he announced the annexation of Svalbard, Franz Joseph Land and Jan Mayan as "Northern provinces" via terra nullis, confirmed by Austrian occupation and the application of law. Of course, he could then make an approach back to the Danes to transfer them the Northern islands in exchange for something else, perhaps a colony such as the West Indies which had become unprofitable and a drain on the Danish purse since the demise of the immensely profitable triangle trade.

Of course then the Americans would be horrified at another major foreign power gaining a foothold on their doorstep, but if they were prepared to stump up the cash in excess of what was offered in 1868 then perhaps a deal could be struck that might ultimately see American money and know how funding railways in the Congo, as well as perhaps a couple more large cruisers. Benjamin Harrison was a large taxing, big spending President after all and the tariffs he had placed on the imports of sugar were especially reviled. Of course, this criticism would be alleviated if the Americans had their own source of sugar, the one staple the Danish West Indies were abundant in. Plus, he supposed, it would be better for the locals and the island economy. Wheels within wheels.

In regards to the Navy, his basic sketches for a large torpedo boat of 56m in length and 260 tons had been finalized, with eight to be built in 1889, as well as that of the 2510 ton schnellkruiser that was quite light but should be capable of 24 knots and be used as an escort or with torpedo boats. One of these would also commence in 1889. One advantage of building a fleet for the Adriatic was it need not be long ranged and the weight and space saving could be devoted to speed or armour. For the larger design he had in mind, domestic guns were as yet unavailable and the most reliable method was to use the British 9.2 inch gun as the main caliber. For the 1890 budget he hoped to build two more schnellkruisers. He would spread the purchase of the main armament for the larger ships over both years and then lay both down in 1891, allowing the use of Harvey amour rather than nickel steel as was currently the fashion, also giving a weight saving.

April 1889-Torpedo Boat, Schnellkruiser designs

View attachment 328588

April 1889-Maria Mosconi on Stephpova routines

8 April 1889, Ballspielhaus, Vienna, Austro-Hungarian Empire

Perhaps this job was not going to be quite as easy as she had first anticipated, thought Maria Mosconi. She had always considered herself fit, indulging in a number of non ladylike pursuits such as fencing and shooting. However, days when they were in Vienna seemed to follow a punishing routine. An early morning run of at least 5km, often with Crown Prince Rudolf as well. Breakfast, time with her daughter, then, in late morning, a ride to the Ballspielhaus, the Crown Princess always sitting astride. Then an hour each day of tennis, always with a male practice partner, followed by stretching and then half an hour of picking up weights, of all things.

Then a gallop back to the Hofburg, lunch with her family, meetings almost all afternoons, then dinner, sometimes the opera or music performances, but mostly more work. She spent much time closeted with her husband and it was pleasing to see what seemed like genuine affection between them.

However, the Crown Princess seemed to have endless energy and a penchant for hard physical exercise that seemed only matched by an interest in clothing, as well as an irreverent lack of concern for the protocols of a well bred women in relation to dress and even speech on occasion. It was all very different to what she had been told before accepting the position, where the portrait of an intelligent but shy and not forceful personality was given.

The ultimate shock had occurred when she had gone back to Stephanie's private exercise area and encountered her lifting herself up on a metal bar, dressed in only a short camisole and more scandalously, what looked like a pair of fitted boys shorts.

"Your Imperial Highness, what are you doing?"

"Exercising. You are welcome to join in my dear Maria."

"I..umm."

"Oh Maria, the look on your face. You will get used to this, trust me."

April 1889-Mannlicher

14 April 1889, Steyr Mannlicher, Steyr, Austro-Hungarian Empire

"So, these are the 1885's?"

"Yes, Your Highness."

"Ferdinand, without talking new designs at all, or perhaps only minor modifications, what technical innovations have come along that may make this more feasible?"

"Well, the move to the better machined and finished rounds, such as we have here with the new smokeless power will certainly assist, as would access to stronger and more flexible steel springs that the recent addition of 1% chromium to steel could provide."

"I am conducting a series of small unit demonstrations in platoon to company size at this year's army maneuvers in Hungary. Some of the things I hope to demonstrate are unusual and useful new technologies. Would it be possible to obtain say six of these modified to fire the new cartridges by say, July?"

"Well, it would not be a massive change and may provide a decent test bed for further developments, although we are flat out with the changeover to the new round. The older 1885-88 model rifles weaker bar-locks could not withstand the pressures generated by the new high velocity cartridges." Mannlicher walked over to the bench. "These two", he said, as he picked up two weapons, "represent transitional designs as it were, one a cavalry carbine, the other an infantry rifle, both with a straight pull bolt. If they show some promise and the bolt action is a success, I will go on to produce a proper successor designed for the new round."

Rudolf picked up the rifle, flipping it over and looking at the design. "I know it may be slightly more expensive, but what about provision of a ladder sight-it would be better at longer distance."

"Fiddly and prone to breakage but for longer ranges you may be right, although surely that should be the role of the officer, to call the range?"

"Perhaps. I was also wondering about the magazine. Would it be possible to enlarge the number of bullets before needing to reload another clip?"

"Possibly, although any more than six would likely affect the cleanness of the rifle. It certainly would not be a problem to try a six round magazine instead of five, I suppose."

"I was just thinking the less 'down time' from firing the better for magazine changes. So Ferdinand, the M1885, can you have 4-6 ready by July?" he said, looking over at the thoroughly unusual bull-pup design.

"Yes, we will attempt to do Your Majesty."

"Excellent, well the new design for the new cartridge is the most important thing, but if you can do this I will be most grateful."

"Of course." Well, he actually sounded much more interested than when he visited last some two years ago, thought Mannlicher. Perhaps his father's sense of duty was rubbing off after all. In addition, the patronage of the heir may prove useful.

Mannlicher M1885

April 1889-Preparing for Leopold, New Free Press, Auguste Fickert

27 April 1889, Hofburg, Vienna, Austro-Hungarian Empire

Well, it was Thursday and she was due to leave for Belgium for her "surprise visit" on the Monday. The amount of material that she had now accumulated was enormous and she had more than enough in the way of duplicate material to confront her father with. It was in all likelihood going to be an explosive meeting, no doubt fueled by bitterness on both sides. Hence why she would at all times stick close to both Rudolf and the five that had been hired to protect them. It promised to be a very nasty meeting indeed. However, the wheels were already in motion.

She looked gain back at the newspaper. What the hell? May as well create chaos in two locations as one. When this came out Franz Joseph, whom she had heard had become deeply unhappy with reports of her 'unladylike' activities recently, would be even more outraged at her foray into politics. None the less, she picked up the telephone that had been provided to her private suite. Going through to the dedicated operator at the palace switchboard, she quickly asked "St Sophia's Christian Ladies School."

27 April 1889, Neue Freie Presse, Vienna, Austro-Hungarian Empire

Adolf Werthner looked over the documents and small cache of photographs that had arrived autonomously in the post. He turned over the envelope to look at the postmark. Sankt Andra-Worden. Nothing remarkable there, a riverside hamlet 13 kilometers from Vienna.

Could this really be happening in Leopold II's Congo Free State?

27 April 1889, St Sophia's Christian Ladies School, Vienna, Austro-Hungarian Empire

Auguste Fickert hurried down the hall towards the school's main offices and the headmasters. Professor Thaller, the Schullleiter, had already made it quite plain that she was his least favorite teacher, especially after becoming aware of her recent political activities. When she had arrived at his office, which contained the school's only telephone, he looked furious.

"Telephone for you, it is from the palace. Before you ask, it is no joke. Why would someone from the palace be calling for you, answer me that eh?" he ground out, thrusting the receiver at her like a weapon.

"I don't know Herr Thaller, i don't know.." She picked up the receiver. "Hello?"

"A minute madam." There was a few clicks and a pause and then another voice came on the line, a women's.

"Fraulein Auguste Fickert?"

"Yes."

"This is Crown Princess Stephanie from the Hofburg. I understand from some of my reading today that you are organizing a petition against the disfranchisement of women voters in local government elections in Lower Austria, is this correct?"

Dear God, she thought, the shit has hit the fan at the highest levels now. She sighed. "Yes, it is true, Your Imperial Highness."

"Well, I am a women living in Lower Austria. It just so happens I would very much like to sign your petition."

April 1889-Thoughts on Ministries

29 April 1889, Hofburg, Vienna, Austro-Hungarian Empire

Well that was another meeting out of the way. His father had indicated that he wished to talk to him about his wife, however, he had indicated that he would rather do so after his return from a brief trip to Brussels.

In a strange arrangement typical of Austro-Hungary and the spirit of 1867. Until recently there were only three ministers that were common to both Austria and Hungary, those being Foreign Affairs, Finance and War. Of course, with the exception of Foreign Affairs, these departments were also duplicated at the levels of the Austrian and Hungarian governments as well. What had recently changed was the addition of a fourth minister, himself. The War Ministry had become the Army Ministry and he had taken control of two quite tiny ministries, Science and Technology and Navy. Both were common to Austria and Hungary and like all Federal Ministries, were resented as money that could be spent at the State level instead. Gustav Kálnoky was friendly enough, perhaps he felt he could afford to be since the new arrangements did not impinge on Foreign Affairs. Ferdinand von Bauer was not overtly hostile, even if he had been against the initial separation of the Navy into it's own department and he finally confessed some relief at having to fight battles on behalf of the Navy for money. He had been at pains to explain to him his reason for separating from the War Department and the hope that the Navy would no longer be a Cinderella service. Gyula Szapary, the Finance Minister, was hostile straight from the start. Despite Science and Technology only being guaranteed a 1 to 1.5% share of the total finance budget, he was clearly resentful of the loss of even a small part of his authority.

Well if things went according to plan there may soon have to be another Ministry, Colonial Affairs. That would provoke an unusual set up in the fact that any people from such a department would have to report directly to his wife as head of state instead of his father, at least in regards to the Congo. Sadly, that would likely result in a whole new round of ruffled feathers and would no doubt be dealt with in as complicated a way as possible, it was after all, the way things were done in the Dual Monarchy. Oh well, there are always eggs broken when making an omelette.

If this all went as planned, he would then have to face his father over the fallout, as no doubt would Stephanie. Not something he was really looking forward to. For now, he was just going to take a picnic and then relax tomorrow. Monday would see him on the train to Brussels, where there would be stresses enough.

May 1889- Violence over the Congo

3 May 1889, Laeken Castle, Laeken, Kingdom of Belgium

She had been half expecting it but when it had arrived it had still shocked her both by the act and the sheer force of it. The blow from her father had knocked her back onto the chaise lounge, leaving her momentarily dazed. When she looked up it was to see Rudolf stalking across the room with murder in his eyes. When she gathered herself together her husband was choking her father on the huge Turkish carpet that covered the floor of the private salon. Thank God they had cleared the private wing of people prior. Moving forward, she pulled out the tiny pocket pistol and shook Rudolf off her father with difficulty, finally leveling the gun at Leopold's groin as he lay on the ground.

"Now father, we don't want any accidents do we? I would hate to deprive your whores of your most used possession."

He looked back at her with true revulsion, still gasping for air. "You are no daughter of mine, you she-bitch."

"On the contrary father, I think I am just like you. Just like you I am prepared to do anything I need to get what I want. That also involves trampling over whoever I have to trample on to achieve my desired outcome. Doesn't that sound oh so familiar? Mother living a life of virtual exile so you can parade around your whores. Clementine refused permission to marry for no other reason than you needed a 'first lady'. Exploiting and mutilating natives in the Congo so you can grow fat and wealthy."

"It's only a few niggers. Grist for the mill on the progression to civilization. Who cares? The world most certainly does not."

"Oh, I think the world will care enough that you are sanctioning and profiting from slavery, the trade you promised to stamp out. I think that they will care that you order personally the mutilation and killing of natives because they are unable to fulfill rubber quotas set at far too high a level. I think they will care that you support tribes that practice cannibalism to spread fear into your enemies. I think that they will care that you allow girls as young as 12 to work in brothels to service your troops of the Force Publique. I think they will care about all those things, once more than just the tip of the evidence iceberg surfaces. The papers a few days ago were just a taster. Of course, I will be forced to distance myself from such a wicked man by detailing in excruciating detail just how difficult and abusive a father and husband to my mother and my sisters you were, just to cream the cake as it were. Yes, I think the world at large and the Belgian people and government will very much care that their King is a mutilator, a pedophile, a pimp, a murderer and a slaver.

When that happens father, it will not just be the Congo you lose. Better get ready for a regency, as cousin Albert will have to be your replacement. The scandal would not do well for a King in such troubled times and you will be removed, of that I have no doubt. It will be goodbye to the gravy train then, kicked out in disgrace like a dog that piddled on the carpet. No favorites, no jewels, no sycophants, no palaces. Are you ready for that?"

Leopold raised himself slowly, still face to face with the Menz 4.25mm Liliput handgun. "You must be mad to think that you can run the Congo, you, a stupid girl."

"You really are a complete fool father. Extracting as much wealth as possible at the cost of untold suffering is not my only aim, perhaps you never thought of that? When you look at it from that perspective, a walrus could run things better than you."

"I cannot just sign over a Belgian possession like that to you. The Belgian people would not stand for it."

"Ah, but it is not a Belgian possession, it's YOUR personal possession, as you have always been at pains to point out. I am sure there will be some condemnation father, yes I am sure of that, however, it will be relatively muted and possible to get through. It's not like your own government even wants the colony, after all. Plus, at the moment, you are losing money so perhaps I am doing you a favour. So you WILL do this, exactly as I have laid out. Announcement of this gift to your beloved daughter and therefore your personal property heir on the 21st May, then the transfer to occur officially on the 1st July, just like the documents I will leave, in that exact wording, are we clear? Or is the next person I need to talk to the Editor of "The Times" in London?"

Leopold sat there a long time. "Yes. On one condition."

"And what is it?"

"When it's done I never want to see you again. Ever."

"Well, that is fine father. I will consider it a bonus for both of us. Like I indicated, I will destroy all the evidence after twelve months without issues from you, you have my word on that. Unlike yours, my word may actually mean something. So, you agree?"

Leopold looked much older than his 54 years, still white and his voice low from the vicious choking administered minutes before. "Yes, I agree. Now get out of this palace and do not return. And take that bastard with you."

"By all means father, we will be out of the country before the night is over. Enjoy the folder of photos. I have many more."

Aftermath, declarations

4 May 1889, Kandein Inn, Terneuzen, Kingdom of the Netherlands

It had been a long night. Departing from Laeken at 10.30pm, they had traveled in two carriages, following the road North to Antwerp before veering North-West at Willebroek and finally crossing the frontier at just after 2.30am in the following morning. To say the innkeeper was unhappy to be woken at half past 3 in the morning was an understatement, however, eight gulden gold coins from Rudolf had quickly gained his attention. He had used two more earlier to thank the customs officials for facilitating such a late night border crossing. She had let Rudolf do the negotiations. Thankfully it was dark enough that the innkeeper was not able to see the wreck that was her face.

Well, it was over, and successfully too or so it seemed. She looked again at her face in the mirror. The right eye was swollen shut, a livid purple bruise on her cheek. Now that the adrenaline had finally drained away all that was left was nervous exhaustion. The whole right side of her face produced a fierce dull ache. She reached out and took another sip from the glass of the only ersatz medicine that had happened to be in the carriages, a half bottle of Himbeergeist. The clear, fiery raspberry liquor had somewhat dulled the pain and now she just felt exhausted. It would take a week or more for the bruising to go down she thought as she started to cry.

It was Maria who came in and found her crying uncontrollably and eventually got her undressed and into bed, where she quickly fell asleep. The next morning she felt the full force of the blow, her right eye closed and her face really in pain. Rudolf had let her spend the night with the bodyguards, before coming early in the morning and sitting with her as the others went to breakfast.

"We will stay another day or two, until you feel better. It is Saturday now. We can rest here today and tomorrow. On Monday take the ferry to Hoedekenskerke, rest overnight and take a private carriage on the train back to Vienna on the Tuesday from Germany, that way we will be back by Wednesday night. Hopefully by Thursday next week the bruising will be down."

"I don't want to waste any time, we have so little. It is only just over eight weeks and we will have to put an administration in place in the Congo, as well as convincing your father that this is all a beneficial cause. We have so much to do now."

"That does not matter just as yet. Until we get back to Vienna we cannot start things in motion. Therefore, you just need to rest, let myself and Maria take care of your needs. I am sure people that see your face will think I did it, but oh well, over the years the amount of speculation about me has been abominable in any case, one more thing will not matter. I feel like killing that bastard, I wish I had killed him."

"Don't worry, I am sure he is dying a little on the inside in any case after the loss of what was always his favorite child. Rudolf, thank you for getting him off me. I have just...never been physically hit before. It was a shock I suppose. I was ready for it but not really ready, you know? However, it was worth it. We need to change things there, do something for those people."

"Yes, I suppose so. Let me tell you something and I can say with implacable certainty now that it is true. I felt it as strongly as I have ever felt anything in so very long a time, since I was a teenager, in fact. I, well, I love you. It's crazy, this whole thing is crazy, but if I lost you I am not sure what I would do in this here and now and I realised that after that bastard starting beating you."

"Don't know how you can say that, I must look frightful. The frightful Queen of the Congo."

"You look like the brave victor of a terrible battle to me, a Valkyrie. We can stand up to my father as well. Now you are of equal rank to him, a head of state in your own right. He will hate it but will not be able to ignore it."

She sighed. "I still feel tired. Can you slide into bed with me and perhaps I will sleep some more?"

"Of course."

Stephanie lay there, the good side of her face on the pillow. I may be staring to fall for you as well, she thought, before eventually drifting off.

May 1889- Hofburg disagreements

12 May 1889, Hofburg, Vienna, Austro-Hungarian Empire

It was over a week since the punch to the face and now the meeting could be delayed no longer. Rudolf had begged off on account of her "sickness" and had delayed the meeting to this Saturday morning, however, it could not be delayed any longer. Concerned about her, he had spent most of his time back fiddling with designs for a three or even four Kingdom flag. Thankfully the effects of the blow were now going down and concealer was now able to disguise the residual bruising. It felt like being summoned to the headmaster's office. She had carefully selected the silk dress, white with alternating red and green lines in Austro-Hungarian colours, along with a small enameled tiara. Appearance could count for much at these sort of meetings and served to underline that she considered the meeting important, but was no mere underling to be ordered around. Rudolf had worn his uniform as a full major general in the Army.

They had been shown into Franz Joseph's personal study. The older man quickly got the ball rolling.

"I have called you both here as I have become alarmed at a number of reports over the last six months that have reached my ears until such a cacophony of tales has built up that I feel things can go on no further without me raising the very real concerns I have. Let me go through these with you both one by one. Keep in mind that I have done you both the service of not bringing forth many of the direct complainants that have beaten a path to my door and instead decided to talk privately about these issues with both of you.

Firstly, Rudolf, let us deal with you. It seems you have fallen back in love with your wife, since you two have been virtually inseparable, and I thank God for that. You have given up your favorites, drinking to excess and other activities. For that, I am also grateful. You have taken an interest in the running of these domains, also commendable.

Now let me move onto some of the less seemly issues. I let you have your head with Science and Technology and in particular, the Navy, as I was desperate to try and focus you on something and you came to me with a seeming clarity of vision. You placed an Englishman as the operational head of the Navy and the man has been making himself terribly unpopular in certain circles as I am sure you well know, removing many from the Navy and redeploying others. Some of these have been beating a path to my door with a litany of complaints, including one that a so called schnell kruiser laid down a week or two ago is a completely new ship, but put through in the naval budget as a rebuild of a ship that has actually been sold to China! How do I answer such questions?"

"Father, I am sorry if this places you in a difficult situation, however, this is not the first time such a subterfuge has been done to enable construction to be started on new ships due to the intransigence of the Hungarian parliament in regards new builds. I have been in discussion with Ganz and Co in regards to construction of a shipyard at Fiume under Hungarian control. If this comes about, as I believe it will, then the difficulty of getting new construction approved will, I believe, be relieved. In regards to Fisher, I have given him carte blanche to remove those he deems incompetent after consultations with myself. Those that I have thought too influential I have transferred. Some have, of course, been resentful. However, I believe that this is ultimately to the benefit of the service to weed out the unsuitable. We will never be able to afford a Navy the size of Britain and we need to make sure the dagger we do have is sharp, not dulled. You know how many political appointments there are in the Navy.

Already we are making progress. Men are spending more time at sea and whilst there are issues with some within the officer corps, others are energized and the men's morale is at an all time high with these new developments. I beg you not to change that. In addition, in regards to Science and Technology, I have a number of new developments I wish to show at this year's Army maneuvers, I would very much like you to attend to view their demonstration."

"I will see what I can do. Truth be told, my main concerns are with your wife here, in any case, although you bear part of the blame as clearly you have been unable to bring her into line as befits an Imperial Princess. I am also aware of the fact that you intend to claim these piles of frozen shore in the far North for this Empire, yet have neglected to inform me, it's sovereign, of just such a plan, yet I will get to that when I talk about your wife."

Fuck, thought Rudolf. Here we go, thought Stephanie.

"In regards your wife, several reports have reached my ears of a most alarming nature. Firstly, and perhaps most importantly, Stephanie, I have received a letter from your father Leopold to the effect that he intends to move personal ownership of the Congo Free State effective 1.7.1889 but to be announced on your birthday to you. Yet I, as your sovereign and head of your house know nothing of this? Why? Who is going to administer this backward, savage realm? Leopold confided to me that it currently a large drain on his finances. Do you expect the state to pay for it's upkeep? Along with Rudolf's frozen rocks? Answer me that."

Stephanie took a deep breath before plunging in. Fuck Leopold. "Firstly, we only found out when I was in Belgium and whilst it is true that Rudolf has approached a few people in regards to this, I wanted to tell you personally as the future Head of State of such a region what was to occur, but have been quite sick and indisposed. This would have been my first opportunity to do so. As it is, we are not even at the announcement stage and it is only just over a week since my father confided such a plan. Be that as it may, we have not been idle. Your Majesty, my own father has been criminally negligent in his running of the colony. It is located in an area of Africa where riches abound, there are large deposits of copper, gold and diamonds, especially the later can be easily exploited and not under the horrific conditions that currently prevail there. If confirmed as Head of State, I would hope that the territory could be administered by citizens of this Empire, who could then share in the profits in conjunction with those that reside locally.

It shames me to admit it, but my own father has been party to a number of horrific practices in regards the running of the colony and I feel it my duty as a good Catholic to seize this opportunity to reverse such policies and bring enlightenment to the native people." Hopefully that sounded good, she thought.

"You should have come to this immediately", Franz Joseph grated out. "It is unacceptable."

"Yes, but also an opportunity for this Empire and yourself to seize the mantle of colonialism, to show how much better we can be than the British, the French, the Italians and so on. To hugely increase the prestige of our Empire, to be seen as a player in the great game world wide. In regards to Rudolf's Northern expedition, I believe he intends to sell the lands that are claimed."

"Sell them, who would want a frozen waste?"

Rudolf chimed back in. "Well father, to the only two powers that are close and maintain an interest in sealing and whaling, Denmark and Sweden. I would think the Danes will be shocked by our claim. Claiming the islands will provide not only an excellent instructional exercise for those naval personnel involved, but also can be done at minimal expense. If we then on sell to the Danes, we can make some money or perhaps the islands can be part exchanged for the Danish West Indies, which Copenhagen have been trying to sell to a foreign power for some time."

"Make a profit? For God's sake, what are we, grocers?"

"No, I am solely interested in increasing our international prestige and reputation. Colonies do such a thing. That is an undeniable fact."

"Dear God, all this will create a firestorm. And so little time. Of course, there are other matters as concerning your wife."

"Such as?" Stephanie asked.

"Let's start with your little stunt where both of you, I am sure Rudolf at your connivance, signed that petition against the disenfranchisement of women voters."

"What of it?"

"Don't get clever with me girl, it's clearly a political statement and therefore quite at odds with the stance we have chosen to take to stay out of such matters. You should not have signed it at all and if you wished to do so you quite clearly should have come to me first to ask permission, which you just as clearly did not do, instead you convinced your husband to sign as well to compound the problem."

"You know that my position is that women should have the vote in any case, however, I was certainly going to object to it's removal in one of the rare cases where it has been bestowed. Whilst I will concede I should have spoken to you first I am not going to apologize for conforming to my own beliefs."

"Sometimes in our position we cannot always follow our beliefs, but instead knuckle under to duty. Don't be a silly girl."

"I am many things but a silly girl is no longer one of them and I will take the opportunity to remind you of such."

"Well I don't know what else you would call charging around the city on runs with Rudolf, let alone your scandalous attempt to play tennis with men in England, finally entering the women's tournament. For heavens sake, you are not a tennis player or anything so common, you are a royal princess of the House of Hapsburg and you would do well to remind yourself of such a fact."

"I am well aware of who I am. I have entered such a tournament, not only that but I will undertake to win it, so we will see whether I am a tennis player or not. You let your wife swan around Europe and do what she wants when she wants to and as far as this goes I do not care what your view on the matter are, it leaves me completely unmoved."

Franz Joseph raised his voice. "You should be concentrating on producing an heir that this empire needs."

"I already have produced one in case you have not noticed."

The Emperor was now red with anger. "Don't be stupid girl. You have failed your husband and this dynasty."

"Father, this is too much." said Rudolf.

This had all gone too far, thought Stephanie and she had let her own anger drive her in the last couple of sentences. It was time to reverse course.

Franz Joseph's own anger ebbed away gradually as the young women was reduced to sitting there, tears leaking out of her eyes. This had gone too far. Unlike his wife, he had always had a soft spot for the young girl that had married so young and come to a foreign country. Timid, she had rapidly become pregnant and as she and Rudolf had drifted apart she had become alone as he had pursued his affairs, becoming haughty and conscious of her position, as it was the only thing she had left to her. Now it seemed she had discovered a backbone in a large way. Maybe that is what had won his wayward son back into her bed and at the same time she had started to re-engage with her own daughter. He could not afford to lose that, he needed an heir, in both generations. Somehow she had succeeded in turning his son away from a self destructive path that usually had only one end. The possibility of future children and an heir to his son also loomed. These were things of vital importance. All were needed to hold this monolithic yet oh so fragile Empire in balance.

"Alright, I have nothing more to say. All I ask is that you BOTH consult me before any further major decisions are made that you know should need my approval. Can you agree?"

"Yes."

"Yes"

"Well, be off with you then" said the Kaiser.

Possible Three Kingdom flag

Possible three Kingdom flag

May 1889- Shipping thoughts with Austro-Lloyds

16 May 1889, Palazzo del Lloyd Austria, Trieste, Austro-Hungarian Empire

Octavio Cosulich was at a loss as to the reasons for the requested meeting but as Chairman of Österreichischer Lloyd he was not like to refuse the Hapsburg Crown Prince a meeting if he requested one, especially now that he also controlled the naval policy of the Dual monarchy. Cosulich was Croatian, like some 70% of the staff at Österreichischer Lloyd, with another 15% being Italians with a few Germans and Hungarians. He had started his career in South America before moving back to Trieste.

"Herr Cosulich, thank you for seeing me and I apologize for the veil of secrecy but I had some information I wished to pass onto you that may be significant. As I am sure we are both aware, Österreichischer Lloyd is the only large shipping company in the Empire and you operate 86 ships?"

"88"

"88, yes. And your two flagships, Imperator and Imperatrix are the only vessels over 4,000 tons at at 4,140 tons with three more at over 3,000 tons, correct?"

"Yes." Where was he going with this?

"Would you say your ships are fully committed at present?"

"Your Highness, if they are not fully committed you are not running a successful enterprise."

"Quite. You see the reason I ask is that there is a company in Britain for sale, the African Steamship Company, due to poor finances of the company's directors and a rumored inability to pay for their new 3,196 ton flagship Plassey."

"Yes, I am aware Your Highness. They run West African routes from Banjul to Luanda. Not really the sort of thing that falls within our purview."

"Yes, or so it seems at present. They run a fleet of 19 ships, not including hulks and coal barges, from 288 to 2078 tons, plus their almost completed flagship. In all 29 vessels. All modified for African service. The price that is asked seems more than reasonable and they would likely settle for less. I mention this because you have large cash reserves yourself, both from profitable operations here and your own sale of your interests in Nicolás Mihanovich y Compañía when you moved back from Argentina. Those reserves spent on such an enterprise could be used to raise your own personal stake in Österreichischer Lloyd if they were used towards such an acquisition."

"Your Highness, what would be the purpose of such an exercise? Running cargo that is currently run to London to Trieste instead, at an extra distance of 700 sea miles. Forgive me, but I can see no future in such a scheme."

"Yes, in normal circumstances I would concede that this would be true, however, these may not be normal circumstances. What if I was to tell you that in a mere five days that Leopold II will cede sovereignty over the Congo Free State to my own wife and his daughter Stephanie and that afterwards the territory will be administered by the Austro-Hungarian authorities under her direction? If I also told you that the struggling German South West Africa Company Ltd, who are desperate for regular shipping contacts that British companies will not touch, would sign an exclusive contract to use Österreichischer Lloyd if the price was half way reasonable, along with the new Congo Free State administration? None of these things mean that you necessarily lose the current contract on the Niger the African Steamship Company possesses. The motto of your company is 'Vorwarts', is it not?"

Dear sweet God, if this was true, then there were possibilities previously unseen. In those terms, there was great potential indeed, including to use the initial part of the journey to connect through to Cadiz onto Compañía Transatlántica Española routes to New York and South America, perhaps even via Athens. Carrying passengers on the way out and goods on the way back.

"Your Highness, what an interesting thought. Vorwarts, yes it is." And to think he had dismissed this meeting as likely unimportant.

May 1889- Congo Governor

19 May 1889, Hofburg, Vienna, Austro-Hungarian Empire

Johann Salvator sat and listened to his friend and his wife go over the details again. It had been a quick journey from London and then via the Orient Express from Calais. Stephanie commenced again.

"In the finish, to escape an almost otherworldly miasma of difficulties and objections, we have agreed to the Kaiser's requests in nearly every instance. I will remain Head of State for the Free State, however, it will be administered by the yet to be established Austro-Hungarian Colonial Office, who will submit reports both to the Kaiser and myself. The real local authority will be the Governor who will report again to both Franz Joseph and myself. That is where you come in.

It has been agreed that both troops and administrators will deport for the capital on or about the 10th June, short notice I know, ready for an official handover on the night of the 30th June. I will be able to provide you detailed reports in regards what has been going on there these last few years prior to commencing. Standard Austrian law will apply and the main priorities will be fourfold, firstly convincing the locals that this occupation is not just more of the same, secondly co-operating with local people to keep up production of rubber and, for the moment, ivory. Thirdly, secure the diamond mines and commence production and lastly an expedition to secure Katanga and it's copper resources to stave off the English and their ambitions. By the way, I am thinking of naming the capital Marianburg, in honor of, umm, Maria Theresa.

Would you be willing to accept the post of Governor? Not only would it give you the opportunity to pursue good deeds but it will go a long way towards solving your issues with Ludmilla Stuber. In such a remote location, your domestic arrangements will be no one's concern but your own and if Rudolf ever replaces his father he will confirm what has already been done in secret. In regards the financial rewards due to me personally, I am happy to plow most if not all of them back into the development of the country as a whole. What are your thoughts?"

Archduke Johann Salvator of Austria sat and thought. Not only would he be performing a service for his friend and his wife, he could get what he wanted after all, or perhaps so.

"I think yes, but I will need to confirm with you probably tomorrow."

"Well then, until tomorrow."

May 1889 - Congo thoughts and planning

22 May 1889, Hofburg Palace, Vienna, Austro-Hungarian Empire

The front page headline from the Brussels daily newspaper summed it up fairly well I suppose. "Qu'est-ce qui se passe?" What is happening indeed. Well the fat was in the fire now and the Congo issue was done and run. Her lovely father would no doubt be squirming now and would be for some time. Now the scramble to make the plans needed would ensue, not helped by the fact that the expedition to the Congo would leave on the 12th June, calling at Cadiz on the 15th, where both herself and Rudolf would disembark to make their way firstly to Paris for the Great Exhibition and then to London for both Wimbledon and the British Fife Royal Wedding, where the Kaiser would no doubt also be present, along with the Danish royal family. Austro-Hungary needed to gain another firm ally aside from Germany. The shock abdication of King Milan in Serbia had scarcely improved the situation there and was the first step in the road to a more aggressive policy that led to war OTL. In truth, both Rudolf and herself did not even know about it from foreknowledge, which just went to show again that historical knowledge was useful, but not the be all and end all. It was not like either of them were historians, after all.

So, Cosulich had moved quickly and Johann Salvator had accepted the governorship. As a military expedition, the first deployment would leave on the newly commissioned small battleship SMS Kronprinzessin Erzherzogin Stephanie, which was quite appropriate, accompanied by two torpedo cruisers. They would carry over 200 civilians and two battalions of the 87th Regiment, each consisting of a commander, 18 officers, two medical doctors, 656 NCOs and men and seven horses. There would also be a headquarters staff consisting of a further overall military commander, eight officers, two more medical doctors, 21 NCO's and men plus six horses.

May 1889-Rumblings in Whitehall

30 May 1889, Marlborough House, Great Britain

The Prime Minister levered his portly frame off the ottoman and stood to meet the equally portly Bertie.

"Thank you for meeting me sir."

"No thank you for asking me to do so Prime Minister. How may I assist you?"

"Well sir, it comes on the back of the extraordinary announcement in regards the Congo and I wanted to come to you and ask firstly what you know about this Rudolf and his wife. Obviously we are concerned not only with our own African interests but also potential interest in Katanga, within Southern Congo. What do you make of the situation and indeed this couple that seem to be at the center of it?"

"Well, I have met him a number of times, five I think including his wedding, however, as Catholics, they are not close family as such. Probably the greatest amount of time we have spent together was last year in Hungary. He is politically liberal, at least for Austria, and is quite anti German, at least in the sense that he dislikes the Kaiser with his heel clicking arrogance and resents the Dual Monarchy's dependence on Germany to take the lead in foreign policy. He also introduced me to the financier Maurice de Hirsch. In regards his wife, as you are no doubt aware, we are related via my father's side of the family, however, when I met Rudolf in 1888 she was not in attendance and I had gained the impression that the marriage was in trouble. Quiet girl, self contained, from my impressions."

"Well, reports from a man we have in Pola, a Captain Fisher, observations only mind you, seem to indicate that whatever problems they had with their marriage, they are now in the past. In addition, the impressions written by him are very much to the effect she has a great deal of influence with Rudolf."

"Well that would seem to be a change. I presume today's meeting is not only about my personal impressions of the Crown Prince and his wife?"

"Yes, yes it is. Are you aware that Stephanie has entered this year's Wimbledon tennis championships?"

Bertie was momentarily taken aback. "Well that is most uncharacteristic I would have to say."

"Yes well, you are correct Your Royal Highness. Both will be present at your daughter's wedding, correct?"

"Yes, they will be staying here at Marlborough House, in fact."

"Both the Foreign Office and the Colonial Office would very much like to know not only their intentions in regards the Congo but this abrupt about face in terms of colonial aspirations in terms the Dual Monarchy as a whole. Overseas colonies are something that they have previously eschewed, now it seems that they are moving in a different direction. The appointment of Fisher with a brief to modernize their Navy also seems to indicate they have an interest in seizing Neptune's trident as well. The fact that all these things seem to point to a change of position indicate we may have another player on the international stage, rather than just the Balkans. For that reason, it would be appreciated if, during the course of the wedding festivities and the time afterwards, you could make an efforts to find out all you could in regards to the policies of the couple, especially the Crown Princess, who will now be directly in charge of the Congo."

"Well Prime Minister, I will endeavor to do my best."

June 1889-First voyage of the Kronprinzessin Erzherzogin Stephanie

2 June 1889, Pola Naval Base, aboard SMS Kronprinzessin Erzherzogin Stephanie, Austro Hungarian Empire

Fisher stood next to his sea chair on the bridge of the bridge as the bustle surrounded him on board the newest addition to the Austro-Hungarian fleet. She was a strange looking ship, her main armament of two 12 inch guns both being mounted singly in barbette sponsons to port and starboard forwards on the ship, with a secondary armament of six 5.9 inch guns on the broadside. It gave the ship a broadside of only one 12 inch and three 5.9 inch guns, ridiculously low for a 5025 ton ironclad. She had simply been too far along for Rudolf or himself to make any meaningful changes to her design, other than removing the useless rear torpedo tube and fitting a new, much less heavier, forward mast. With a five year build time, even with recent urging to speed the process, she was likely already obsolete, especially compared to Rudolf's remarkable new designs. It was an era where naval technology was changing at a frightening rate.

Fisher was now used to having the young Ensign Hans-Adam von Albori hovering beside him to translate and scarcely noticed his presence anymore.

"Hans-Adam, what is the forecast?"

"Clear with a gentle breeze of 5 knots only, scattered cloud."

"Splendid!" That should keep the Crown Princess from being sick he though, looking at Stephanie ensconced in his sea chair with Rudolf standing and looking eager on the other wing of the bridge.

"Captain, what is the ship's state?" he asked Captain Ivo Vizin, unusually for someone of his rank, a Croat from Cattaro, but a man Fisher had every confidence in.

"Ship secured for sea sir. Full compliment on board, boilers are flashed up."

"Well then Ivo, we had better take her to sea and put her through her paces."

The Adriatic was near to flat by the time they had reached the exercise area yet even at full power the small barbette battleship did not achieve 18 knots. Too slow thought Fisher. Speed was an armour all of itself and this ship was too small to engage her foreign counterparts and too slow to run from them. Fisher had enjoyed his time in Pola so far. He had received solid support from Rudolf and Stephanie and it had been a learning experience. He had forced himself to be ruthless and remove those that were not competent, give the ships themselves sea time and he was now starting to see the benefits of such a move. He hoped that by the time he left Austrian service in 1891 that new, more modern ships would be well on the way to delivery and that the service would be able to build a modern battle line capable of more than the 12-13 knot ships it mostly possessed at present.

There were some surprising areas that the Dual Monarchy's Navy excelled at. They were probably ahead of the Royal Navy in terms of both mine and torpedo development, something of vital importance to a Navy mainly operating in the shallower waters of the Adriatic. With the acquisition of the Congo and Austro-Lloyd buying the African Steamship Company, adding at a stroke over 30 ships and 30,000 tons to the Dual Monarchy's small Merchant Marine, it may not be just the the Adriatic that the Navy was to be concerned with. Last night Rudolf over cards had asked if possession of a coaling port West of Malta would be useful to the navy. It would be more than useful, thought Fisher.

Finally it was time for gunnery practice on the old ship Kaiser. Behind each breech a 450kg shell waited at the top of the hoist, only it's pointed, yellow painted armour capped nose showing. Below it, held on pawls, other shells waited to feed feed the guns, all the way down to the shell handling rooms and the feed root. Once firing commenced, there should be no empty spaces on the feed link lest the gun fall silent.

Fisher nodded and the Captain gave the command.
"All guns with armour piercing shell and full charge, load, load, load."

The gun captain stared at the charge number. He could not load until the brown powder had been shoved into the rammer. It was more than 140kg of propellant. He saw he had powder and pulled his breech lever towards him. The rammer swung over and stopped in line with the open breech. With a rattle both shell and charge rammed into the hole. His assistant hand shot up, indicating readiness and the new polished breech block swing shut, locked into place.

"Left gun loaded."

"Open fire."

"200 meters over. Corrections."

It had been a good day's shoot thought Fisher. The ship had gone through her paces and performed as well as expected but what had really gratified Fisher had been the smooth efficiency of the crew on board such a brand new vessel. It looked like the little battleship was ready for her first mission, to Africa of all places. Yes, it had so far been an enjoyable posting to Austria and although there was some unpleasantness with the dismissals, his wife had fared well and his girls seemed to enjoy the attention of so many young naval officers, perhaps too much he mused.

Rudolf came over. "She seemed to go well enough?"

"Yes, I was very pleased with the crew in particular. Vizin seems to have them at a high state of efficiency."

"We both appreciate your work. You were the ADC to Her Majesty at one stage I understand?"

"Yes I had that honor."

"I will be sure to mention your good work here."

June 1889-Head North young man

10 June 1889, Schonbrunn Palace, Vienna, Austro-Hungarian Empire

He had been strolling through the magnificent grounds of the palace and had just returned when the footman brought the telegram that had arrived via the private box at the main Vienna General Post Office, addressed to the nom de plume he had created, Miss Henrietta Krause. His wife was still sweating and straining on her tennis court; last minute practice she called it. The message was both short and to the point.

"Departed Reykjavic. Enjoyed our stay. Plans have remained unchanged to call on Uncle Jan and hope to see the matinee performance of the Bard. Cousin Julius."

So, the Northern Expedition under von Payer was at sea. By the end of the month they should have their flag on the terra nullius that constituted Jan Mayen, Svalbard and Franz Joseph Land. July would be an interesting time to be in England with the Danish King, Christian IX, who would also be present at the wedding, as would the Kaiser, Tsarevich Nicholas of Russia, as well as Crown Prince Constantine of Greece.

Interesting times indeed. It would be an excellent opportunity to gauge how much Denmark wanted these lands and how little they valued their West Indian colony.

JUne 1889- A few Von Goghs are in your luggage madam...

24 June 1889, Paris, Republic of France

Stephanie rather hoped that much like had happened in her meories, they would not follow their original plan to pull down the Eiffel Tower as they walked under the archway for their last day at the Great Exhibition. She had received a telegram that morning from the small battleship they had departed Pola in, she had weighed anchor at Sierra Leone for the final part of the journey to the Congo. Leopold's officials would remain in place until replaced by her own functionaries, which might take months in the wild interior of the colony. They would, however, make the time-frame for the official handover to her control on the night of the 30th June.

She had quite literally bumped into the small, brown haired young man whilst admiring some of the paintings on display and Maria had taken care to place herself between Stephanie and the mustachioed man.

"Pardon madam."

"That is quite alright, I was not watching where I was going."

"You like this painting by Whistler madam?"

"Yes, I think I do. I am no great art expert, however. My husband knows more about music, in particular, but also art, than I do."

"It reminds me of some of the work of my dear brother."

"You have a brother who paints?"

"Yes, Vincent. Sadly he is institutionalized at present."

"Vincent?"

"Van Gogh."

"I see. Umm...do you have some of these painting for sale at all?"

"I do have a little studio by the Seine if you wish to make the time to see, with some 60 to 70 works, some half of those in oils."

"I am leaving for London tonight, but if you give me the address say 3pm today? I will bring my husband. Mister?"

"Theodorus. Theodorus Van Gogh. I look forward to it. Each painting sold alleviates my brother's financial plight to a small degree."

24 June 1889, Galite Island, Mediterranean Sea

The gunboat Albatros remained at anchor in the small harbour as they docked the two longboats at the stone pier. There was a collection of six houses near the bay, a smaller stone building right near the pier and one larger stone building further up. Not exactly a bustling metropolis. A smaller party of three were there to greet them.

"Who the hell are you lot" the lead figure said in rough Italian.

"Lieutenant Gustav Weindorfer, His Majesty's Austro-Hungarian navy. We intend to occupy the island, set up a weather reporting and coaling station and claim it in the name of His Imperial Majesty."

The grizzled seaman looked back and the youthful officer. "Well fuck me. You had better see the Mayor."

The trip up to the cottage, slightly larger than the others, took but a matter of minutes and in no time at all he was sitting with an older man in his 50's, sipping a fiery honey based liquid.

"So, you are Austrians?"

"Yes. Are there many on the island?"

"Four French, 17 Italians, 1 Portuguese. All men. Most are fisherman. Three shepherds. A butcher. Most are men who have wanted to disappear. They will not welcome authority but at least your come from a location where most are not wanted for one thing or another."

24 June 1889, Paris, Republic of France

"I do not wish to take all of your stock, however, I have picked out 37, some 24 of them oils on canvas, if you would like to set a price."

"Thank you madam?"

"Von Hapsburg."

"Hapsburg?"

She smiled. "Yes, that Hapsburg. Here is the address for delivery, just send them to the Embassy, they will have payment in full for you."

"Yes, of course."

"If your brother ever recovers sufficiently, my husband and myself would be interested in having him paint in particular four locations, Split, Plitvice, Bled and Piran. We would be happy to arrange accommodation, transport, food and a commission."

We can only hope, your...err...madam."

"Thank you Mr Van Gogh."

Rudolf had been less keen, arguing that if he did not commit suicide as per his previous life's memories, then he may not become famous, but that seemed a bit bloodless for her. Hopefully he could come to the Dual Monarchy and find some peace. Or perhaps what had occurred in her previous memories was unavoidable.

June 1889- Wimbledon, annexations, filling a newspaper

30 June 1889, All England Lawn Tennis Club, Wimbledon, Great Britain

Whilst she had not sought out the interview, the level of interest had been so high when she had arrived in England that she had indicated to "The Times", as a suitable publication, that she would be willing to grant a small interview to a senior journalist if they were interested. In fact, she had gotten the Editor of the publication, a Mr Charles Bell, a small, dapper man and they sat outside in the balmy summer sunshine with only Maria Moskoni in attendance.

"Your Imperial Highness, you must understand that even a foreign player would generate interest, let alone an international figure such as yourself, let alone a personage from one of Europe's great crowned families."

"Yes, of course, however, my lovely husband was wholly supportive and we were, of course, coming to England in any case, so I thought, why not do this?"

"Most people were not aware that you had any tennis proficiency at all yet your very entry has seemingly raised the profile of the event and there are now 20 entries, including I note your companion, a Maria Mosconi he indicated, nodding at Maria. The number of entries in the gentleman's has also shown a late surge, so there is certainly unprecedented interest."

"Well I don't really know if you are aware of this Charles, but I follow a very simple creed. There is nothing that a man can do that a women cannot do. I fact, I have some expertise in lawn tennis and look forward to the tournament as a chance to show that."

"Forgive me for asking, but there is rumour that has gained some momentum that you actually tried to enter the gentleman's draw."

"Charles, surely not." Stephanie let out a high pitched laugh. "However, in all seriousness, let's say I was to win the Wimbledon ladies tournament, current betting is 100-1 that I will not, would it not be interesting to play a game versus the men's and women's champions? If I were to win, I would certainly be interested in playing in such a contest. So many view women as helpless, people that should be cloistered. I think we need to challenge that world view."

"That is a ...remarkable point of view from a dynast from what many say is one of the more conservative dynasties in Europe."

"Well perhaps so but I think that it is time not only for myself but also for Austro-Hungary to take her place in the sun. Now, as you are no doubt aware, thanks to an act of great generosity from my own beloved father, I shall be Queen of the Congo, in...umm, 7 hours. When I take over the administration of this territory, I intend to make a number of changes to ensure that said administration benefits not only myself, but also Austria and the native inhabitants of this land. However, I would like to take this very opportunity to announce both to yourself and via your fine newspaper that the Austro-Hungarian Empire has formally taken possession of not only the administration of the Congo on my behalf, but also the Galite Islands in the Mediterranean, Jan Mayan Island in the Arctic, the Svalbard chain including Bear Island, again in the Arctic, and finally Franz Joseph Land, also in the Arctic and named for our own august Emperor."

Charles Bell was stunned. Things were simply not done that way, not via a newspaper, surely this could not be true? "What basis does Austro-Hungary have for the assertion of such a claim Your Highness?"

"Well, we have established a Military Governor and weather reporting station on the Galite Islands. Likewise at Jan Mayen. At Svalbard, we have established a settlement and coal mine. For the Franz Joseph Islands you must be aware that it was an Austrian expedition that discovered them and whilst I am no international lawyer there is the well established concept of Terra Nullius."

She was serious, by her expression deadly serious. Tomorrow's edition would be front page news and it more than vindicated his decision to make this interview personally. It was time to change tack.

"So, you are here for the wedding of Princess Louise?" It was like someone had flicked a switch in the Crown Princess.

"Yes well ,what girl does not like a wedding? I am very much looking forward to renewing friendships established between my husband and the Prince of Wales and seeing more of England, as well as conversing with other members of Louise's family that have arrived for the wedding."

"Did you enjoy your trip here and the exhibition in Paris?"

"Indeed I did. I was able to discover works from a most remarkable painter, a certain Vincent Van Gogh. Mr Bell, if you intend to publish the results of our talk here today, can I formally request that you include a by-line to the effect that I regard Mr Van Gogh's work as remarkable in regards it's use of colours and expression."

"Most assuredly. Thank you Your Highness for being so candid. Now your first match is the day after tomorrow?"

"Yes, against a Miss Edith Cole. I would encourage as many as possible to give patronage to the event."

Remarkable thought Bell. This would be front page news in regards the annexations, likely also back page news in regards the tennis. Remarkable.

July 1889-Bertie, Alix reflections

6 July 1889, Marlborough House, London, Great Britain

“Well you have certainly added some colour with your visit my dear. I am not sure whether the press know whether to be shocked, outraged or admiring.”

The Princess of Wales picked up the copy of “The Guardian”, slightly shop soiled by being handled with wet hands from the ladies that were currently enjoying the surrounds of the pool that had been added to Marlborough house for the Princess some ten or more years ago. “Austrian African Queen crushes convention as well as opponent Annie Dod 6-1, 6-0 at Wimbledon to reach last 8-there is nothing a man can do that a women cannot says Stephanie.”

“In my limited time with the press it would seem they are much like men, they need to be teased and kept begging for more, until such time as you are ready to surrender fully to them.”

Alexandra laughed out loud. “Yes, an excellent analogy.”

“Mother!” exclaimed Victoria.

“You will see Toria. Your sister will see even sooner.”

“Mother!”

Alexandra had liked the independent young women that had come to stay some six days ago and she had quickly formed a bond of friendship that had been similar to the one her husband had mentioned he had established with Rudolf some time before. It was something she had not necessarily been prepared to do considering Austria’s closeness to Germany, which represented all that she despised. Yet the young women had been affable, interested in women’s issues, a suffragette, as Alexandra was secretly herself, and engaging.

“What are your plans for this African backwater that your have inherited and indeed these other desolate rocks?”

“Well, I think we owe the people there to administer the territory fairly so that if there is wealth to be exploited that all may benefit from it. Rudolf has his doubts about this approach but I will win him over and I think it for the best. To that end although I have not told Rudolf as yet I plan to visit the territory later this year and in the meantime I have appointed a Governor I have confidence in.

In regards the Northern islands, we simply followed up as a logical extension of the previous Austro-Hungarian polar mission some years earlier. The thought was that if we are going into the business of colonialism, then we may as well jump in with both feet. In truth, however, I would have thought the islands would be of more value to either Denmark, Norway or even Russia. I would prefer to exchange such to one of these countries in exchange for concessions, or alternate territories, such as in Denmark’s case the Danish West Indies.”

“That would be an interesting suggestion that certainly deserves some thought.”

“Your brother and the Kaiser arrive in a couple of weeks I gather?”

“Yes, one welcome, the other less so.”

“I have heard he is a difficult one to get along with.”

“Yes, as vain as a peacock and a typical pickle helmeted Prussian.”

“Oh well” said Stephanie. She finished her gin and moved back to the pool, swimming with slow, lazy overarm strokes, flipping and dolphin kicking out of a turn. When she surfaced the other ladies were looking at her.

“What on earth are you doing?” said Alexandra.

“Swimming.”

“I have never seen swimming like that.”
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Bertie looked over at his young guest as he bent to take a shot on the green. “You seem changed since we spent so much time shooting in Hungary last year. Less…tightly coiled. I mean you have not lost your serious nature yet you seem less, well, melancholy I suppose.” He potted and then replaced the green and then leaned his portly frame over the table to line up another red. “Yet it is your wife that seems to me to be the most changed. From a nervous, highly strung and insecure girl to a women who seems confident with who she is.”

Rudolf sighed. The last six months had been an interesting period, without doubt the most pivotal in his life so far. He was happy. It was a startling revelation to a fusion of two personalities, neither of which had experienced happiness for any prolonged period of time in their lives before. “It was, I suppose, an understanding between both of us. We were both unhappy and unfulfilled. We had a child together and we both thought that she deserved the best. That could not happen with the way we were before. But it was a surprise to me what occurred.”

“How so?”

“To put it simply, when we spent the time together, when I took the time to support my wife and let her come out into her own as a person, then all of a sudden, she blossomed as a personality, she became fierce, independent and funny, as well as infuriating and stubborn. It was all too easy to fall in love with that person.”

“I love my Alix as well. Perhaps I have not always shown it as well as I might but I do.”

“Yet there have been some remarkable happenings in the last month or two in regards the Congo and now these Northern islands.”

“It was felt that if we were to acquire colonies then we may as well become a player as such.”

“What are the intentions in regards to the Congo?”

“Well it is more my wife’s project you understand, but we want to invest fully in the colony itself and ensure it’s prosperity and secure it’s borders. I know that we intend to aggressively push out, secure outposts, remove Belgian administrators and ensure the rule of law. We are certainly very open to infrastructure investment from other powers if it is beneficial. For instance we would not be opposed to a bilateral approach to Katanga under Austrian sovereignty if investment was on hand to extend such infrastructure as railways to Livingstone and then across Northern Rhodesia into the Congo.”

“Interesting. And your own thoughts on Austria’s foreign policy?”

“It’s not the same as my father’s. It is a difficult situation you see. For Austria Germany is a natural ally, as to alienate Germany is to open the way for appeals to German nationalism, as we could lose all of the Austrian part of our Empire to a pan Germanic movement that would answer to Berlin. If that occurs, the remainder of the monarchy will fly apart like a coiled spring, for it is only the influence of the Crown and Vienna that holds it all in check. Yet it is a dangerous precedent that would see England break from Germany. If in opposition, then France will gravitate to England in opposition to Germany, likely bringing Russia with them. Yet if Germany, Austria and Great Britain were to maintain a friendship, then peace on the continent could be guaranteed. The only other power that could guarantee peace is a renewal of the dreikaiserbund, and, as you well know, that was designed to lock England out of continental influence.”

July 1889- Serbian musings

13 July 1889, Marlborough House, London, Great Britain

Rudolf had carried around the bloody putter all day as a symbol of his victory on the golf course as he flopped down onto the bed they both shared and starting tracing a line in the curtain at the top of the canopy.

"What is on your mind?"

"Who says anything is on my mind?"

Stephanie simply gave him a withering stare.

"Well I was thinking about Serbia. We missed our chance to try and keep Milan in power."

"Yes, go on."

"Well eventually if we go on as we are, it will see the growth of the Black Hand and similar organizations, dedicated to things like what happened to poor old Franz Ferdinand. The Serbs will never be happy and will always be plotting as long as they maintain their own Kingdom yet more than half of the Serbian demographic live inside Austrian administered territory."

"What are you suggesting as a solution?"

"Well I suppose there are two possible solutions. What we cannot have is an extended continuation of the current situation. It's dangerous to you, me, our daughter. The first solution is simple enough. We crush Serbia and include it in the Empire, annexing all it's land and peoples, thus allowing us to use our own police to crush revolutionary movements from within. It has it's problems, most notably Russia, which will likely go to war over such a happening unless an understanding can in some way be reached. In addition, it would have to also involve the annexation of Bosnia, which would also draw the ire of the Sultan. The second option is to formally take full possession of Bosnia Herzegovina in defiance of Constantinople and carve it up on ethnic lines between ourselves and Serbia in a treaty of understanding that would hopefully mean a stable border. We keep the Croats as Catholics, they get the Serbs, maybe mixed areas are jointly administered or we create a buffer state. The Ottomans would be offended but if Serbia are in agreement Russia would tag along. It would be a hard sell to our own people, however. I am not even sure I like it."

"Sometimes we need to do what others will not like. Wilhelm will be here in a week. He would be furious if he know what I had ordered in the Congo. The Lake Tanganyika Expedition has departed with 450 men and 1000 Askaris to remove Tippu Tip as governor, although most do not know that that is the purpose."

"What do you intend to do with him?"

"Hang him as a slave trader."

"You are right, the Germans will not like it, he is a cousin of the Sultan of Zanzibar."

"Too bad, so sad. He deserves it."

"We need to get to bed, I have the final tomorrow."

"You destroyed Blanche Hillyard. 'Playing with unprecedented power for a women and using a wicked swerve on her overarm serve they called it.' There were 3500 people there for heavens sake."

"6-2, 6-3 is no destruction and I did not play well. Plus Lottie Dod will be hard, even if she does serve underarm still. These players know these old racquets better than me and are likely more match fit as well. I have worked more on strength and power, as well as serve. God it's so hard to remain quiet out there, no effort exclamations, no talking to any degree. And the costume, so restrictive. Come on we need to be up early and you still need to stick to the routine we established."

"If I win we will have to send Werner to collect the winnings. There may be some persuasion required."

"6000 pounds at 100-1 across five bookmakers. Gambling, you are such a bad girl."

"Perhaps you would like to spank me then?"

July 1889- Wimbledon

14 July 1889, All England Tennis Championships, Wimbledon, Great Britain

Lottie Dod watched the receiver as the ball was delivered. Aside from her opponent's considerable power in both ground-strokes or the serve, the biggest aspect of her game that both her and indeed all of Stephanie von Hapsburg's opponents had problems with were the vicious kick of her serves, which generated unprecedented drop on the ball and then bounce. Who was this person, this foreign born princess of all things, that had come from nowhere in terms of tennis to so completely dominate the tournament?

Stephanie looked again at the court after the fault. Flexing her back she brought the racquet back and hit the ball. The American Twist serve dropped and then fizzed off the court, cutting away from the other player in complete contrast to the normal serve delivered with topspin. It was enough to cause her opponent to merely strike the serve on the outer edge of her racquet, resulting in the ball shooting off at right angles along the ground.

"Game, set and match to Mrs Von Hapsburg 6-3, 6-3. Thank you ladies."

Stephanie walked forward to be congratulated by her opponent. 115 years before her first Wimbledon Championship, she had won another. There was a record that would likely stand forever, even if she and Rudolf were the only ones aware of it. Remarkable. Her semi final against the fancied Blanche Hillyard had gained 3500 spectators. Today there were over 5000, more than the men's match. Remarkable indeed.

July 1889- A meeting with Thyss

18 July 1889, Somerset House, London, Great Britain

Stephanie sat across from Albert Thys. "I wish to gain thank you for this meeting and just to summarise, let us go over the salient points yet again.

Firstly, the Compagnie du Congo pour le Commerce et l'Industrie will continue to exist and trade much as before. There will be no question of it's nationalisation by Austrian authorities or indeed my own, thereby consolidating your business interests and making sure that the investments you have made so far will not become null and void.

Secondly, over the next 6 months maximum, in other words by the end of 1889, the forcing of native labour without paying wages will cease, indeed I will announce this from Marienburg later this year personally.

Thirdly, as you are already aware from recent announcements from the Governor, the extortionate activities of the Force Publique will also cease as district officials are replaced during the course of this calendar year. Villages will receive a drop in their rubber quotas to 10 percent of current levels, equating to taxation essentially. All rubber and ivory beyond these amounts is to be paid for with either food or currency at fair market value.

Fourthly, the railway between Matadi and Marienburg will commence within three months, the workers, of all colours, to be paid fair wages. The Compagnie du Congo pour le Commerce et l'Industrie and it's subsidiaries will contribute 900,000 pounds towards the estimated cost of 1,350,000 pounds. I will contribute some 450,000 pounds I happen to have at hand.

Lastly, the Compagnie du Congo pour le Commerce et l'Industrie will contribute 50,000 pounds, to be matched by 50,000 pounds from myself towards the establishment of schools and medical centres for native people, both at Marienburg and Matidi, as well as Stanleyville.

Do you agree?"

"Yes Your Highness." I have little choice thought Thyss. It was either that or lose all investments made so far and that was simply unacceptable.

Stephanie was pleased. She could see no better way to invest the half a million pounds that had come out of the pockets of rich British aristocrats in most cases. The son of the Duke of Marlborough, Earl Cadogen, plus others, including William Astor. None would miss the 450,000 pounds. The remainder of the bet she had been able to reclaim 50,000 pounds of the 150,000 pounds owed.

July 1889- A royal swap meet

22 July 1889, Marlborough House Grounds, Great Britain

Crown Prince Frederick took a seat and looked up at the tall Austrian Crown Princess and her husband. "You must understand Austria won no friends in 1865 and that still exists in Danish society even now."

"Yes, but we are not talking about Holstein now, we are talking about an island chain that Denmark have already agreed to sell twice over. With the abolition of the slave trade, they have become more and more of a financial burden on Denmark and are so far away from your own Kingdom's sphere of influence" said Rudolf. "I suppose what we are offering is simple enough, a restoration of Denmark's pride of place in the Arctic as a Nordic nation, the exchange of 78,000 square kilometers for less than 350, plus a cash settlement as well."

"One has people and business interests, the other is a wilderness. What are you offering exactly?"

"The transfer of all Austro-Hungarian Empire territories in the North plus a cash amount of 2.2 million Danish Krone, no small amount. Or I know Denmark are struggling to pay for new, updated naval designs. We have a ship just completing, namely one named after myself. We could instead exchange a 7,000 ton battleship in place of money, with perhaps a brace of torpedo boats."

"Well I can put it to His Majesty and our government and gain an answer. It is quite a hornet's nest that has been stirred, not only in Sweden, Norway and Denmark, but also Belgium."

Stephanie answered. "Yes, my father has been savaged in the press and has faced demonstrations, however, you will note I have not removed the assets of Belgian Companies and that has mollified many of the more prominent members of society, although I am sure many are concerned with these rapid changes. In regards to these Northern possessions, if you desire them, then we offer them to you only in exchange for something of little value to Denmark."

"Very well, I will gain you a reply."

July 1889-Conundrum in the Congo

23 July 1889, Governor's House, Marienburg, Congo State

Johann Salvator could scarcely believe the accounts he had heard in person from some of the native inhabitants of the Congo. He had been briefed by his cousin and his wife of course, but the reality of hearing it first hand was another matter altogether. He had talked to a woman called Ilanga. She described life in her village as peaceful, hardworking and prosperous. When soldiers came, the people put out food for them, hoping to be left unharmed. The first time they were. The second time, the soldiers stole their fowl and goats, and tore up their cassava. The third time, Ilanga and others were seized, tied together with cords around their necks, and marched off. On the march she saw babies thrown into the grass to die, and her own husband was bayoneted to death when he refused to march any further. Obedience was enforced by use of the chicotte, a hippopotamus hide whip, and by these sort of outright killings, she had said.

Force Publique soldiers had attacked another village because the rubber brought by the villagers to the State was not of the enough or not the best quality. Forty natives were killed and 28 taken prisoners. Eight women were hung in a gruesome parody of a star. All the bodies of those who were killed had the right hand cut off. In another location the natives had collected the quantity of rubber required of them, but had been prevented from delivering it at the Government Post through finding an intermediate town at war with the another. A missionary undertook to write to the Commissionaire to explain the delay. Instead of a reply to his letter a party of soldiers arrived, spreading through the village and opening fire.

It was horrific and had to stop, that much was clear. Already he had 28 former government officials in custody, as well as 67 native and seven European members of the Force Publique. The former Governor, Camille Jansenn, has left the day after the transfer, seemingly knowing what was coming. The question remained, what was he to do with those he did have?

July 1889- Big Willie-Britain or Russia?

25 July 1889, Blue and Yellow Suite, Buckingham Palace, London, United Kingdom

"But why? I do not understand why I am so disliked and distrusted? I travel here to this wedding to yet again show my place as a loyal member of this family, yet secretly I know my Uncle despises me, resents that I am already more than he is."

Rudolf looked at his wife and sighed. It was like trying to herd cats to get the Kaiser to stay on track. Some of his insights were pertinent and quick witted, others positively inane. "My dear Willie, we need to talk about the Triple Alliance and our place in it."

"What of it?"

"It is not going to work in it's current format. I see a time when, God forbid, war may come. With so many of the Great Powers in competition with each other, it seems inevitable. Yet currently we are at the center of a four power coalition that contains not only Italy, a power that will always be opposed to us in Austria, but by secret treaty Romania, a power that will never fight on our side under any circumstances despite the friendliness of her King.

I know you think that the presence of Bismarck is stifling and that can perhaps strike out on your own and influence foreign policy, but let us look what Bismarck has created. The DreiKaiserbund left France, the power most wanting a rematch of 1870, isolated and friendless and locked Great Britain out of influence on the continent. It was a masterstroke and achieved a perfect outcome for Germany. When it lapsed it was replaced by the Reinsurance Treaty. This cannot under any circumstances be allowed to lapse. For the Triple Alliance to truly mean something, it must contain three Great Powers, two of which must come from a grouping of Great Britain, Germany and Russia. If Great Britain or Russia are not our allies, then they may drift into the orbit of France. That would leave Germany squeezed to the North, West and East, a disastrous circumstance for a country not agriculturally self sufficient. Yet a strong Triple Alliance will act as a deterrent to war."

"In Germany we have done nothing to provoke the English, also I know Alexander III and I support his policies and the autocracy in Russia. He knows this."

The autocracy in Russia will not last forever, he thought. "Things change Willie. I know you fancy the concept of Germany becoming a world class power, challenging England."

"Do we not have a right to show our might, to protect our increasingly far flung interests? Should I deny the German people their place in the sun?"

"It is not about that" said Rudolf in a low, serious voice. "Great Britain have always applied the dual power protocol to her navy, so that she always maintains enough ships to match at least the two strongest other naval powers. Now Germany is economically strong enough that if you decide to grasp Neptune's Trident then whilst you may not be able to out-build the British, you can build enough ships so as to invalidate the two power position of the Royal Navy. What do you think will happen then?"

"If we become strong enough then that will threaten the British enough that they will avoid a confrontation with us."

"No, I don't believe that for a moment. What I think is far more likely is that Britain will abandon 'splendid isolation' and modify the two power strategy. The necessity to concentrate their fleet against this threat will involve Britain making arrangements with other powers that enable her to return the bulk of her naval forces to Britain itself by reducing threats elsewhere. The way this will occur is Britain seeking allies, which in the Mediterranean must mean France and lo and behold immediately you have a problem."

"Why would they do such a thing? We are no threat."

It was Stephanie who spoke next. "They have no quarrel with Germany, but they will not understand a reluctance to have your overseas trade and colonial empire dependent on British goodwill. They will not be able to find a rational explanation for Germany's building a huge navy-only in hostile intent. Britain has only two ongoing foreign policy decisions that are non negotiable- fear of any other power's naval expansions and encircling and limiting Russia."

"Well I suppose it bears thinking about. You are a strange one my dear. I though you much like my own dear Dona, but seemingly your are quite different. Tennis, descending into the realms of men in regards politics."

"Oh Willie, you know not how different I really am."

Rudolf quickly recommenced. "It does bear thinking about, it does. We need either the British or the Russians and at some stage we are going to have to sit down and think: which one and how do we go about getting them?"

August 1889- Sailing, Danish sale, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Serbia thoughts

9 August 1889, Villa Angiolina, Opatija, Austro-Hungarian Empire

I was a pleasure to have her daughter with her again and to have a lazy sail on the small yacht with Rudolf. This was the location they had spent their first extended holiday over the summer in 1881, some eight years before. It was only a small town and she had been able to swim lazily by the yacht wearing only a bikini that she had roughly fashioned herself that had made Rudolf's eyes almost pop out of his head.

It was later that night that she was still buzzing from the three hits she had taken of Fiori Alpini, which had to be one of the most concentrated liquors on the planet. She sat up on the bed when Rudolf reappeared in their bedroom. "So, she has gone to sleep?"

"Yes." Rudolf moved over and lay down next to his wife, who scooted over and laid her head in his lap, looking upwards at him.

"So, our Danish friends gave us a quick answer."

"Yes, the outcry over the annexation of a pile of desolate rocks among the Scandinavian sisters was quite profound and at the end of the day the Danish have been wanting to unload those islands in the Caribbean for over 20 years. It really was a deal that sold itself and it was hardly like we pushed them into something unfair or that they did not want. No money need to change hands, just the ship, which I count as nigh on useless in as little as ten years time. It will traverse the Danish Parliament and become official by October I would think and then we can talk about a deal with the Americans to get what we want."

"What do we want again?"

"Money mainly, but also investment and loans, as well as foreign contacts and prestige. The former mainly for the Congo, but possibly also for the Navy. One of the best current cruiser designs on the drawing board is American, the soon to be built USS Olympia.

I have also been thinking about other things. I know we said nine months ago 3-5 years but that seems like a long way away. Anyhow, for now I need to think about the Army maneuvers that are coming up at the end of this month and the application of the flamethrowers and mortars that have been developed, as well as review the new rifle.

Two of the most important things that seem almost fated to happen outside Austria-Hungary itself are the assassination of the King and the ending of the Obrenović dynasty in Serbia with the attendant rise of the Black Hand and secondly the Balkan Wars against the Ottomans.

If we can keep the Obrenović dynasty in power in Serbia then the radical elements of Pan-Slavism may be snuffed out. Obviously we can alert the King when the time comes to our friend Apis and his circle of cutthroats, but they don't even form for another 12 years. I could have him killed now, in fact I have moved a man in place to do just that, however, it does not remove the fact that someone else may just take his place in history. Now if we can keep a more pliable dynasty in power in Serbia, then when the Balkan Wars come, which they surely must, we can reach a compromise with the Serbs that leaves both sides content."

"Such as?"

"Well currently we administer Bosnia Herzegovina yet it is still technically a part of the Ottoman Empire. Currently we also maintain garrisons in the Sanjak of Novi Pazar. In a Balkan War we could seize both with no difficulty, carve off the Croat majority areas in the North and South-West and integrate them into Dalmatia and Croatia-Slavonia. We could then allocate the primarily Serbian and Montenegrin areas in the South to those two states and then organize a joint administration, like a condominium, for the remainder, with diplomatic and police administration shared between Vienna and Belgrade but a high degree of local autonomy. It's risky and would need a co-operative government in Belgrade. Also, in the event of a Balkan War this sort of deal, along with a possible tacit approval of Russian occupation of the Straits, could seal a permanent deal with Russia, creating a Russo-German-Austrian alliance if a British-German detente can not be engineered."

"Well it is certainly interesting. I have made up my mind in regards my father's former men languishing in the Congo as well."

"Yes?"

"It's probably not my first choice but I think the smart play is to let them buy their way to freedom. Not very satisfying I know, however, I plan to let them work as forced labourers on the portage railway for two weeks and then offer them the chance to buy their way home to Belgium in exchange for the forfeiture of 100% of their ill gotten gains. Two weeks of that hell will gain a response in the affirmative, I am sure. We can then use the considerable amount of money to combat starvation and assist those in need of medical help, as well as purchase equipment that will make lives easier. Ultimately this will save lives that simply hanging them as criminals will not. It will also minimize the scandal and remove chances for English opportunism."

"It sounds like the best option. I hear our not seen friend will be visiting?"

"Yes, Mr Van Gogh wrote on behalf of his brother to accept the invitation to spend the time over the winter in Cavtat. I can think of no prettier location for a winter season. His paintings have assumed a shockingly quick popularity. Rudolf, I also wanted to talk about Erszi."

"What about her?"

"She is a clever one and I don't want her educated here, via the Court in this stifling atmosphere that will reinforce that she can never achieve anything in life simply because she has a pair of tits."

"Darling, really!"

"Well, it's true. I want her to go to a regular school, learn something of regular life."

"What do you have in mind?"

"Well, I have a teacher in mind. I have already met her, in fact."

"Oh no, my father won't like that."

Stephanie smiled. "No, I don't suppose he will."

"Why her?"

"She is progressive and forward thinking. Plus, I like her. Rudolf, in another six months we will cease this treatment. I know you feel much improved already. The stark reality is that you have been mounting me almost as regularly as your horse these last six months or so and yet to my current knowledge I am not pregnant. It could be the damage has already been done. I know you want a son. I want a son. But if it does not happen Erszi will have to be our heir. Either that or we rely on others, but I really do not want to pass over her birthright just because of her sex. If we are going to keep this creaking country together, I want to pass it to someone I love."

"The things I have come to do for you I would never have thought I would do for anyone. Alright, if that is the way it must be."

August 1889-New weapons, Can't see me suit

15 August 1889, G Roth Factory, Vienna, Austro-Hungarian Empire

"Well here we are Your Highness." said Karel Krnka, placing the flamethrower and next to the 47mm mortar, of which some five others were scattered around the workshop. The 47mm mortar was man portable at a total of 42.5kg that could be broken into three parts, was able to fire a ecracite or smoke filled shell some 100 to 500 meters. "I have six examples each of the mortars and the flamethrowers. The flamethrowers have an effective range of 20-25 meters and I do not mind telling you Your Highness we had a number of very nervous men testing them. I did the first test myself and had to check my trousers afterwards."

"Fearsome at short range, however. The sort of thing that men will run from. Have you had a look at the new rifles from Steyr?"

"Yes, most interesting but unfortunately prone to jamming. I am thinking that this could eventually be something one may solve by employing a smaller bullet with less muzzle velocity. It is perhaps something we can think of later. Well for the moment we have six each of the three new weapons. That will do to gain interest. Plus, I have these" said Rudolf, dumping the large box from the Von Pacher textile factories in Prague.

Karel Krnka pulled off the top of the small crate with a claw hammer. Inside were a series of smocks and trousers in a strange pattern of colours, a riot of dark and light green, a dark brown and tan and finally black and a sort of dull violet. "What are these?"

"Well my dear Karel, they are an idea my wife gave me. If they can't see you they can't shoot you. Hopefully, this will be the final piece to make an impression at this year's manoeuvres with my Jaeger battalion."

August 1889- A school visit

16 August 1889, St Sophia's Christian Ladies School, Vienna, Austro-Hungarian Empire

Stephanie looked over the two men again. With their dark blue uniforms and red piping as Stabsfelwebel in the life guards, complete with full medal bars they looked every inch soldiers, both 185 plus centimeters of muscle. No, today was all about overawing the opposition and with that in mind she had selected a large necklace of peridots and a bottle green silk dress.

Professor Thaller, the Schullleiter, had been off balance right from the start when the Crown Princess had arrived at the school with the two bodyguards without announcement. He had rapidly thrown out the other teachers he had been in conference with, ushering in the Crown Princess and her companions. She has quickly gotten down to business.

"Professor, I understand you still accepting applications for students for this coming year, is that correct?"

"Yes I am indeed Your Highness, are you thinking of a young lady you wished the school to accommodate?"

"Indeed I am my dear Professor. My own daughter, Elizabeth in fact."

"The Crown Prince's daughter?" uttered Thaller in a small croak.

"Mine to I believe. Yes, the very one. Obviously I would not be looking to have her as a boarder, only a day student. I addition, there are certain levels of instruction in relation to not only languages but also the nuances of politics and government as a whole that as a potential future Empress she will require that cannot be provided by the school and this will require her to be absent approximately one and a half to two days per week, however, I feel it would be beneficial for her to have exposure to the real world and other children."

"Future Empress? Well, err surely ..umm.."

"I have a teacher in mind if you still follow the same practice of having teachers follow their students for at least three years."

"Yes, we umm.... do. Who do you have in mind?"

"Auguste Fickert actually."

"But she is a most unconventional teacher, someone I myself have had issues with, with difficult social opinions to boot. Your Highness, I am not sure I would feel comfortable with..I addition, the Court may think.."

"Professor, I have my heart set on this and I am not one that is generally accustomed to having her wishes contradicted as I am sure others including my husband will tell you. Obviously I am cognisant of the Court's wishes, I form a member of it. Now, are we in agreement on the matter?"

"Well, err, of course. I will speak to Miss Flickert, of course and we can expect the Archduchess on the 5th of September. In the meantime, the school will send a book list via letter."

"Very well then. I thank you Professor. There will be some security arrangements, but you should not find them too onerous. In thank you."

Excellent, she thought, she had bulldozed through what she had wanted.

August 1889-Rudolf, new weapons at army exercises

28 August 1889, near Velika, Austro-Hungarian Empire

The first success of his troops on the annual army manoeuvres had come conventionally enough. His opponent had clearly expected him to deploy his troops on the edge of the forest line and had used that expectation to employ artillery against the forest ridge. Instead, he had placed them further back into the woods, digging them in some 50 to 100 meters inside the tree line, relying on his own troop’s camouflaged positions and uniforms to prevent them being spotted until it was too late. He had no concern about his opponents also gaining the wood, the thin wooded apron short of his defensive positions was too small and lightly forested to shelter enemy troops.

It was then that his troops had opened up on the enemy, the heavy machine guns dispersing and scattering the opposing force. Fire from his small mortars that had already been zeroed had then decimated the retreating force as they crossed clear ground.

His second operation had been more interesting. Tasked to take an enemy position based on a small farmhouse on the edge of small wood, he had used the mortars and heavy machine guns to suppress the enemy, the mortars firing a weakish smoke bomb that gave partial cover to what turned out to be a diversionary force.

He deployed an outflanking force that had swept over the opposing Company courtesy of an attack from the wood. Three of the Mannlichter rifles were to eventually jam, however, the others kept going and these, combined with his flamethrowers, put many of his opponent's troops to their heels. Many who faced the flamethrowers simply ran, even though on exercises the flame was directed above their heads.

It was not without it’s problems, as one operator had been badly burnt by mishandling the weapon, probably due to the short training time. In addition, the Hungarian Honved Colonel had all but accused him of cheating in the use of his new weapons. He had not appreciated his retort. “This is war we are playing at here, and in war there is no cheating, only chances to save your men’s lives.”

Overall, these new “Storm” attack methods had succeeded twice and only failed once, when he had ran his own troops into a well-crafted ambush. He had succeeded twice on the defensive. All in all, it had created a furor, which was his original purpose. Hopefully it would stimulate an interest in new tactics and weapons, tactics and weapons that may be possible to break the incredible stalemate that trench warfare and machine guns provided in the future.

September 1889- Plots, murders, completing the family tree

3 September 1889, Cumberlandstrasse 16, Vienna, Austro-Hungarian Empire

He was feeling a odd detached calm, happy now with the path he had set himself, having pushed down the cold fury he had initially felt. The Army maneuvers had been a great success and he had established a strong friendship with Lt Colonel Karl Pflanzer-Baltiny, who had ambushed his men so effectively, having dined with his officers the final night, toasting with wine he had purchased himself. If had gone a long way to proving his trialed weapons, if he could only convince the more conservative elements of the Army to test, perfect and put into production some of them.

The reports he had received when he had returned had been another matter. So, his father was considering removing him from Science and Technology and scrapping the Ministry. This would be made more difficult now with Tesla, in conjunction with the Ganz works and the "ZBD" Hungarian electrical engineers that worked out of the factory perfecting the induction motor in the last month.

In addition, his father did not approve of the way his granddaughter was being raised and has made discreet inquiries in regards to the possibility of getting his daughter in law institutionalized if needed. Now that possession of the Congo was in his wife's hands that would be a difficult and complicated minefield to navigate, even for the Kaiser, but now he needed some ammunition of his own so he had set about getting it.

Stepping up the the front door of the elegant townhouse, he rapped on the door with his cane. The trip to Lanzendorf earlier today had been simple enough to arrange. Katharina Abel had retained her ballerina figure. Her husband Graf Georg von Slavetich had been present at the same military maneuvers he was and in fact was still there. Both a hard drinker and gambler, he was ten years younger than his wife at 24 years old and was most certainly not the father of her 13 year old daughter. It seemed Katherina had assumed he may be visiting her for the same reason his father had been some years ago, but no, it was the girl he had come to see, not a sexual liaison. He had no shortage of inventiveness in that quarter in his own bed.

Now he was closer to home, only two streets from Schonnbrunn. He was escorted into the cozy little drawing room, traces of feminine decorating fully on show. The mistress of the house was quick to appear.

"Your Imperial Highness, this is an honor, what can I do for you?"

"Madam Nahowski, I am desirous of seeing my sister."

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3 September 1889, Schonbrunn Palace, Vienna, Austro-Hungarian Empire

"So, how did you go today?"

Rudolf looked up from his writing desk at his wife, who seated herself in the chair in front of him in a rustle of red and white silk.

"Good. Katharina Abel is no fool even if her husband is a complete idiot. I have no doubt at all she deduced the reason for this visit. Her husband burns through money like it is going out of fashion yet his debts are always paid. The girl, Maria Katarina, was eventually presented. Not much doubt there, not that I ever thought there was. With Anna Nahowski, there as never any doubt. The girl, Helene, looks so very like Erszi. Charming little thing. I was aware for some time of my father's routine until he threw her over in favour of Miss Schratt. He usually visited her at her house in the Maxingstrasse, appearing at four to five in the morning. He came in, made love to her and then quickly disappeared. He paid her 100,000 guldens when he terminated the relationship. She will need it. Yet another with a second husband who's gambling exceeds his income. As for the third one, Rosa Moskowitz, I am not sure. I did not visit her. Her daughter Margaret is 19, does not have the look, but the women receives regular money from the palace, yet has not worked her as a maid in almost 20 years. Draw your own conclusions."

"Randy old goat. I still feel uncomfortable doing this. The man seems adored by history, with an unblemished reputation."

"Yes, it has always struck me as strange that here we have a man who, as much as Aspis, if not more, was responsible for the Great War and the slaughter of millions, yet it is the Kaiser for all his faults that bears the blame. My father could have stopped things with a single word, yet did not. This is a man who cared so little for the notional cause of the war that he ordered his officers to turn their backs on the coffin of his nephew as the funeral train passed the stations on it's way back to Vienna after the assassination. It just does not get much more callous than that. This is a man who parades his moral rectitude, and yes, had a wife who did not love him. Yet his morals did not preclude him taking numerous mistresses. I have not two sisters but likely five. It is an enduring mystery to me as to why history has been so kind to the man.

I feel some strange residual affections for the man, but at the end of the day his welfare is immaterial to me in relation to your own. I promised to protect you and our child from any kind of threat, any at all, That is why, eventually, this must be done. I owe it to you first and foremost, but also to this Empire, to hopefully stopping Bolshevism, but also the 15 million people that his bungling and weak will helped to get slaughtered.

That is why a 13 year old boy named Dragutin Dimitrijević was murdered in the back streets of Belgrade on his way home from school. He was murdered because I made you a promise and I will keep it, whatever the cost. In any case, what is one life, even a boy's, compared to some 15 million?

However, for all that, there is no need to hurry just yet. My father may be an old reactionary, but he is not stupid. He knows that I am now putting together a dirt file and probably already have too much information that he cannot afford to see the light of day if it was to come from as prominent a source as me, or indeed you. Like a chess game, for the moment we are stalemated. We can pick a time of our own choosing to break that stalemate. In the meantime, expect sniping around the edges. Subtle snubs and insults, suggested appointments refused if possible.

Thankfully the Danish sale is to go through as soon as the 18th of this month, so that will be unimpaired and we have enough control in colonial affairs to make a good deal with the Americans almost impossible to refuse if we can get it to come our way. No, for all his power, my father cannot afford to make himself as unpopular with his people as yours has with his."

Stephanie laughed out loud. "Yes, it's a storm he is having trouble navigating. I think he will squeak through only due to the support of the government. He is getting pilloried in the press."

"No, I suspect my father would have been expecting the old, apathetic Rudolf, who would just roll over and accept things packaged as himself and his courtiers expect. Now he has realised that I am just not going to accept poor treatment of myself or you, he will look to probe me to ascertain my intentions, probably by dispatching either my mother or my sister to me."

September 1889- Family business

5 September 1889, Schonbrunn Palace, Vienna, Austro-Hungarian Empire

"M.V" said Rudolf, leaning back in his chair as his sister came into his study.

"Rudi, what are you doing?" Straight down to business then.

"Well at the moment M.V, I am reading about the new development in ships armour, called Harvey steel and wondering whether the application of small quantities of Chromium would strengthen the armour plate. In addition, I am reviewing the reports on Tesler's new engine from Budapest, in the process of writing letters to negotiate the buying of a live flock of 120 Passenger Pigeons from America, where I believe they will go extinct and settling them in Croatia and finally I am wondering when my wife will return from walking my daughter to her first day at school."

"You know what I mean, why the visits?"

"M.V, I have changed. No one seems to quite realise the fact as yet, or so it seems. I have always been shunned in this family in any case. But before I go on I would like to take the opportunity to say I am deeply sorry to you personally."

"To me. Why? Are you talking about last year?"

"No, not really. To be completely honest I am still not certain Franz Salvador deserves you. However, I am prepared to admit that maybe that is because you are my sister and I probably think no one deserves you. No, I am talking about me. For years I treated you poorly and I had no reason to do so. I was jealous that you had mother’s affections whilst I did not. Likewise father, who doted on you but was always happy enough to find any excuse to ignore me, unless he felt I had I had mucked up badly enough. I was jealous of you. You had freedoms, did not get inflicted with a monster like Gondrecourt like I did. I unfairly treated you and for that I am sorry. I receive no affection from my father and none from my mother, hence my dissolute lifestyle for so long. Yet now that I have established affection, nay love with my wife, they hasten to try and tear that down as well.

“Rudi, I don’t know what to say. I never asked for my parents affections, just assumed it, but I am sorry you felt that way. However, thank you. I wasn’t aware of some of the things that happened, I mean the ten year age gap. I am sure mother loves you, father as well.”

“Do they? Father has never shown it. Mother not since I was 12 or so. The whole family treats me like an outsider, whether due to my supposed liberal opinions or my wasted years I know not. As for mother, I cannot stomach the way she treats my wife. Don’t pretend for a moment that you don’t know. “The beggar girl”. “The mighty bumpkin.” “The clumsy elephant.” “Her long, fake tresses and her cunning oriental eyes.” All in those ridiculous poems of hers, which by the way are shit. I never hear from the women as she gallivants around parading herself as the most beautiful women in Europe at 51 whilst my wife, the women she despises, does most of her Imperial and Royal duties for her. Doesn’t sound like gratitude to me. I would suggest that you tell her from me that if she wants to prove that she cares for me and is something other than a typical Wittelsbach, then she should trouble herself to come here, see me, see her Granddaughter and spend some time.”

Rudolf surprised himself at his own level of pent up rage that had allowed all of this to bubble forth. As the dominant personality, the more self-contained of the two men in the fusion that represented his new personality, it was Heydrich that formed his greater part, or so it seemed. Yet this had come from deep down in the soul of Rudolf, memories of crying after drill instruction that had involved hours of screaming and abuse from von Grondrecourt. He had the memories of two separate childhoods, both staggeringly free of parental affection.

“Yes, that is all very well, but what on earth motivated you to visit fathers old…friends.”

“M.V, aren’t you curious? These girls are our sisters, after all.”

“No Rudolf, frankly I am not. I love papa and I have no desire to go there.”

“Papa. Krauss, the police commissioner, has a file on me. Surveillance is conducted on me routinely. They check my telegrams and letters and submit them to father as required. This is our father. This is how he treats me. Yes, I am bitter. Yes, I am angry and you know what? I think I have every right to be. I went to see the girls because I was curious. The little four year old, in particular, was delightful. There is no harm intended.” Or so you need to know, he thought. “So that is what you can tell father. I presume he sent you.”

Marie-Valerie sighed. “Yes, he did send me.”

”Indulge your curiosity MV, it will do you no harm. You should come and dine with my wife, I think you will find her much changed as well.”

"Very well."

September 1889- Colonial musical chairs

18 September 1889, aboard, Austro Lloyd Line ship, SS Elmina, Pyramiden, Svalbard, Kingdom of Denmark

The captain watched the last of the party of 45 to come aboard. The miserable 166 tons of coal that represented the harvest of Svalbard was already aboard. His own ship had been chartered by the KuK admiralty to pick up officials from Svalbard and would call at Jan Mayen to pick up six more before starting her long voyage back to Trieste. It marked the end of what must have been the shortest colonial occupation in history, less than three months.

Some 5000 nautical miles away, the Austro-Hungarian flag flew for the first day over Marie-Amalie in the Caribbean.

September 1889-Cruisers for colonies

22 September 1889, United States Embassy, Vienna, Austro-Hungarian Empire

Frederick Dent Grant looked at the tall spare man in front of him. Intelligence reports indicated that he, surprisingly enough in conjunction with his wife, had almost elbowed their way into a position of influence in Vienna. He was a very different man from his father, that much was clear and if he was to succeed to the position of Kaiser it would clearly be a major change in direction for the Vienna regime. Not that that would necessarily be a bad thing for such a staid institution.

“We received these islands from Denmark almost as an afterthought in the deal for the Northern possessions. Now the island’s main industry is sugar, followed by fishing. The islanders are English speakers. It has a good harbour, suitable for a military base. The United States have wished to purchase the islands in the past and what’s more I believe it would be in the best interests of the islanders themselves.

We have little real interest in these islands, they are so far from our desired sphere of influence, however, we could always lease them to Germany as a naval base I suppose. However, bearing in mind the likely wishes of the inhabitants themselves, as well as the previous interest in the islands of your government, we have decided to come to you first and ask if you would be interested in renewing your sentiments in regards their purchase Mr Ambassador.

President Harrison is your friend, as he was your father the late President's. His sugar tariffs have greatly increased the price of the product to the detriment of unpopularity in some quarters. A large supply of domestic sugar would do much to ameliorate that and at the same time the large surpluses produced by the Presidents recent measures would allow funds for such a purchase to be easily allocated.”

“What would you be looking for in regards to price, Your Imperial Highness?”

“Well, I was possibly thinking of a deal that may provide the maximum amount of benefit to both our countries. We are interested in building up our Navy and some of those orders could go to American yards. I am aware you have a new cruiser design, cruiser number six I believe, that you are about to tender. It would reduce the cost of such a ship if three were to be ordered, rather than one and at the same time stimulate your shipbuilding industry. At the same time I was thinking of a payment of $7 million dollars in cash and some $10 million dollars in 1% per annum loans through the U.S Treasury. So, in all, two cruisers, $7 million and the provision of the loans, which will of course be repaid.

In exchange for this, American firms gain shipbuilding contracts, my wife is prepared to allocate preferential treatment for United States firms contracting for business in the Congo and any work conducted by such firms will be tax free for the first two years of operation. Plus, of course, the islands. I have only one condition.”

“What would that be?”

“The islanders must be accepted as American citizens and no import duties applied to products from the islands onto the U.S mainland. It has to be a good deal for them as well.”

“Very well Your Highness, I will take this proposition to the President, and, as we discussed, I will guarantee an answer by the end of November.”

“Excellent, thank you Mr Ambassador.”

September 1889- Galite Islands coaling station

24 September 1889, Pedroberg, Galite Islands

The 1,352 ton Galatea nosed her way into the newly built breakwater and wooden pier, bringing more modern equipment for the newly commenced coaling station. The island was now home to some 188 men, in addition to a military garrison of 52 more and construction of extra houses was well underway to supplement the small number of spare stone cottages that had been there previously.

It provided a nicely convenient coaling station in the very center of the Mediterranean, albeit not a harbour the size of Valetta in Malta, it could accommodate vessels up to 2,000 tons or so. It was also directly on the route that vessels plying the new Congo trade would take.

October 1889- Spanish solutions

1 October 1889, Schonbrunn Palace, Austro-Hungarian Empire

The place was abuzz with the move back to the Hofburg for the winter as Rudolf studied the telegram from Benjamin Harrison. So, the U.S president was in agreement and would submit the purchase of the islands to the House for a vote on the 13th of this month, with a nominal transfer date of 1st January 1890. If it passed the House, then it would almost be the final part of his "colonial" strategy in place.

The other part lay in front of him in the form of a letter he had written.

To: His most Catholic Majesty Alfonso XIII via his Regent Queen Maria Christina

Dear Cousin,

(Preamble)

I also write to you in regards our African adventures in the Congo. Stephanie's recent possession of such lands and their administration by Austrian authorities have made clear the desirability of possessing coaling facilities to service such a colony. We have taken possession of the Galite Islands, however, it is a long haul for smaller vessels from there to the mouth of the Congo River and for that purpose we are desirous of obtaining possession of a further such facility to ease the passage of our merchant sea traffic to the Congo.

To that end, I would be interested to discover if Spain in it's generosity would be inclined to sell the Capo Blanco Peninsula to Austro-Hungary for use only as a fort and civilian coaling station. Specifically, this would involve the border from French Mauritania and the Rio de Oro to continue to the sea on the 21 degree parallel and that all Spanish territory South of this on the Cape would go to Austria, consisting of some 130 square kilometers of land that is currently completely uninhabited even by natives.

This is, of course, merely a suggestion, a suggestion of course that may bring Spain a generous financial settlement for a wilderness that remains untouched by the hands of man and at the same time would seemingly remove any impediments to the codifying of a final border with France in the region.

I await your response,

Your loving Cousin,

Rudolf et all.

If successful, this would establish a series of coaling stations that would enable trade to proceed to The Congo independent of either British or French stations, not a great concern to Britain, but an annoyance none the less. If up and running, it was bound to attract the attention of the Germans with their ambitions in South West Africa as well, therefore, likely to turn a profit so as not to be a financial drain, either.

Soon he would have to take the carriage. His mother awaited at the Hofburg in what promised to be an interesting meeting.

October 1889-A talk with Sissi

2 October 1889, Hofburg, Austro-Hungarian Empire

"Mother, you should be so grateful. To be honest my life was so utterly dissolute some 12 months ago that I had considered suicide very seriously a number of times. I had all I could take of the life at court here, the lack of affection from both yourself and father, the utter lack of anything worthwhile to do. The drugs, the alcohol, the women, the endless, utterly pointless parties.

It was reconnecting with my wife that saved me from that, finding that in the intervening period that she had changed as well. Dear God, she came here as a frightened 15 year old girl, the product of an abusive father. Yet you chided her for her supposed inferior birth, the fact that she was stiff and formal. How else was she to cover her lack of self confidence and fear of a strange and friendless place except beneath a veneer of formality? For God sake, she had to be sent home for a year initially as she did not even know that facts of life, yet another humiliation which you aided and abetted."

"I know the facts of life now though", said Stephanie, as she slipped into the private study and settled herself on the chaise lounge. She looked right into Elizabeth's eyes with a challenging gaze, as cool as the blue of the sea.

"I confess Rudolf, I had no idea that things had gotten that bad."

"Forgive me mother, that is because you are never here. You rely on MV to provide you updates, yet when she marries in the next few months and moves away, you will not even receive those. Other than that, all you obtain are father's slanted views. The fact of the matter is I am trying now, really trying, and I have found a purpose in life. My old ways are behind me. Aside from formal occasions, no more than two drinks a day. I have given up smoking. I have given up drugs. We rise each morning at 6am and run at least six kilometers together. We have started to do a lot of things together, including actively parenting our daughter. My life is actively back on track. I have rediscovered my wife and, to my surprise, I am hopelessly and deeply in love with her. She is not the same frightened girl that came her, as is evidenced by her standing against father a number of times recently, which is more than I was ever able to do. You get letters from MV, who we have spent quite a bit of time with recently, you know what I say is true."

"Well, perhaps she and you will be able to do your duty to the dynasty now."

"The reason we cannot 'do our duty to the dynasty' is entirely my fault mother, as I am sure your spies have made you aware. None the less, we are hopefully taking steps to try and remedy that. However, every day we are now 'doing our duty' to this dynasty. We are working at 100% capacity and Stephanie has been doing many of the duties that you, as Empress, should undertake. That, at the very least, should merit gratitude."

Stephanie spoke next. "He is not the only one that has fallen back in love. We have a plan here to modernize Austria, to bring her into the modern age and we want to work hard to ensure that. Likewise the Congo, who's stewardship has fallen to me. I will be brutally honest. I don't like you. You have never given me any reason to do so. Yet I love your son and he loves me. All though my early years, I grew up being pushed down, being told I was worthless.

That will never happen again. What I want I work for and I take. What I want is to be respected. What I want is your son. What I want is to be respected for who I am, not as your son's wife, not limited by the fact that I am a women. I want to be respected for what I have done and for who I am. And I want that for my daughter, your granddaughter, as well. You can either help those things or hinder them, that is up to you."

Elizabeth was used to dominating a room just by her presence, but there was something about the young woman's direct gaze that was unnerving, perhaps it's very earnestness. When she turned Rudolf was fixing her with a piercing, unblinking gaze, one so much more disconcerting as it was so unlike her normally easy going son.

"We need your help with father. I have been honest with you as to how bad it was before our reconciliation last year. We have no ill intent towards Austria. I need you to gain father's support for the changes we need to make. At the moment they are cosmetic, but one day it will be us in those chairs and you know full well the burden. We cannot come to it unprepared."

"Very well, I will talk to your father. Have dinner with myself and MV later this week. In the meantime you must come riding with me girl. Tomorrow morning after your 'run'? Then perhaps we can see this child you are raising and controversially sending to a public school."

"Very well."

"Thank you mother. I means a lot."

October 1889- Sold to Uncle Sam

15 October 1889, Hofburg, Vienna, Austro-Hungarian Empire

It was a Tuesday and on Tuesday morning his wife always went to her second "studio", the tennis court. He rode rapidly across to the court, pushing past Kurt the man on guard at the entrance after an acknowledgement, and was surprised to see his wife alone, levering herself up and down on a metal bar.

"Rudi, what is it?"

"The Americans have said yes! Transfer on the 1st January. That means that after we return some 3.5 million gulden to Treasury, which will leave them well into net profit, as per my agreement with father. It leaves some 14 million gulden of our money and 25 million on loan that we can invest in the Congo or other projects."

"Rudi, that is wonderful!"

"If only that was all! Although the Army have rejected Mannliechter's automatic rifle, they have agreed to place the small mortars and flamethrowers into production, the second as a trial only, but still."

"Well, things are looking up."

"Indeed" he said, taking his sweaty wife in his arms and kissing her.

"Mmm." Let me finish up here and then we can head back to the Hofburg and indulge that interest you had in getting all tied up in a different way, yes?"

"I await with bated breath."

"Thank you for dealing with your mother by the way. It's still a bit tense but I can deal with that and I sense a pretense at trying at least and she was good with Erszi, even if she still refuses to be called grandmother."

"Yes well, she is vain, like most women."

"You might have to pay for that when you are at my mercy."

"I am always at your mercy, my love."

"Oh Rudi, you are in a good mood."

October 1889- Diamonds are a girls best friend

20 October 1889, Wharf Number 7, Trieste, Austro-Hungarian Empire

Enrico Barnabillio watched as the 1474 ton Lorna docked. The Engineering officer had watched her come in. A solid ship, but, like all of Austro-Lloyds purchases from the former African Steamship Company, she suffered from the fact that all maintenance required the use of imperial tools rather than metric. The fact was that his maintenance staff were really run off their feet, even with the addition of two English engineers that were experts on the former English ships that had come out along with a battery of tools earlier that year. Thankfully one of those spoke Italian and the other German, although most of Austro-Lloyd's business was conducted in Croatian, except at the executive level. She had departed with grains, building materials and tools and was coming back laden with primarily palm oil.

It was the small chest, padlocked, carried by two men and escorted by an officer that attracted his attention. It was quickly moved off the ship and carried the less than 500 meters to the main offices of Austro-Lloyd. What was that?
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20 October 1889, Austro-Lloyd Shipping Building, Trieste, Austro-Hungarian Empire

Stephanie took the key from the Hussars Captain in charge of the consignment. "Thank you Captain Skorzeny. can you please take this and head to the Palace Hotel? It authorizes three days of leave in addition to your normal allocation and the run of the hotel, expenses to be paid by me."

"Thank you, Your Highness." The two NCO's behind him grinned in anticipation.

Afterwards the older man with the pince-nez came forward and she signed the simple registration form for the receipt of a registered article, paying 24 gulden taxed at double deficiency and receiving change from her 50 gulden note. It was a mandatory requirement for small cargo as Österreichischer Lloyd was part of the KuK postal service. It was after the man's departure that Stephanie turned and looked at Maria Moskoni, the only remaining person in the room. She turned the key and looked at the small trays within, each one covered by a glassed in top. Within lay a large quantity of uncut diamonds, most either clear, with an occasional grey or very pale yellow. It was the small velvet bag that drew her eye. Out tumbled four uncut diamonds, one quite large and each one polished enough to promise a fiery orange colour. There was a second bag, containing a single small moss green coloured stone.

So, the expedition to Tshikapa and the establishment of a semi sophisticated mine there has worked out as expected. Her original engagement ring from Sasha Vujevic had been an orange diamond and she had done quite extensive research on conflict diamonds at that time, rather more than simply watching "Blood Diamond", although she had done that as well. There were now two real keys. Firstly, making sure that the natives were not screwed over, let alone rape and pillaged in the process of chasing such riches. Secondly, how to promote such coloured diamonds so as to ensure maximum value from the well heeled that could afford them, a class of people in ample supply in 1889.

Maria was staring at the contents. "Are these...."

"Diamonds yes."

"But these fiery orange ones.....surely they are not..."

"Oh, yes they are. Now we need to convince people they are impossibly rare."

October 1889- Acropolis reflections, Van Gogh

26 October 1889, Acropolis, Athens, Kingdom of Greece

The view from up at the summit over Athens was really quite spectacular, as was the partly lit Acropolis itself, cleaned and prepared for the ceremonies on the morrow. This was further proof that men had strictly limited roles in weddings, even royal ones.

What he had told his mother was true, he had kept away from drinking for some 12 months now. Yet as he looked at the young man next to him, he really wondered what the hell he should do. There was not a person alive that did not know about the death of Nicholas II, his wife and children in a hail of bullets in a dingy cellar Yekaterinburg in 1918. Yet the young man next to him seemed personable, yet with an undercurrent of sadness, so very happy to away from the pressures of St Petersburg.

What the hell could he do to change this and indeed would it be in his interests to do so? Should he dissuade Prince George of Greece from taking his 1890 trip with Nicholas, possibly seeing this seemingly sad and lost young man being killed? This was hard, harder than one could possibly imagine, because of some of the changes made, maybe history had already diverged from that point in time. At some stage on this trip for tomorrow’s royal wedding, he would have to make some sort of a pitch to Nicholas and via him Russia. Not that he could make any alliances, after all he was still a powerless Crown Prince, not an Emperor. The fact is, he was feeling introspective. He was better off here, but he did miss his brother.

He passed the bottle of ouzo to Nicholas. Fuck it, he would do it after the wedding. One could not be “on duty” for every day and every hour of the week.
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26 October 1889, Diadochus Palace, Athens, Kingdom of Greece

Stephanie passed over the necklace to the Kaiser’s sister Sophie, tomorrow’s bride. The necklace itself was full of small brilliants, not ostentatious but a pleasant official gift none the less. She had had to get the court jeweler to prize out the centerpiece diamond and replace it with the orange.

“My dear Sophie, a little gift from Franz Joseph, Austro-Hungary and in particular Rudolf and myself.”

“Thank you Stephanie. That center stone, is it a jacinth?”

“No, a proper diamond, it’s a very rare orange. Almost impossible to obtain. I thought you might like it.”

“An orange? An orange diamond. Let me see.” A veritable stampede of ladies strained to look at the necklace in it's case.

Yes, diamonds are a girl’s best friend, she thought. There was no greater gossip network than among European royals and what one had, the other wanted.
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26 October 1889, Plitvice, Austro-Hungarian Empire

Vincent Van Gogh sat in front of the cascading waterfalls. It was possibly the most beautiful scene he had ever seen and had moved him to tears. He looked down as his sketchbook and back up again. The sound of the rushing water was almost intoxicating. He reached over and squeezed his brother’s hand.

October 1889- A package in the mail

26 October 1889, 12 Durham House Street, Charring Cross, London, Great Britain

Francesco Saverio Merlino flipped the envelope over. Who did he know in Vienna? Krauss? It was reasonable quantity of papers inside, all typed in German. Thankfully he was proficient in German. It was a typed outline for Franz Joseph of the Dual Monarchy for a visit to Zagreb in early December.

It included the route, security arrangements everything! Merlino was wavering in his commitment to "propaganda by the deed", however, he had many friends who would welcome this sort of information. If it was not some sort of trap. That was the real question. It all seemed just a bit too convenient to have this information just dumped in his lap. Far too convenient.

It may pay to just watch and wait for now, to verify whether the information was correct. In addition, it may be possible to identify the sender. That would quickly confirm the likely veracity.

October 1889-Wedding conversations

27 October 1889, Royal Palace, Athens, Kingdom of Greece

"I am surprised your husband has not asked you to dance more, you look stunning my dear."

Stephanie smiled at the older lady next to her. Dowager Empress Victoria of Germany still wore black normally in memory of her late husband, but had compromised by wearing a dark green gown in honor of her daughter's wedding. "It's not him, he is actually an excellent dancer. Truth be told I am of only some moderate skill in that area and dancing is never something I have really enjoyed, shocking for a lady I know."

"I am very pleased that she seems so happy with Tino. Both of my younger daughters are good girls, such a comfort to have. Yet I despair of my oldest son and daughter. Do you know Wilhelm had our chambers surrounded by soldiers after my husband's death, so he could search for fictional plots against him? Such is my relationship with my son."

You have brought this outcome upon yourself by obsessing about his arm, emphasizing his inadequacies, withholding praise when deserved, she thought. Now the damage was done and unlikely to be fixed. How much could have been changed if Frederick had not died from throat cancer? Oh well it was all speculation. "I think half the problem is that he holds himself to impossibly high standards. He has been taught that he must not fail at anything, that failure is unthinkable, therefore, he charts safe courses at all time, does not try the hard roads, dismisses objections to his opinions. People over emphasizing his disability has probably not helped. Just tell him you love him, what else can you do? Someone in there is still that insecure little boy, hard though that is to imagine."

"That is the problem, I am not sure I can tell him that and be sincere. My son hates me, I am sure, as do the clique he surrounds himself with. I fear there is nothing to do."

"Well, recent personal experiences between Rudolf and me have taught me that there is never a time that is too late, no matter the seeming impossibility of the task."
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"They look lovely dancing together." said Rudolf

George I of Greece spun around. "Yes indeed."

"I am glad we have had the opportunity to talk earlier so that I was able to reiterate yet again our full support for your position in relation to Crete. The current situation is half mad. Four Admirals from four different countries running the island, which is mainly full of Greeks? It's crazy. What happens when they disagree-as has occurred in recent events?"

"Yes, I agree."

"At some stage it will come to war, sad to say. I know many in your own government would want war now, but even though the Ottomans are supposedly the sick man of Europe, there remains no hope of winning any war with them unless in a coalition with another major power or a combination of small powers. Whilst Austro-Hungary, because of our German alliance, cannot actively enter a war against the Ottomans unless given a solid gold pretext, I think it fair to say that if I was Kaiser, I would not be supportive of the Ottomans in the event of a major war with other Balkan powers."

"Well it is all hypothetical at the moment. Ultimately it will depend on the wishes of my government." said George.

"Indeed."
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"Nicholas."

The Tsarevitch turned towards him. "Oh hello. How are you feeling after last night?"

"Just. I received a scolding this morning."

"Yes, I felt slightly owlish to. You should be dancing."

"Can't. My wife has two left feet."

"Surely not this years tennis champion? Better not let her hear that."

"It's true I swear. Nicholas. Look, Steffi and myself intend to take a little cruise to the island of Santorini and swim in the volcanic seas. Will you come with us and afford us the opportunity to talk?"

"Well, I really shouldn't you see..."

"Don't worry, you can bring your creepy bodyguards and it will only be a five day trip."

"Well....oh alright, what the hell."

October 1889- Barney Barnarto, naval thoughts

28 October 1889, Diadochus Palace, Athens, Kingdom of Greece

"What are you up to?"

"Just finishing off a little correspondence."

"Oh, who to?" said Rudolf as he came forward and placed his hand on his wife's shoulders, who was still in her bathrobe.

"Barney Barnato."

"Who the hell is Barney Barnato? Sounds like a circus clown."

"You haven't started reading newspapers about Africa. He is a London based Jewish entrepreneur who sold out his diamond interests to De Beers Consolidated for £5,338,650. Supposedly the biggest cheque ever written. He is a diamond man mostly and has been busy looking at places to invest his money to make it grow further. I thought I could give him a few ideas. It has the added bonus that even though he sold out to De Beers and Cecil Rhodes, he despises the man."

"What are you doing?"

"Nothing. I thought we could go for a walk."

"Give me half an hour and we can walk down to the Embassy who can take care of this letter for me. I thought you were going to look at ships?"

"Well yes, the U.S government have sent over plans for their latest cruiser designs but they were not what I was looking for. These ones are for 7,300 ton ships that are lightly armed but fast and have the incredible range of 26,000 nautical miles. They are a three screw design, which is really novel. They have many novel features in fact, however, we do not require a vessel with such range and I have been thinking on ways we can "cut down" the design to reduce the endurance and increase the speed still further. However, I need to be back home and consult with Fisher and others. In addition, Daimler has written to me and they have built their first motor cars at the Ostrau factory. I wish to have a look."

"Well we will be home soon enough. We leave on the cruise tomorrow and will be in Vienna on the 6th November. In the meantime you need to consider what to say to Nicholas. Plus, you are aware that I leave for the Congo on the 10th November and will not return for six weeks. First time we will have been apart since IT happened."

"Yes, I know. I will miss you."

"Alright, find yourself something to keep busy with for half an hour and then we can go for a walk."

November 1889-Santorini and seriousness

1 November 1889, off the island of Santorini, Kingdom of Greece

It had been a blissful few days for Nicholas, who had confided his thoughts on Alix of Hesse, as well as those that involved being in the shadow of his mighty father. It had been a pleasant distraction to spend a few days simply swimming in the blue waters, heated by volcanic emissions, eating well, talking and drinking and playing Black Maria at night. He had not spent time with Rudolf's wife before, but she was somewhat of a revelation to the shy Tsarevitch, she had proven to be a very sly card player and her habit of diving off the boat and swimming so very fast in a lazy, overarm stroke he had not seen before was surprising, as well as her confident, engaging manner.

Now she had sat down next to him, with Rudolf across the table they would have lunch at.

"You know The Exodus depicts the great escape of the Jews from Egypt. Moses ultimately divided the Red Sea and permitted the Jews to traverse to Sinai while the Egyptians were drowned in the surging waves, or so it says. It is thought by some that the story line in Exodus is primarily based on this volcano's eruption and the wave it created. Also, it may be the basis of the twelve plagues depicted in the Exodus. Post eruption, nearby would have endured sufferings and tribulations like deluge, drought and firestorm etc. Not even places on higher platforms could escape the wrath of the devastating earthquakes. Molten ash in all likelihood would have completely blackened the atmosphere and the wind mainly goes to Egypt. It's part of the reason we came here, wanted you to come here."

"Well, it's an interesting possibility," said Nicholas.

Rudolf then spoke. "Nicholas, I would like you to remember your time here and to not sully it with politics. However, remember this. We are both our father's heirs. Perhaps all too soon we will both bear the crushing responsibility of ruling nations with multi millions of inhabitants. We owe it to them to do our very best and I wish to tell you this now. Never assume that whilst I am here that Austria is not and cannot be your friend. I abhor the collapse of the DreiKaiserbund. To me it assured peace in Europe and I would be willing to put this platform as a policy to Germany and the Kaiser.

You asked my opinion of Alix of Hesse. A lovely girl, good manners, very pretty. 'Hot", I believe is the term I have heard my wife use. However, whilst sweet, and beautiful, she is also painfully shy in new company. You must consider whether the poor girl will be traumatized by the pressures of being Empress of such a vast country. As you know yourself, Russian court life is harsh and judgemental. Is it fair on such a sweet girl? The other concern is something that has plagued us. Fertility. Her sister, Elizabeth, has been married some six years to your Uncle with no children. Her brother was a hemophiliac and died young. It does run in that family. Can you afford for it to run in yours? Plus, there is religion. Ultimately you must place not only your own feelings in paramount thought, but would it be best for her and would it be best for Russia and the dynasty?

The next monarch to follow your father and mine will have a difficult time. It may not seem so now, but the more education and modern communications reach the masses, the more freedoms they will want. The age of absolutism is coming to an end and that is something both you and I will have to deal with, so being Tsar or Tsarina will be a difficult role indeed. Pick your partner well. I know full well the difference a supportive spouse can make.

Now, to much seriousness. Let us try this. It is called Goldwasser."

"Then we can swim again. Just imagine if this volcano erupted now. That would cause a crimp in European politics. 'Two heirs blown to smithereens.' Should make the front page." said Stephanie.

"Well that would have wasted this serious conversation." said Rudolf.

"Just a bit." laughed Nicholas. Was he right, he thought. Was he really doing Alix a favour by pursuing her, no matter his thoughts and needs?

November 1889-Naval thoughts in bed

9 November 1889, Villa Margharita, Pola, Austro-Hungarian Empire

Rudolf collapsed onto his wife’s sweaty back and rolled over to spooning.

“I’m going to miss you, you know. Terribly.”

“I know, so will I. It has to be done, though. I have to show a real, tangible interest in this. At the very least I owe it to the native people, as well as those trying to perform the tasks I have broadly given them. Plus I need to back up your cousin. You could have been a little quieter you know. It was your idea that we stay with the Fisher’s and they are just down the hall.”

“Well, it was the first time we had done…that. Besides, what conclusions will they draw but that I enjoy making love to my wife?”

“You know it is likely that Fisher is sending intelligence reports back to London.”

“Oh, I am counting on it.”

“So, you seemed to reach an agreement last night?” inquired Stephanie.

“Yes, they have done a great deal of work on the American designs prior to me returning. Kept the same propulsion plant. She will have a light armament of two 9.2 inch guns and six 4.1 inch, as well as some anti boat guns, torpedo tubes reduced to two. Displacement drops from 7,400 tons to 6,150 tons and they should be capable of 24-25 knots or more, an unprecedented speed. It will allow us to trial the triple screw arrangement and the single 9.2 inch turrets should present less challenges than the twins we have planned for the ships we plan to lay down here, so we may learn some lessons there, hopefully.

It also serves the benefit that whilst we contracted to have the ships built at a total cost of 5.35 million dollars, which is their value minus the main armament and some anti boat guns, which will be made here, these ships will only cost 4.7 million, allowing me to order two modern 1,025 ton colliers as well. Also, there is the 2,320 ton liner Sacrobosso. She has been salvaged by the Americans after running aground and is for sale for 400,000 dollars. We can obtain all these and the only cost will be the refitting of the liner.

Besides, we also had the Spanish offer to consider. They agreed to lease the Capo Blanco Peninsula for the purposes of a coaling station. 250,000 gulden. I think on balance it is worth accepting.”

“Colliers?”

“Ships that transport coal. They allow you to refuel your own warships. This really is over your head, isn’t it?”

“I will get it eventually. I already know quick firing, gyroscopes, aft, stern, bow, starboard, port and I have absorbed sailing terminology.”

“But to answer your question, yes, Fisher is very keen and thinks we should obtain a modern training ship as well. Hence my thoughts on the small liner, which would be ideal as a companion to the sail trainer we already have.”

“I swear you two are two peas in a pod. Perhaps you may get married whilst I am away.”

“I think he may be offended at the suggestion of my doing what I just did to you.”

Stephanie laughed. “Well that was a special treat for the fact that I am going away. Look after our girl while I am away, take her with you if you are away for a period of time.”

“I will. Come on my love, we had better doze at least. The ship leaves at eight bells on the dot and you know the KuK navy-so very efficient.”

“I should get some latitude as the wife of their Commander in Chief. When I come back we need to have a serious talk about your father.”

“Yes, I know that too.”

November 1889 - Empire

Austro-Hungarian colonial empire(in light purple) as at 1.1.1890

1) Galite Islands
2) Capo Weiss
3) Bosnia and Herzegovina(under A-H administration and occupation but still technically part of the Ottoman Empire
4) Sanjak of Novi-Pasar(under A-H occupation but part of the Ottoman Empire)
5) Kingdom of the Congo(under A-H administration but in fact a personal possession of Crown Princess Stephanie)

November- Cruising, friendship, political thoughts

20 November 1889, off the Saharan Coast, SS Plassey

The two women could see the lights of Dakhla as the ship glided by, the only other illumination provided by the cruiser Tiger. Both ships were running with full lights and the air was warm and dry. The merchantman contained construction crews and materials, as well as the men that would constitute the garrison in the new colonial outpost at Kap Weiss. In terms of the passenger facilities, they had virtually all of the small first class section to themselves and sat on deckchairs and admired the view.

"Maria, I just wanted to say thank you-for becoming my friend. Sometimes one needs a women to talk to."

"No, thank you. You have taught me so much. In fact, I am still trying to figure you out-mother, wife, ruler, sportswoman, politician. I am not sure where one starts and the other ends. I had always thought I could not be one without the other, but you combine them all."

"I think maybe in 100 years time or more that will be the expectation of a women."

"Can you teach me some of it? I know nothing of international politics at all, really."

"Yes, I can. You see that is what makes international diplomacy so easy yet at the same time so difficult in this era. Power is concentrated in the hands of such a small group of people and it is all about relationships and positions as the dance of diplomacy goes on between the six great powers Russia, ourselves, the British, France, Germany and Italy. Add in the two fading from the scene, the Ottomans and Spain and the new kid on the block, the Americans."

"So, what is happening now?"

"Well, one could be tempted to think that the days of European upheaval were over. Industrial expansion has made many of the Great Powers pacifistic, it is true, as they have concentrated on growing internally and the social unrest a growing middle class demanding a voice have created, as well as growing their interests externally of Europe as the latest scramble in Africa has shown. This will end soon enough as colonialism reaches it's peak. Currently no one feels strong enough to challenge the balance that was established by the Congress of Berlin. Will a power change that? Yes, I think so and it is likely to be Germany.

Since 1871, Bismarck has followed a policy of restraint. His motive has always been to instill fear of Germany, but not conquest. This new Germany has been conscious of her strength, not fearful of dangers and for that reason German explorers, scientists and bankers have spread around the world from the Balkans and Africa to China. This system worked well with such a man at the reigns. I fear it is doomed with Wilhelm II on the throne and that Bismarck's days are numbered. Bismarck in office meant to other powers a guarantee of peace, even if a peace enforced by Germany herself. With Wilhelm II in power, backed by people with vastly different ideas, I fear the other Great Powers will seek other guarantees, which will translate into other guarantees against Germany herself.

The French will likely be driven into the arms of Russia. It is not their natural policy and it will be against their will. Their heavy investments in the Ottoman Empire make such a policy unpleasant for them. They would much prefer an English alliance, but Britain still see themselves sailing free and clear, alone. They have already made an approach via the Italians to the English that has been rebuffed. Germany have already sounded out the making of secret plans to invade Russian Galacia in the event of war with our own War Department and their new Army Chief of Staff Waldersee is, in my opinion, a warmonger. In August when Wilhelm visited he stated clearly to my father-in-law that in the event of Austrian mobilization, Germany would automatically follow. That places a grave amount of trust in Franz Joseph. Trust I hope that is not misplaced.

William II is like a weather-vane. He wishes to be both modern and popular; hence he favours nationalistic association with us, democratic association with England and therefore a breach of the formerly conservative association with Russia. Hence why he is in Constantinople at present. This will likely doom an extension of the Reinsurance Treaty, although I sincerely hope not, as this will drive Russia to France in the same way France is being driven to Russia.

We cannot afford to be in alliance just with Germany. We must either bring Russia to our side via taking up the cudgels of alliance Germany has dropped and leading the German Kaiser by the nose to an accommodation or somehow gain England as our third ally. Again, in the latter case we will likely have to do much of the work, as Wilhelm may pursue policies that alienate them.

All this is made more difficult due to the fact that whilst Rudolf and I hold these views, we are in no positions of power, at least yet."

"Sounds like picking your way over a minefield."

"That is a fair analogy. Come on, we had better get to our beds. Tomorrow I will be shifting some earth early at Kap Weiss."

November 1889-Kap Weiss

21 November 1889, Kap Weiss Colony

Well there were some natives after all, a tiny native fishing hamlet with some 30 people some 10km further up the Cape that had a small freshwater stream, a rarity in the region. All that the location selected for the lighthouse, telegraph station, coaling depot and fort had so far was a well and an abandoned stone hall. It would take a lot of work to make something of the area, but time was on their side. There was a natural rocky outcrop that would do for a pier and breakwater if extended.

It would be a great deal of work for the 200 men that had been brought to what was essentially the middle of absolutely nowhere. They would finish unloading today and then proceed to the Congo. On the way back, some native labourers would be dropped off to assist. She had already made it very clear to Commander Schaubert, the Governor, that they were to be well treated.

She looked again at the task at hard and dived the shovel into the sandy soil. It was a pleasant diversion to the physical inactivity of being on board ship. Things were coming together, but oh so very slowly. Part of her missed the glitz and glamour of her former life, but here at least she had people who loved her. That was in short supply in her former life. There was little doubt now that this change was permanent. Plus in her old life, she was dead, wasn't she? Yet what was happening in 2016? Would what was happening here now change it? Could they avoid World Wars? Or change the outcome? If they changed the outcome would she still exist in the future and thence here? Nothing about temporal matters made sense, maybe that was why it violated the prime directive in Star Trek. She felt a touch.

"Your Highness. Maam. Stephanie!" Maria had her hand on her shoulder. "You are just supposed to lay the first shovel of dirt, not the whole foundation."

"Err, yes, yes of course. Well, thank you Governor. Good luck in this grand endeavor."

I will need it thought Schaubert. 118 square kilometers of total wilderness.

November 1889-Cars, trucks and tyres

24 November 1889, Ostrau, Austro-Hungarian Empire

The motor car was crude for sure, compared to what he was used to, but then again the internal combustion engine was well and truly in its infancy. Horsepower was not that much more than that of a horse itself at this stage. This machine was powered by a two horsepower engine, but could maintain a good clip on level ground. It had four wheels, but looked more like a carriage than a motor vehicle in layout.

“How does it work papa? Where are the horses?”

“Well my girl, it does not use horses. The horses are in the mechanical engine, you see.”

“How does that work?”

“It uses energy. Remember earlier when I showed you how the fuel can catch fire, well it is that energy, burned just a little bit at a time, well that energy drives the wheels.“

“That is certainly very clever.”

“Yes, it is very clever my sweet. These two gentlemen are very clever indeed. Are you not?” said Rudolf as he lifted the girl down next to the two engineers.

“Thank you sir” said Gottlieb Daimler. I would like to say that the facilities here are perfect, next to two other industrial works, including a leather-works and a foundry. “We appreciate the opportunity, for it allowed us to maintain control of own company and therefore our own research.”

“It was the least I could do for men willing to make the leap of faith and move here. Now, I don’t know if you are aware, but next year there is a major agricultural exhibition in Budapest. Would it be possible to design an automobile that could carry a load rather than passengers, for either a factory or a farm?”

“Well, more horsepower would be the key”, replied Maybach. “It may be possible to have a motor driving each set of wheels rather than just one.”

“Have you considered rubber tyres, to gain greater traction and to smooth the ride? I have been reading a lot on the practical applications of rubber after my wife’s association with the Congo.” More rubber consumption would do no harm to his and his wife’s ventures, thought Rudolf.

”Well, that is something to think on. It would indeed gain greater traction. Hmm.”

“It was just a thought. Plus, if you exhibit at the exhibition, it gives you exposure not only to all this country, but the world at large. Now, come on little lady, I promised you a scientific demonstration in Mr Maybach’s factory.”

They sat back from the fire, burning merrily with pretty green flames.

“How is the flame from the wood green papa? Is it wood from hell?”

All three men laughed. “No my darling Erszi, you saw we coated the wood before we started the fire. The liquid we coated the wood with had copper in it and the copper burns green.”

“I think my explanation is funnier.”

Rudolf laughed again. “You may be right at that.”

November 1889-Army budgets

27 November 1889, KuK Club, Vienna, Austro-Hungarian Empire

Friedrich von Beck-Rzikowsky bowed and then held out his hand as Rudolf. "Kronprinz Rudolf, it is a pleasure."

"The pleasure is all mine General. As I covered in my note I think there are a number of items that need to be sorted out before we renew this year's defense funding and for that reason alone I requested a delay in the final decision making process until after the summer Army maneuvers and we now have little time left."

"Yes, that was an interesting series of tricks that you pulled at this year's exercises, to say the least."

"Well, I am not sure I would call them 'tricks' as such but I have had little success with my father in terms of my ideas so I thought I would come to you."

"Your Highness, with all due respect, why would I do anything for you? You have crafted a separate Navy Ministry and are clearly after extra funding for that and where there goes separate Navy funding does not go guldens for the Army."

"Also with all due respect, this is about far more than the funding of the Navy. Hear me out and I will try and make my points. In terms of British pounds, lets say, they are proposing Army estimates for the coming year of 11.7 million pounds after a 'generous' 100,000 pounds extra was provisionally allocated for our African adventures. This is 700,000 pounds less than similar estimates ten years ago in 1880! Considering naval estimates are only 550,000 pounds above 1880, where has this extra money gone? During that time the country has grown economically by 30 percent, population by 10% more, yet our combined Army/Navy budget is set to 2% less! I fail to see how this can be the case. France and Great Britain have increased their defense expenditure by 20%, Italy and Germany by 40 percent. Yet we propose to cut ours? It seems like madness to me.

The Army is clearly struggling for modern equipment and the proposed annual conscription intake to the combined Army is too low at 102,000. In the event of any war, we need more men trained and for that reason alone we should be cutting the conscription period from 3 to 2 years. Yes, it will cost more to conscript the extra men but will provide a larger base with military training if a conflict occurs and will cycle more men through the Army, some of whom will pursue a long term career, but more importantly will leave us a larger reserve of trained men.

For those reasons alone I propose an increase in the overall budget from a proposed 11.6 million pounds to 13.6 million, all but 200,000 of the increase to go to the Army. The annual conscription number should be raised to 110,000. These extra funds will obviously need to be found somewhere but there is capacity in the system, we are running surplus budgets after all, especially in Hungary. It will also make both Hungary and Austria trim some fat from the Landwehr and the Honved-both will not be the major Army in the event of a full scale war in any case.

The Army needs new uniforms. My use of camouflage for my troops during the maneuvers was simply to point out how easy the current blue tunic is to see. We need a neutral, drab colour for uniforms, something hard to see. A drab grey, brown or green perhaps. This would take money as well, but would be worthwhile. Aside from the Army itself, we have a limited armaments industry. If fully at war, how long would it take to deplete existing shell reserves for artillery?

Mannleicher's new rifle would also be an improvement, if we can get it into production plus we desperately need more machine gins, preferably a home grown design. Our iron production is a tenth that of England, our steel production a seventh. This with the dawning of a new industrial age. The lessons we teach our soldiers now are important, the days of amateur volunteers on the battlefield are gone. This makes it even more important to retain long term enlisted men and for that reason I would recommend the creation of two ranks senior to Stabsfelwebel to give long term enlisted a career path, to encourage them to stay in the Army.

Finally, defense funding split up. The Kingdom of Hungary have been paying only 30% of the combined defense budget. This is too low. Austria pays far too much at 70%. They have offered 31.4%, but I think it should be 1/3rd and even then they have a good deal. This will ease the strain on Austria, as well.

These are just thoughts but all will require one thing, more money. I have come to you as I know I have little influence with my father, yet you do. Contrary to much opinion in the Army, I did not create a Navy Ministry to bleed the Army. The Army is our main bulwark, always will be. You are being underfunded, more by the will of the two parliaments. But increased budgets are desperately needed."

"Well I had thought you had come to plead for more naval funds, so I am pleasantly surprised. I am in general agreement with your broad aims, so I will see what I can do."

"One cannot ask more than that."

November 1889-Arrival, Tippu Tip, Cabinda

29 November 1889, Governor's House, Marienburg, Congo State

Johann Salvator watched as the ship maneuvered to pull up at the pier. It had been a bloody campaign to capture and evict Tippu Tip's men from the Lake Tanganyika area and secure the far East of the Congo. The hanging of the old slave trader had brought howls of protest from the Germans, who supported the Sultan of Zanzibar and secretly turned a blind eye to his support of slaving.

Well, that was just too bad. Soon he could go over developments with Stephanie in person during the course of what would be only a very brief visit, but in such an isolated outpost face to face contact of any sort was inevitable. His main concern now as Katanga and the desires of the British South Africa Company to potentially colonize it. It would require an expedition as well in 1890 and there would need to be discussion on that.

In the meantime, they could review the German protest note from Zanzibar. Steady digging had unearthed another large cache of diamonds and he was also interested to discuss Stephanie's plans for those. The very last of the Belgian colonial officials had now gone, although much in the way of Belgian investment was still present in the colony.

29 November 1889, on the Congo River, SS Plassey

Stephanie was finally in spitting distance of Marienburg. She looked own again at the telegram that had been waiting for her at Cadiz. It seemed like not only Barney Barnardo was interested, in fact very interested, but that here little venture had also attracted the interest of Sir Ernest Cassel, a fellow Jewish multi millionaire. There were interesting possibilities there to be sure, made even more so by the fact that shortly Portugal would be humiliated in Africa by their old allies, the British. That represented another possibility, a possibility that could lead to the acquisition of Cabinda, the now virtually useless Portuguese enclave divided as it was from Angola. Of course, it was only useless if you did not know about the oil...

December 1889-1889 'long lances'

1 December 1889, Whitehead Torpedo Production and Testing Facility, Fiume, Austro-Hungarian Empire

Robert Whitehead took the canvas off the enormous workbench. "As you are aware, we have finalised the designs and they are ready for commercial sale. This one is the standard Mark 1. As you can see it uses Aich's alloy as per your suggestion, which has provided some nice work for foundries here. It has a range of 880 meters at 26.5 knots with a 54kg warhead. This is the Mark 1B. Same diameter, but longer. Same range as well, but slightly faster at 27.5 knots and with a 100kg warhead. As per your earlier suggestion, there are two settings that can be applied to both, the second setting reducing the speed to 19 knots and increasing the range to 1400-1500 meters in both cases.

Now this is the torpedo made specifically as per your suggestion. It is more expensive to make and required some technical challenges and in lieu of taking credit for your earlier suggestion, we have not made this available for sale abroad. The Mark 1A runs on a 32% oxygen mix and is capable of a range of 1100 meters at 33 knots or 2000 meters at 20 knots. Despite the increased expense, it has a drastically increased range."

Yes, thought Rudolf, it certainly has and would provide a large force multiplier for light forces and also submarines when they arrive on the scene. It also revived the possibility of what had been a dying concept, the torpedo cruiser. A 2000 ton cruiser with little in the way of gun armament but 6-8 torpedo tubes could threaten any major vessel seriously. It might be a good contract for Ganz, who had demolished part of the cliffs here and were busy laying two slips of 130 meters each in preparation for contracts. They would be the first Hungarian shipyard and he had promised them orders, after all. A dry dock already existed and the naval academy was here, so shipbuilding made sense and now with the colonial endeavors underway, contracts would likely come from civilian shipping firms as well.

He was missing his wife, but she was scheduled to depart late the following day to be back in Pola on the 20th or 21st December. He would have to make do until then.

December 1889- Attempted matchmaking

2 December 1889, Rathaus, Oszek, Austro-Hungarian Empire

He had expected the function itself to be more than slightly boring, however, there were many of these sort of functions that invitations were received to and some had to be accepted. The purpose was to showcase Dalmatian, Hungarian and Croatian wines and the event had garnered an international cast. It was when he was introduced to Pavel Okropirovich Gruzinsky, who was a direct male line grandson of the last Georgian King, that he first noticed her.

"My Dear, let me introduce you to Crown Prince Rudolf, this is my daughter Nina."

She was a vision, perfect complexion, pert figure and huge brown eyes. He danced with her three times at the reception, eliciting gossip from many. The conversation was of a high standard to, the girl was clever, clearly intelligent, witty and only 22. Still unmarried, despite a seeming avalanche of offers. It was enough to set him wondering, not for himself, God knows women such as this were simply too much of a distraction. But still.

"Do you get to St Petersburg often madam?"

"No, my father prefers to stay on his estates, however, we will be returning to Russia in March, after spending the winter in France looking at new techniques for pressing. My father is very much enthused by vineyards and the wine-making process and we have much land under vines."

"I found your Mtsvane variety exquisite. You must visit my friend the Tsarevitch in St Petersburg and take him a case. If you like I will arrange an introduction for your father and yourself."

"I am sure we would be delighted."

Perhaps Nicholas will be as well, thought Rudolf.

December 1889-Leaving the Congo, thoughts

2 December 1889, Marienburg, Kingdom of the Congo

As a Russian she was already aware that she was racist to a degree, at least in thought and most people paid attention to their parents, no matter their desire to say they did not. It was almost mother's milk, after all. But to see what had happened here and to envisage how bad it would be have been if this had been allowed to go on for another 20 years overcame all that. She had seen the mutilations, seen the aftermath where those that had been mutilated had been unable to fend for themselves and therefore generally starved to death. The orphan children, the burning of villages. This after only visiting the surrounds of both major towns, Boma and Marienburg. It was bound to be much worse in the interior. In short, it was sickening.

What had happened was all too obvious. Curiously enough, all this had been brought on by the death of the slave trade, horrific though that concept was to think. With the slave trade having been abolished and slaves having been emancipated, the easiest way to exploit black labour was to then occupy the countries in which the black men lived, and it conveniently happened that these countries contained various valuable raw materials. Greed was only one, though the most important, of the motives to African imperialism, but in the case of her father’s Congo “Free” State, one in which it appeared to have been the sole motive. Exploiting these raw materials would have been acceptable if the money so created had been put towards the provision of modern medical care, infrastructure and facilities that would make the lives of local people easier, however, this had not been the case, simply a reign of terror.

After winning the approval of the world by supposedly suppressing Arab slave-raiders, her father had set to work to introduce orderly government into his dominion. He issued decrees by which all the land, all the rubber, and all the ivory was to be the property of the State – which was of course himself. Currently that still remained the case.

Leopold had made it illegal for natives to sell rubber or ivory to Europeans, and for Europeans to buy from natives. This had been immediately reversed, but there was a long way to go. Leopold had also sent a secret circular to his officials, explaining that they “must neglect no means of exploiting the produce of the forests,” and that they would receive a bonus on all rubber and ivory, which would be great when the cost of collection was small, and small when it was great. For example, if the cost of collection was thirty centimes or less per kilo, the official received fifteen centimes per kilo; while if the cost was over seventy centimes per kilo, the official received only four centimes. The financial results were all that could have been hoped by him. This had also been reversed and ‘fair market prices’ introduced. The Congo had it’s own postage stamps and currency, coins from the 5 franc silver down to 1c copper. Whilst the natives would sometimes accept coins, notes if introduced were likely to be refused. Accepting money as a means of payment was therefore by no means easy for the local people. The chicken was a widely-used barter unit. It had created another issue in terms of the recovery of said coins and also postage stamps, with Austrian coins having to be substituted as like for like and the stamps overprinted Congo Kingdom in German. It had also created a legal battle with London-based company Waterlow & Sons Ltd when a shipment of coins had been seized and re-melted for their silver content, leaving an account her father had refused to pay.

Parts of the Congo were worked directly for the former King, parts for companies in which he was a large shareholder. She was still in the process of trying to weed out which Belgian companies her father had major shareholdings in and suppressing their activities. It was a tireless, thankless task involving a combination of lawyers, paperwork and leaning on their officials within the Congo itself.

The methods by which these vast profits were accumulated were very simple. Each village was ordered by the authorities to collect and bring in a certain amount of rubber – as much as the men could collect and bring in by neglecting all work for their own maintenance. If they failed to bring the required amount, their women were taken away and kept as hostages in compounds or in the harems of government employees. If this method failed, native troops, many of them cannibals, were sent into the village to spread terror, if necessary by killing some of the men; but in order to prevent a waste of cartridges, they were ordered to bring one right hand for every cartridge used. If they missed, or used cartridges on big game, they cut off the hands of living people to make up the necessary number. However, the colonizers didn’t stop there. The officers of the Force Publique kidnapped Congolese people and held them captive so as to coerce their other family members into working harder. If villagers didn’t produce their quotas, then their loved ones would be killed.

One Army officer had reported that he’d cut off the heads of a hundred villagers, for failing to provide the Army with enough food. He reasoned that it was a humanitarian act, as once he’d committed it there had been plenty of supplies provided. This was what she had to deal with. Her father had even accepted 12,000 pounds of international money from charity organizations to supposedly alleviate sleeping sickness. There was no evidence that a penny of it had been spent in the Congo or indeed anywhere in Africa.

It was horrific, there was no other word for it. Her ship had brought more specific rubber tapping tools that would make the collection of rubber far easier. These were all measures her father could have introduced at minimal cost. What was needed was an influx of money and investment, to build infrastructure so that resources could be exploited and then reinvested into the country as a whole. Yes, building infrastructure would cost lives as well, hell building railways even in Austria did that but they were none the less necessary. Eventually a profit could be achieved, probably based initially on rubber and diamonds, but the huge copper reserves and the onshore oil were also natural targets.

Her talks with Johann Salvatore had initially focused on infrastructure spending and when the American money became available on the 1st January, it could then be targeted at projects they had discussed. Barney Barnardo, if he was interested, may well provide another income stream.

The final piece of the puzzle was Cabinda. Originally part of Angola, it was now an isolated enclave. A land exchange in Portugal’s favour that saw the border divided more naturally, with all of the Lunda and Holo lands slated to be in Angola, in exchange for Cabinda, would be more than fair and give the Portuguese some saving grace in the face of upcoming humiliations from Britain in Southern Africa, possibly helping to cement a friend to the South. Once Cabinda had been obtained, then the oil could be looked at. In addition, anything that added to the tiny coastal strip Congo had been given was also useful. Currently, transportation via sea and inland rivers was the only reliable method to move anything in the country.

It was time to go back, but she would not forget what she had seen and would return, next time hopefully with Rudolf. He needed to see this as well.

December 1889- Army budgets and discussions

20 December 1889, Hofburg Palace, Vienna, Austro-Hungarian Empire

Friedrich von Beck-Rzikowsky sat sipping the Tokay. "Well, it seems we have at least some of our extra money. Army budget increased to 12.6 million pound equivalent, Navy to 1.5 million. Not what we had asked for, but, considering the starting point, perhaps not a bad result. The draft number has been moved to 105,000 from 102,000, not what we wanted either but the lower numbers do give us some room to investigate some of your suggestions. I also note the increase in Hungarian contribution to 32.75%, not that far off the figure we asked for.

I think it only fair to say that your father was responsible for a number of these changes, so he is open to reasoned argument."

"Perhaps to you."

"Hmm, well, firstly, we are going to investigate what the potential extra costs may be of a two year enlistment cycle. I can see what you are trying to say and to some extent I agree. There is little that can be taught in the thirdyear to rankers that they do not know already. Of course, for artillery conscription's, we would stay at three years and cavalry would be unchanged. The fact that we pay higher for cavalry recruits offsets the doubled length of recruitment.

We had already planned to acquire Mannleicher's new rifle now that the design is finalized but we will likely increase procurement amounts to double previous targets and plan to reequip all Common Army units over a eight year period.

I have had a look at uniforms and it would be too expensive a task at this stage. We will trial a number of new patterns at next years summer exercises and see what people think, but it does not have broad support. Also, the artillery battalion commanders assure me we have ample reserves for a war situation."

"Well, I guess that will have to do for now."

"Oh, I am also in broad agreement about the need to maintain long serving NCO's, so we will be introducing the rank of Offiziersstellvertereter as the highest non commissioned officer post for long term NCO to help retention and career paths. I would recommend you do a similar thing in the Navy."

"I intend to."

"Well then, to a new decade Your Highness."

"To a new decade indeed."

Rudolf sat back. In two days his wife would return, then it would start to feel like Christmas, a remarkable one that would actually see all his family together in the same place for the first time in a long time.

December 1889- Christmas and anarchists

25 December 1889, Hofburg, Vienna, Austro Hungarian Empire

Rudolf seemed so much happier to have his sister here from Bavaria. It had not happened for years that all of the family had gotten together and she had spent part of the morning skating with Gisela and her children, along with Erszi. Gisela seemed intelligent and compassionate and it was not hard to see why she had been so close to Rudolf growing up. Sticking together had been mandatory for the two children growing up more than likely, as both had harsh upbringings.

It was a day where she could afford to over-eat and so she indulged herself, eating large amounts of pudding with cream. It was a pleasure to be happy. She was all to well aware from her recent travels as to how many were not. She was even seemingly on cordial speaking terms with her mother-in-law. In was curious to see her interact with her two daughters. Marie Valerie was so clearly the favourite it was not funny.
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Rudolf stepped out onto the balcony. It had been a great day so far. Stephanie was back, his sister was here with her children. Even his mother was here. He contemplated the night sky, itself so clear. Yes, things were going well, he felt content in a way he had not really found in a long time. The job itself was frustrating, plus he had pressures, of course. These came with the job and must be accepted. Plus what he would like to put in place was stymied by others, and,of course his father. As he looked around said father came onto the balcony.

"Rudolf, I just wanted to come out and say that despite our many disagreements I have been more than pleasantly surprised by the efforts you have made this year. Whist I do not agree with a number of your philosophies, you have kept to your word. You have given up all your vices, reconciled with your wife and knuckled down and worked hard, no one could deny that you have worked hard. Some of your technological ideas are bearing fruit. The Navy Office raves about you."

"Thank you father, I have tried to do my best."

"You need to be mindful, however, that gaining influence always gains you enemies as well. The Hungarians fear your desire for reform. Both Parliaments resent you meddling in military budgets and the increase spending thus entailed. One thing I have learnt is that when you take any decision, there will always be enemies created from those that are opposed, in some cases implacably opposed."

"Burden of command. I may not know it all father, not to the extent you do, but I am familiar with the concept."

"The turn around with your wife, it is remarkable. Do you love her?"

"I do. I am not quite sure how that happened, really. There was affection before, but yes, now I do love her. She is free spirited, fierce, protective of those she loves, clever, determined, all of those things. She challenges me, sees herself in every way my equal. I am not quite sure how I did not see that before, but perhaps she changed as well as she grew older and more confident. I think perhaps in this business we marry our women too young. What about yourself and mother? I know you love her, yet how do you cope with her being away so long, why do you tolerate it?"

"For the same reason that you mentioned. Love. I do so love your mother, I always have. Perhaps it is better to say I am infatuated with her. God knows, I have never been able to deny her anything. Yes she is...delicate. Court life disagrees with her, she hates the rigidity of it, being under the microscope."

Does court life agree with anyone? At times I feel like a bug in a catcher."

"True. Rudolf, I have something I am afraid I must ask you."

"Go ahead."

"As you are aware, I receive weekly reports from the Evidenzbureau. A week ago the apartment of prominent anarchist Errico Malatesta was raided after the Evidenzbureau received an anonymous tip and passed this on to the French. In his apartment they found a copy of my private movement schedule. Von Wallerstein seems to think this leak is you. Is it you? I have to ask."

So, someone at the Evidenzbureau has an axe to grind. You are right father, enemies appear without you even knowing of their existence. Clearly the Evidenzbureau will have to be renewed root and branch when the time came to do so. The funny part about the whole thing was that although he had thought many times of ways to remove his father when the time came, he had not done this. Not at all. "No, it was not me. I swear it on my daughter's head. Besides, the allegation itself is insane. If I really wanted to kill you, I could have poisoned the wine in your study. It's not like I do not have access after all. Or put strychnine in your plum pudding half an hour ago. It is utterly fanciful. We are family, after all. Also, why would anyone in my position assist and encourage those maniacs?"

"In truth I had my doubts, however, they were quite insistent even though they had no evidence of such activities. I just wanted to say that despite me having to raise this I am proud of what you have accomplished this year. I should have recognized your abilities earlier. Also those of your wife, despite her at times difficult behavior. This last year, it seems the eyes of the world have been upon us; mostly for the right reasons. I will talk to von Wallerstein and this will go no further."

And I will deal with von Wallerstein when the right opportunity presents itself, thought Rudolf. Permanently. Bad enough to be involved in a failed plot. Being hanged for one he had no involvement with was far worse.

January 1890- An offer to Portugal

11 January 1890, Sintra, Kingdom of Portugal

Carlos I looked again at the two letters, so very different in their content. Both had arrived the same day, likely be co-incidence. The first was from Portugal's long term supposed allies, the British.

"What Her Majesty's Government require and insist upon is the following: that telegraphic instructions shall be sent to the governor of Mozambique at once to the effect that all and any Portuguese military forces which are actually on the Shire or in the Makololo or in the Mashona Territory are to be withdrawn. Her Majesty's Government considers that without this the assurances given by the Portuguese Government are illusory. Mr. Petre is compelled by his instruction to leave Lisbon at once with all the members of his legation unless a satisfactory answer to this foregoing intimation is received by him in, the course of this evening, and Her Majesty's ship Enchantress is now at Vigo waiting for his orders."

It was to be total humiliation, the sort of humiliation that would be hard to pass off under any circumstances. It was a breach of the Treaty of Windsor and the British had clearly been influenced by Rhodes and his gang. It meant that the British were now claiming sovereignty over territories, some of which had been treated as Portuguese for centuries. This would be a stain on the dynasty that would take much time to erase, yet for all that, there was little that Portugal could do. The British had already refused arbitration and were demanding an answer this very night.

The second letter from Queen Stephanie as regards the Congo was more promising. It proposed the effective swap of the now almost useless enclave of Cabinda for an area in Southern Congo three times the size. It seemed like a an excellent deal to Carlos I and may go some small way, if announced quickly with British ultimatum, towards quelling to a small degree the outrage the British ultimatum would engender in the general public.

Border changes map 1890

Proposed Congo gains yellow, proposed Congo loses red

February 1890-Rudolf thinks on the Congo, diamonds, oil and Rockefeller

1 February 1890, Hofburg, Austro-Hungarian Empire

Rudolf contemplated the situation. They had 15.6 million United States dollars to spend on projects for the Congo. It was a weighty amount. Railway and communications projects were important, without a doubt. So to increasing the river traffic via small steamers. So to medical assistance, establishing towns with basic sanitation. The most immediate need was an expedition to secure Katanga and it's vast copper resources.

Portugal had jumped at the deal on Cabinda and the transfer would go through in one month. They had what they had laboured all 1889 to produce-investment capital. Now the question was where to employ it.

In terms of Cabinda, the other question was oil. In the United States, indeed the world, John. D. Rockefeller's Standard Oil dominated the competition. Despite the fact that, as the New York magazines called it "the most cruel, impudent, pitiless, and grasping monopoly that ever fastened upon a country", the fact was that Standard Oil had no facilities in Africa, no real penetration in Austria or for that matter Germany and, more importantly, vast money to invest. If they could be interested in the possibilities.

Also from America had come a letter from Ernst Ritter Schmit von Tavera, the United States ambassador. Both ships had been started at Cramp in Philadelphia, within one day of each other in late January. It would likely be a two to two and a half year build time for both vessels. When they finally arrived, along with his new torpedo boats and schnellkruisers, some of the more obsolete ships could be scrapped. Next year he would lay down his two large 'battlecruisers' and that would be the death knell for the last of the obsolete ships, some of whom he hoped to unload to third rate naval powers in Asia or South America.

Von Wallerstein had also consumed his thoughts. The man, he had thought, used to be his friend. Now the evidence pointed to exactly the opposite. It was far too early for any precipitative action, much as he would have liked to undertake it. He reached across the desk for his tonic. Twelve months he had been taking the foul tasting concoction and now his wife insisted he take another, developed from some mold that grew on cantaloupes of all things. For another four months and a month of weaning. It did not bear thinking about.

The Congo occupied his wife's thoughts to. Where to spend the money was the big question. In the meantime, his wife had come back with a small chest of diamonds. Another had just arrived today. Stephanie had a meeting with Barney Barnardo four days hence. That should resolve the diamond issue at least. If the diamonds could be sold well, the amount of ivory production could be cut in compensation, even taking into account the dip in rubber production engendered by cutting the quota system by 90%. Yes, it had dipped, but not be 90% as natives remained keen to exchange food and even coins, but mainly staple foods like corn and wheat for rubber. Production had fallen to 20% of former levels but recovered to 40% and was seemingly rising.

The most pressing immediate need was an expedition to secure Katanga and establishing a series of military outposts, firstly so that copper mining could be looked at but mainly to prevent a repeat of Rhodes' little stunt with Portugal. Such an expedition would run up against Msiri, the local despot, who, much like the late Tippu Tip, was also a slave trader. Yet he certainly had his supporters, so bloodshed was very likely. Bloodshed had occurred in the aftermath of the Tippu Tip hanging, with many of his former supporters crossing from German East Africa, likely with the connivance of German officials who were still angry about the summary justice dealt to the man and how it had made their own situation in Zanzibar precarious at a bad time. It was a mess and likely to remain so for some time.

February 1890- Barney Barnardo

5 February 1890, Hofburg, Austro-Hungarian Empire

Barney Barnardo looked over the stones as he sat in the Crown Princess' private study. Yes, there were a good quantity of diamonds. However, many places had a good quantity of diamonds. Many of the stones were only industrial grade diamonds. However, some were not. What were remarkable were the small quantity of fiery orange stones. He had not seen stones like these before. In South Africa, blue or yellow stones, yes, much like Indian deposits, plus the occasional rarer green, a few of which were here as well. But these were a fiery orange and four small stones were an intense pink.

"Your Majesty, I see these as being very saleable indeed. Obviously, you use A. E. Köchert here in Vienna but I have contacts in London and also at Tiffany's in New York. Those are the three cities we should use. Stockpile the stones a while longer and I will contact you in regards a plan to market them as specials, freaks of nature. Aristocrats and rich Americans would be the targets."

"Very well, then we have a deal in regards your cut for distribution, sales and marketing?"

"Yes indeed, I think they represent a terrific opportunity and I find it exciting to be going back into the diamond business so soon after selling my former interests."

That's a big fuck you Cecil, thought Bernardo. When this hit the news Cecil Rhodes would hopefully have a conniption.

February 1890- Standard Oil and black gold

10 February 1890, Hotel Maratime, Cherbourg, French Republic

"It was primarily the discovery of oil in commercial quantities in the Congo, which as you are no doubt aware is administered by my wife, that I wished to talk to you about Mr Archbold. After this recent discovery we are, of course, looking for investors that may wish to take advantage of the find and what better company than Standard Oil? You do, after all, control 80 percent plus of her world supply. We will have more work to do to explore more fully potential drilling sites and the like, but I wished to float whether Standard Oil would have an interest."

John Archbold had been intrigued when he had been asked by his boss John.D.Rockefeller to make this detour to meet the Austrian Crown Prince. He had read the paperwork provided. It was an interesting proposal but one that would require much investment and there were probably easier ways to make money at present.

"The very remoteness of the territory make such an investment possibly worthwhile but unlikely to be something we would look at Your Highness, we can make other investments closer to home that would seemingly on the surface produce greater returns."

"Mr Archbold, Standard Oil is currently building up her fleet of oil tankers after your first purchase of such a vessel five or so years ago, correct?"

"Yes, indeed we are. It allows us to expand our European operations exponentially."

"Yet at the same time you have had little success in selling outside of the British and French. Oil is the future Mr Archbold, it will be come the currency of choice in the next century with the evolution of the internal combustion engine, I am sure you to are aware of this. The market you are trying to break into is Germany more than any other. Russia have Nobel already, so have no need for your product. Germany and especially von Boetticher abhor your monopoly and will not deal with Standard Oil, instead buying from us. In addition, we have recently started supplying Italy as well, a supply that must continue. These are all from our Galacian fields where we can supply cheaper than Standard Oil. However, what if I could break you into the German market?"

"How would that be possible?"

"Well, if you were to invest in the Congo, build a proper port at Cabinda and connecting railways, then provide similar facilities at Kap Weiss in the Sahara, you could then use Kap Weiss as a connection port not only for tankers from Cabinda, but also those crossing the Atlantic for Southern continental Europe and the Mediterranean. Once tankers coming from two different sources arrive at the same spot, who is to say if it is Standard Oil from America or oil from say West African Oil Co, for example? It can then be sold onto our markets in Germany, Austro-Hungary, Switzerland and Italy."

"Well, that is an interesting proposal to be sure. I will need to undertake some discussion and come back to you with an answer."

That is quite alright, we have some work to do ourselves in terms of exploration."

Austro-Hungarian Navy on 1.4.1890

I still have an hour to kill and can't nap so, State of the Austro-Hungarian Navy April 1 1890(changes noted from November 1888-ships no longer in service in red, new ships in violet):

Capital Ships:

5720 ton Kaiser Centre Battery ship - hulked 1889
5980 ton Erzherzog Albrecht centre battery ship -sold to China 1889
7610 ton Custoza centre battery ship-sold to China 1889
3x 3550 ton Kaiser Max centre battery ships
7430 ton Tegettoff centre battery ship
5080 ton Kronprinzessin Erzherzogin Stefanie centre battery ship
6830 ton Kronprinz Erzherzog Rudolf centre battery ship-sold to Denmark

Planned to commence 1891 two 11,000 ton armoured cruisers with 6x9.2 inch guns to replace ships in green

Cruisers:
2x 3400 ton Radetsky Class armoured frigates
2660 ton Saida armoured corvette
3x 1600ton Panther Class protected cruisers
2x 3970 ton Kaiser Franz Joseph I Class protected cruisers(one launched, one on the stocks)
3x 2580 ton Pula Class light cruisers(one laid 1889, two 1890)
2300 ton Donau corvette-scrapped before launch
3x 1350 ton Zrinyi Class armoured sloops
3x 850 ton torpedo cruisers -sold to China 1889
2x 6350 ton as yet unnamed protected cruisers under construction in the U.S, commenced Jan 1890, these will replace ships shown in green

Destroyers:
4x 350 ton torpedo boat destroyers Blitz, Komet, Planet, Meteor
10x 260 ton torpedo boats(new design) 6 now launched, 2 more laid in 1890, 2 planned for later in 1890

Torpedo Boats:
4 prototype torpedo boats from the late 1870s, I (10t); II (30t); III, IV (30t)-scrapped
5 torpedo boats from the early 1880s, V-VIII (30t); IX, X (47t)-sold to China 1889
47 torpedo boats, XI-XXVI (55t); Adler, Falke (100t); Sperber, Habicht (90t); Bussard, Condor, Geier, Uhu, Würger, Kranich, Reiher, Ibis, Rabe, Elster (80t); XXVII-XXXII (55t); XXXIII-IV (70t)
Kukuk, Staar, Krähe, Flamingo, Sekretär, Weihe, Marabu, Gaukler, Harpie(80t)
6 torpedo boats launched and fitting out, Kibitz (90t); XXXV-XXXIX (70t)

Gunboats:
1 gunboat, recently refitted as a sail training ship, Möwe (400t)
3 600 ton gunboats Kerka, Hum, Narenta (600t) - all scrapped
2 600 ton gunboats Albatros, Nautilus -both under conversion to minelayers
Plus various river monitors

Miscellaneous:
1x 3500 ton small liner for use in cadet training, under refit in the US
2x 980 ton colliers under construction in the US

February 1890-Review

24 February 1890, Hofburg, Austro-Hungarian Empire

Rudolf downed the foul smelling mixture, his face contorting into a mixture of disgust. "I swear this new stuff is worse than the old. How long this time?"

"Stop being such a man. Another four months and then a weaning period of three more on half and then quarter dosage. It had arrested the more malevolent systems of the infection, has it not?"

"Well, yes."

"Well my dear, I gauge it has been worth it, so stop whinging like a little bitch then."

"What an interesting turn of phrase. You really have some fascinating terms of phrase at times. This 2016 must be an interesting era, one without decorum, of course, but still."

"You could say that my love."

"Anyway, back on track", said Rudolf. "We promised ourselves a review of our progress so far, but more importantly a planning session in regards the future five years. Are you ready to commence?"

"Yes, we have a free hour before Erszi comes back for lunch with us."

"Alright then. Let us commence. What we have done so far:

1) Colonial strategy. This has been one that had worked perfectly. We now have a resource rich colony in Africa and two coaling stations that service it on the way. In addition, the Americans are kindly building two large, powerful cruisers for us gratis and we have up to $15 million dollars to invest in infrastructure and development. It had also helped to create a colonial office that is mainly answerable to you. Things are happening now in Congo that should be benefit us and it's inhabitants eventually. Eventually if you take the line that at some stage the area will be colonised and it may as well be done in a humane way."

"Correct", said Stephanie. "You neglected to mention that it also had the added bonus of saving millions of natives from the horrific acts of my father, as well as the added bonus of humiliating said father."

"Yes my love, of course."

2) "Navy. I feel this one is under control. The efficiency of the service has jumped this last fifteen months, there is no doubt about this at all. Fisher has been pushing them hard and in terms of officers, those that have not cut the mustard have not remained, as per my instructions. This has made him, and by extension me, less than popular in some more aristocratic circles. However, this is just the price of doing business. We will always have a small navy, so we need to make sure what we do have is the best. In regards ships, things will not really be where I want them to be until the mid 1890's. A building program takes time. By 1895 the obsolete rubbish should be scrapped and what we do have should reflect what we have need to work with. A dagger rather than a sword, but a very sharp one. Again, although I cannot say this has worked well as yet I think we are on the right track."

"Well, I don't know anything much about the navy, as you well know, so I am happy to take your word on that."

3) "Science and Technology. This one has presented more problems. First of all, we are operating on the budgetary shoestring my father has allocated the department. It is viewed negatively by many in both the Imperial Council and the Hungarian Diet, although those that do support it are strong in their views. This has in many ways restricted what we can do. It's not all doom and gloom. Daimler and Maybach are doing sterling work and are happy. This will be long term a massive boon to Austro-Hungary that should have gone to Germany. However, at this stage the automobile is in it's infancy. It will take time to see what a coup this is. Tesla and his three phase induction motor are also a boon, however, since I mentioned wireless technology to him for communication he has drifted, seemingly hard to keep on track according to reports. Likewise, in regards to your own project on penicillin. Some progress, but no concrete breakthrough as yet. Overall, it's been a mixed batch and our main priority should be to ensure that enthusiasm and therefore funding is still present. It could be a battle. Our one main advantage is also our disadvantage. Our funding is so small that ending it is not seen as that much of a priority."

"These things take time. In my experience, scientific breakthroughs always do. Remember what I told you about the Manhattan project? Even with colossal funding, it still took years to develop a successful bomb, this in wartime with A1 priority. Science requires time, patience and money to achieve success. All we can do is use our own knowledge to keep chipping away that things, picking on areas we think will be useful. Flight will be another once suitably powerful engine is developed. When Marconi needs funding for his research in another four years, he is another we could look to lure."

"Good points. I think we can rate ourselves only fairly on this, however."

4) "Army. This is a tough one. I have managed to get funding increased, made a few cosmetic changes to the rank structure and career progression. A bigger progression was the demonstration at maneuvers of the small mortars and flamethrowers, as well as the automatic rifle and the application of camouflage. Aside from the latter, all have received small production orders. Getting the funding increased and drawing a greater share of that funding from Hungary are the biggest contribution, however. The problem here is the same as we face in most areas. No control. I am not yet the Kaiser. Nor the Minister for War. We have no control and can only influence. Overall I have done nowhere near what I would like to do but probably as much as I can. What we will also eventually need to a quality light machine gun. This can more than likely be obtained using Madsen or Lewis's designs, but both are ten plus years away."

"I would agree with your assessment."

5) "Foreign Policy. This has been largely a failure so far. We need two things here. To establish a solid alliance with either Russia or England. Nothing has been achieved in relation to this. We have used our trip to England to further our cause somewhat, as well as creating some ties via Fisher. However, our Congo coup would have disturbed many in the UK, who generally sided with her old ally Belgium in regards sympathy. In regards Russia, I have done nothing, aside from a vague attempt to alter history recently. Again, I am not the Kaiser or the Foreign Minister, so how much can one do? We do need to make a trip to Russia, however. This is where Rudolf the Former's previous dissolute bad behaviors have not helped. I am not viewed by many in a good light. The second thing we need to do is make Germany well aware that an alliance does not mean automatic support in the case of expansionist endeavors, just to forestall something crazy out of the box from Willie. Zero progress there as well. Overall, we have made no gains in this area at all."

"How much can we really make unless we can obtain the levers of power? Everyone knows your father has only limited trust in you, so he feels more than free to ignore your opinions if it suits him on most matters."

and lastly 6) " Domestic policy. Again, little real progress. I am worried that we have spent little time in or on Hungary aside from our patronage of the Budapest underground. Considering they will be our major stumbling block for the changes we wish to make we need to do more in this area. Perhaps my mother can help here now that we seem to have achieved an understanding? As we discussed, we favoured setting up a third Kingdom and went to my father with this in regards to the Czechs. His refusal was all too glaring. Little has been done in the area either. It's depressing to think what needs to be done, in fact."

"Rudolf, you are being to hard on yourself, indeed on us. Yes, there is much to be done. Yet there has been much done as well. You need to see the forest for the trees my love. How much progress can one expect within 18 months with us not holding the ultimate reigns of power? You are also forgetting the most important point,namely,

7) Health and family. You entered this as a man with a broken relationship with his wife, a daughter he did not see, a father that ignored him and a mother that hardly saw or spoke to him, all with a disease that was likely to eventually kill him. We have arrested that disease, you have a wife and daughter that loves you, a father that is now not quite so dismissive, a mother that is partly reconciled. These are no small things. Indeed, I say that without these things the chances of successfully achieving points 1) to 6) are very low indeed.

Yes, I think that overall we have done very well. Yes, it has only been a scratching of the surface in some areas. How can it be else without control? You know I am right surely, you are to logical and analytical not to?"

"Yes, you probably are correct. I love you so much you know I feel quite unable to describe it. Without you I sometimes think if would be a mindless, heartless automaton, carrying out plans just for the sake of self gratification."

"Right? Of course I am. We can and will achieve more. We owe it to the 50 million in Austro-Hungary and the 20 million in the Congo. Indeed, we owe it to the 18 million killed in the Great War. If you figure the 1918 flu pandemic was also caused by the war, you can raise that to maybe 100 million. Just how different will history be if these people do not die and the social structures that existed in 1914 do not collapse in revolution but perhaps in evolution. It is a fascinating question no?

It also brings me to another point. Eventually, your father will have to be removed for us to put this fully into place. For the children to flourish, the parents must move off centre stage. We also need to talk about that, but that comes under future planning. I propose we end things here for now. It's only 15 minutes to lunch. How about I teach you another 2016 term? It's called the 'quickie.' Universal declarations of love do so get my blood up after all."

February 1890-Conversations on the future

25 February 1890, Hofburg, Austro-Hungarian Empire

She had powered away again on their usual morning run yet he had regained his composure and now they sat in their joint drawing room that was in the middle of the two chambers they both used for offices. He recalled again the exchange that had occurred this morning with amusement. It was unfortunate for the lady in question, Princess Eleonore Breunner-Enkevoirth, that she had been talking so loudly in the corridor when Stephanie had rounded the corner, her tread silent in the special running shoes she had made. All it took was overhearing the one phrase.

"I hear the Flemish peasant is still in the process of taking morning runs in skimpy costumes with her husband?"

Her companion, seeing said 'Flemish peasant' moving up from behind, was struck speechless. It was only when Stephanie was on top of her, her 5 foot 9 1/2 inches frame looming over the small 5 foot 2 inches talker and Rudolf had also turned the corner that Princess Eleonore was aware of her presence.

"Why hello Princess, Countess. Princess, you were saying?"

"Oh, nothing, just some idle banter Your Imperial Highness."

"Just some idle banter? Princess, do you know the difference between you and me?"

"I am Austrian?"

"No, the main difference is this. Whilst you are spending all your time sitting on your privileged rear, spreading gossip you know to be untrue, acting like you are entitled to everything in the world and avoiding any thought of work like the plague, I am busy running one country and helping to run another, trying to improve the lives of some 70 million people. That means I need to stay physically fit so I can work long hours. Work, you know that thing you know nothing about?

Eventually Rudolf and I will be running this country as well. When we do I will see if I can find a suitable position for your husbands talents. The city sewers need a lot of planning work I hear. You see my routine involves more than wondering when the servants will next bring cakes or when I will next be required to do my duty by my husband."

Stephanie proceeded to push past the shocked Princess, but not without a parting shot. "Judging by the size of that derriere it seems more of the former and less of the latter. I am happy for you to join us on our runs if you can find a suitable 'skimpy costume' and get up at 5am. Goodbye, dear Princess."

Stephanie muttered when she had turned the corner away "Honestly, the nerve of that women."

"Let it go love. Remember, future plans."

"Yes, alright then, you start whilst I compose my thoughts."

"Alright, lets start with something we have done little in the way of reform with. The internal affairs of the Empire itself. You know my favoured model. A Federal system like we have now with the Empire having sway over defense, foreign policy and projects of national significance, as well as finance for such. Other powers to be devolved to the various constituent parts of the Empire. Currently we have Austria and Hungary, as well as the Bosnian and Herzegovina Condominium. As you know, I favour the breakup of Bosnia and Herzegovina when the time is right to reconcile with Serbia, with both parties taking a portion and the creation of an intermediate buffer state. As far as the Federal model is concerned, the first step in leading the way is letting the Czechs go their own way in an independent Kingdom of Bohemia. The Croatians are the obvious next step if and only if we can ever find a way around the Hungarians. Lastly Galicia can follow as a separate Polish/Ruthenian entity perhaps. That is what I would like to do.

Croatia will be very difficult. Perhaps the first step would be to at least stop the Magyarization of their schools and the suppressing of their language that has commenced some few years ago. Or perhaps a hierarchy of where Croatia sits as independent but some functions such as Justice, Transport and maybe Agriculture still sit within the Hungarian purview. Certainly what I am keen not to see is more independent armies like the Honved. Or the Landwehr for that matter. It's going to be messy for sure. I also favour a one man, one vote electoral system, but again the Hungarian aristocracy will bitterly resist this. Changes will mean a series of bitter campaigns. Campaigns we need to be in power to fight. That means Franz Joseph must go, as soon as we are ready to do so. These are not battles we can fight via the whims of another person. Besides, these are reforms that would shock my father."

"I agree, there needs to be a time-frame for removal, perhaps sometime about 1893-94. I will let you work on that. You know I also favour suffrage for women at the earliest possible time. It only makes sense after all. There are so many things about the economy of both Hungary and Austria, particularly Hungary, that need work. The price of grain in Europe has dropped by 20% in the 1880's. It will drop still further. It has to. Increased transportation links between Europe and America using faster and larger, more reliable ships will become the norm, dropping huge surpluses of American grains into European ports and forcing the buying price down as a consequence. I see prices dropping to 50% of that of 1880. Yet what work has been done to prepare the agricultural sector for this? None that I can see. Do we want our peasants to be as poor as Russia's restive masses?

Our funding for transport and communications, especially railways, is adequate. Yet provision of health and medical services, encouragement for sport and fitness is almost non existent. We also need to think about the new big thing. Electrification."

"Well, secondly Foreign Policy. Again, something we cannot yet influence. I think we need to travel, make ties and decide on which horse to back when we have our hands on the levers of power. As we said before, Britain or Russia. My father has not bothered to build close ties to either. We must court at least one and bring them to an understanding. Neither will be easy. If we wait until 1893 Russia will likely be moving in lock step with France and England will still be thinking in terms of splendid isolation. We must at least build those relationships that would allow us to have and exploit those personal relationships when the time comes to do so."

"Look, it is a fair assumption. We are locked out of policy here unless we assume power but we can still influence by personal contact. The Congo business may move us much closer to the Americans and perhaps draw them away from their own isolation. Closer relations with Bulgaria and/or Greece are also possible and desirable. A detente with Serbia would help. No events of 1903 would help there. Your friend Aspis already rests in the woods but others will follow must assuredly."

"Thirdly, the Congo. The money we have obtained needs to be spent wisely. The most obvious method here is to spend the money on infrastructure that allows for the extraction of resources. With less rubber and ivory then diamonds and copper, as well as possibly oil will need to take their place. We need to work on a plan as to what infrastructure would be best. Railways likely, and this will prove expensive, both in terms of money and lives, but must be done.

I know you want to spend more money on medical services, especially. By all means spend some. But without infrastructure and resource extraction it can all fall in a financial heap and then the profits cannot be plowed back at a later stage to assist anyone. We also need to establish control and open up Katanga, not only for the copper but also to keep the British and Rhodes' South Africa Company out.

"Yes, I agree with all of that. There is not much point talking about the Army and Navy, I can leave that to you as I know far too little to assist.

Now finally Science and Technology. I have put together this folio of the technological advances that I am aware of over the last 125 years, what, if anything, I know of the specifics and the inventor(s) if I am aware if them. I suggest you do the same. Then we can prioritize what we think is reasonable research that may be achievable with what limited funding we currently have at hand. Does that sound sensible?"

"Indeed it does. You gave the 'dear' Princess a fair scare."

"Yes, lost my temper a bit. I think she still sees the shy girl, not the woman. She is a bitch in any case, that much is certain. Better still, since how the conversation started, she cannot run to your father and complain."

Rudolf laughed. "Yes, there is that."

March 1890-Lust in St Petersburg

2 March 1890, Mayerling, Austro-Hungarian Empire

Rudolf read the last part of the letter again.

"I have talked to my father who has agreed that a visit to St Petersburg would be appropriate during the summer period. I must warn you that some of Austria's Northern adventures of last year have left him less than pleased, however, he is not ill disposed towards a visit and hopes still for closer ties and pathways of mutual interest.

Now that the boring parts of this letter have addressed as part of our ever present duty, let me move on to the young lady that came back to the capital a month ago, namely Princess Nina Gruzinsky. I have no idea how she has not come to St Petersburg earlier. She had made her apologies in terms of moving back to the wilds of Georgia and I can honestly say I have thought of little else since our first meeting. I crave attendance on her and pine terribly when she is not there. Intelligent, witty, oh so very beautiful.

Although there are many barriers I cannot thank you enough for thinking of me when introducing this angel to me.

Your friend,

Nicky"

Well, it appeared that Nicholas may be heading down another path than Alix of Hesse. It was only a random act yet may change a great many things. Was it a mistake? Only time would tell.

March 1890- Bottletops and bullets

6 March 1890, Csepel Island, near Budapest, Austro Hungarian Empire

Manfréd Weiss looked at the Crown Prince again. Both him and his wife had seemed interested in all aspects of the plant's manufacturing and he had judged the visit a success. The main source of his income came from the Austro-Hungarian Common Army and the Honved, mainly via the production of shells and rifle ammunition, although he also manufactured pots, pans and cups, as well as tools and the like for both military and civilian aspects. It was Rudolf who spoke next.

"Herr Weiss, I was wondering if you would be interested in something I have invented myself?"

"Of course Your Highness."

Rudolf was only too glad to stay on site talking to Weiss, his engineers and the workers at the factory. Tomorrow night a civic reception in Budapest beckoned and with in the very prospect of an immediate confrontation with many of the problems he had with the administration of the Hungarian part of the Empire. This little project he had fiddled with for just on a week after he had realised no such thing existed in 1890. He pulled out the press and the long-neck of beer.

Weiss was looking at him curiously when he slipped the crown cork bottle cap out of his pocket and duly applied it to the bottle, sealing it. He passed the long-neck to Weiss, who duly inspected it. When he passed it back, Rudolf extracted the bottle opener from his pocket and flipped the cap off.

"That is...remarkable Your Highness. As you are aware we drink just a bit of beer here in the Empire, also in Germany."

"I was also thinking of carbonated mineral water, tonic water and the like."

"Yes. What do you wish to do with this little invention?"

"Well, if you are interested, I would propose that you take the idea, patent it and run with it. In return, as you are well aware, my wife runs an institution devoted to charitable works in the Congo. A donation of say 100,000 guldens a year would not go astray. I see no need for contracts or patents and the like. Just a handshake and a gentleman's agreement would be fine Baron."

Weiss looked again at the bottle and it's top. How had something so simple not been done? How had a layman like Rudolf invented such a proposition? "That seems fair enough to me Your Highness." He stretched out his hand and Rudolf took it.

Rudolf smiled. "I have something else to consider." He took two pieces of paper, folding one into a sleek arrow, throwing it across the room. He then took a second, making a larger and stubbier looking contraption. It did not fly so well. "Herr Weiss, it seems to me that a more streamlined shape would create less wind resistance and therefore travel faster and therefore further and longer. Now I was wondering if a similar proposition could be applied to our rifle ammunition..."

March 1890- Congo and Teff

6 March 1890, Governor's House, Marienburg, Congo State

Governor Archduke Johann Salvator looked again at the letter that had accompanied the sacks of seeds.

"Johann, I believe that this would be an ideal crop. I know it as Teff, you may know it as William's Lovegrass. The fact that it is frost sensitive will not be an issue in the climate, and, as long as the soil can be drained, it will grow well in all warmer climes. What is more, it can be planted late and has a short germination cycle. Also beneficial is that it requires little in the way of heat to cook through. It is an excellent food source. Lastly, it has the advantage that because of it's small seeds, a handful is enough to thoroughly sow a large area yet is easy enough to harvest.

I have obtained these samples from Ethiopia in exchange for weapons and I recommend we trial the introduction of this as a potential staple grain source. After all, we have more than enough mouths to feed as a consequence of my father's previous policies.

I was gratified to receive your last letter that you had assembled a force to deal with Msiri that would depart in May near the end of the rains. Although a legitimate native chief, I view him as just another slaver worthy of all contempt and he is suitably off balance with the demise of Tippu Tipp. Take whatever measures you see fit to crush any armed resistance he offers and take pains to establish not only control of the copper mines at Likasi but all of Katanga. I would also recommend the establishment of a couple of rudimentary border posts to forestall an British adventures in the area.

Stephanie."

Well, he had on hand two tonnes of the seeds. Now it remained to be seen what could be done with them.

March 1890-Talks with the new Hungarian broom

7 March 1890, Grand Ballroom, Royal Palace, Budapest, Austro-Hungarian Empire

She was swept around to the sound of the "Blue Danube", her long train, consisting of a green silk gown with red and white flowers, a note to Hungarian national colours. Her partner was in himself controversial, Tivadar Andrássy was the son of the recently deceased Count Gyula Andrássy, her mother-in-law's rumoured lover. It was easy to see when one viewed a function like this how many viewed this as an era of romance. All one had to do was close your mind to the plight of many of the poor to do so, not a hard task when swept up in the pageantry of this type of event. It appeared Tivadar Andrássy was also caught up in the fever, holding her a little closer than protocol would strictly dictate before the strains of the orchestra died away and her husband appeared to claim her. Events like this were nothing if not predictable and the last two numbers to be played never varied. Second last, the "Blue Danube". Last the "Radetzky March".

Rudolf held her close as they twirled around the dance floor, he had been taught to dance from an early age in both alter egos so was a fast, graceful dancer. Likewise herself, so she was aware they would make a good impression and leaned into his shoulder to show intimacy to the outside world but also to ensure private conversation. Rudolf as aware of what she wanted and replied without asking the question.

"I have arranged the meeting with Gyula Szapáry. Tisza will resign within days so his will be the way forward."

"From what I have heard his is more Liberal than his predecessor, although how much that counts for I do not know. Certainly he is in favour of reduced powers for the church, that is a start after all."

"Well, we shall see", said Rudolf.

Szapáry had lively eyes, physically only average height and so shorter than her, muddy brown hair, a moon face and a shaggy mustache and what in 2016 would be called a 'clit tickler' underneath on his chin.

"Your Imperial Highness's." Szapáry bowed from the waist. It was Stephanie who spoke. "My dear Count, this is just an informal chat. Take a seat, a glass of port and take your ease. I don't know about you but the amount of dancing has raised my thirst."

Szapáry seemed surprised she intended to stay but took a seat none the less.

"You had requested a meeting Your Highness, how can I be of service?"

"First of all you must accept our apologies, whilst I have, of course, had much contact with Hungarian companies during my stint so far as Navy Minister and also as Science and Technology Minister, we have not involved ourselves in Hungarian affairs to any great degree. I am aware that you plan a series of ecclesiastical reforms, however, I wished to also flag with you my own, indeed our own, desire for change as well and at the same time take up with you our concerns in regards one issue in the governance of Transleithania, especially the Croatian part."

"What would that be?"

"I think the events of your own revolution in Hungary and the compromise of 1867 show quite clearly that people cannot be suppressed altogether in terms of their ethnicity, but in particular the element that is most strong in regards nationalism, their language. This is the situation at present in Croatia with a Hungarian Ban like Khuen-Héderváry in charge of an increasing policy of Magyarization that has resulted in the closing of Croatian language schools in record numbers. It makes a mockery of the position of Ban to have a Hungarian in it following policies that are deeply locally unpopular. This cannot continue without a backlash. Put yourselves in this position of Croatians, as indeed you were as a Hungarian not so many years ago. Regardless of the need to run an Empire and provide a language of administration, every single person in the Empire deserves the right to speak and learn their native tongue.

It is a policy that both myself and my wife will follow very firmly when the time comes for us to assume leadership of this Empire as it represents man's most basic dignity. Freedom of language and religion. In three to four months I have to open a park in Zagreb in honor of Nikola Šubić Zrinski. It will make a mockery of the event to have a Hungarian Ban by my side."

Szapáry was shocked at the directness of the Crown Prince. Talk about being hit between the eyes even before he had started as Prime Minister. Maybe he had a point, however, he was not going to be bullied in any case. "This is something I must refer to my own Government when we meet."

Rudolf smiled. "I would expect nothing less."

March 1890-Army knives, family detente and oil

28 March 1890, Berndorfer Metallwarenfabrik, Vienna, Austro-Hungarian Empire

Rudolf looked again at the knife. It was well weighted from throwing, could be attached as a bayonet via the curved lug, had a standard knife blade on one side and a serrated edge on the other and the handle could flip out into a screwdriver as required. It was to have a standard hardwood handle, although deluxe versions could be made from bone or ivory or even silver by special order. It had not won the Swiss competition for an Army knife that he had hoped for, however, this was a more than acceptable compromise for the Austro-Hungarian army, likely a bigger order in any case.

It was all very good news, made even more palatable by two happy events this morning. Firstly his mother, of all people, had asked to go for run with his wife this morning. Incredibly, they had arrived back smiling. Secondly, his wife had received a telegram from Rockefeller Sr that indicated that he would be sending a representative directly to Marienburg in the Congo for the purposes of investigation of the possibilities of oil in the region. It was excellent news.

He turned back to Arthur Krupp. "I think this is excellent. Much like the Swiss we are going to ask for an Army knife this year. This is the design I want so I will make all efforts to push for it."

March 1890- Philadelpia thoughts

31 March 1890, William Cramp and Sons, Philadelphia, United States of America

Ernst Ritter Schmit von Tavera watched as his wife Danika drove the first somewhat symbolic rivet into the plate of what would be the hull of the new cruiser Wien. He had performed a similar function for her sister ship Budapest. In fact, there were already bare bones of one ship on the slip, which had been started some four weeks ago. With a likely build time of some three years, they incorporated many new innovations, especially the new Harvey armour, as well as the use of turrets for the main armament.

Across the yard was the small liner Sacrobosso, which was only two months or so away from completion as a cadets training ship, in fact just being repainted in grey at present. He was also aware that at bath Iron Works in Maine, two colliers were currently under construction having commenced two months ago. Build time would be 12 months only.

It amounted to almost 17,000 tons of metal, large contracts indeed. It had stimulated interest and ties between the countries and he had been contacted only a week ago of Standard Oil to arrange shipping details for a team to visit Marianburg in the Congo. It seemed that commercial activity had multiplied between the two states by a factor of five since the start of the year and the level of inquiries his own staff had handled had gone up by the same amount. I fact, he had telegraphed Vienna asking for two additional people.

April 1890-The fall of Bismarck, Czechs

14 April 1890, Hofburg, Vienna, Austro-Hungarian Empire

The meeting had been a long one, two main items being on the agenda. Firstly, Sándor Wekerle's plan to move Austro-Hungary to the gold standard based on a new currency, the Krone, or crown. It would require quite a bit of preparation and it was agreed to set a date of 1 January 1892 for implementation. It was a path that most major powers had already followed, moving away from silver based economies. Silver had declined in Europe, increased Chinese trade, indeed trade with Asia as a whole, emptying coffers of many powers since the Chinese economy demanded cash in silver in most cases rather than goods in return.

The second item was a discussion on the removal of Bismarck as Chancellor. Despite his words to Wilhelm II, the 75 year old had lasted not more than 17 days longer than OTL, being dismissed on the 6th. It was a bad sign. The new Chancellor, Caprivi, knew nothing of foreign policy, the new Secretary of State, Marschall, very little more. From previous dealings with Caprivi, Rudolf was well aware that he would likely approach foreign policy initiatives in secret, a mistake in a modern era where public opinion had to be increasingly considered. Indeed, it was a lesson he could himself absorb after his 1889 adventures.

Caprivi had close links with the German General Staff, who for years had been urging Austria to resist Russia, the exact opposite of Bismarck's policy, which favoured conciliation. The new note from Berlin expounded such a more aggressive policy. It made it more urgent to get to St Petersburg in early June to try and establish ties before Russia was inexorably pushed into the orbit of France. Caprivi was a proponent of an alliance with England, yet would likely not have the strength of will like Bismarck to change the Kaiser's dreams of overseas expansion and lines of grey funnels, making such dreams pointless. The former was almost certain to doom the Reinsurance Treaty as well, lest the English find out it's secret clauses, especially those directed at the Straits. It was a mess with no clear way forward in terms of benefits to Austro-Hungary.

After Wekerle and Kálnoky had both departed, he took the opportunity to take up the cudgels with his father again. After all, it was proof of his increased trust that he was invited to today's meeting at all. He was quite sure two years ago his presence would not even have been considered.

"Father can we again talk about a solution for the Czechs? I know you think I am badgering you and maybe I am, however, this is one of the most strategically important areas of Empire. It contains much of our munitions manufacturing and is a major industrial area. The Czechs have been loyal, yes, but will not remain so for ever if not given a say in their own affairs. We reached a solution with the Hungarians in 1867 that saw things settle down into a moderately happy compromise. I see no reason why a similar scheme could not placate what is increasing unrest and division. The plan I have in mind should placate most ethnic Germans in Bohemia and at the same time mollify the Hungarians in regards to their 'superior' status."

"What do you have in mind?"

"The basic tenants of my previous plan. We need to ignore historical divisions between lander and go with what works. This is how I would divide the two areas, the remainder would fall back to Austria as they contain German majority areas. Those that are left would form not a Kingdom but a Principality, it would still have it's own parliament but no capacity for an army of it's own, circumventing many of the issues we have with the Honved and allowing us to keep a strong Common Army."

"All right, I will look at it. I can promise no more at this stage. By the way, thank you to both yourself and your sister for bringing your mother back into the fold. It seems your wife has helped as well. Plus you have been working hard as well. In addition, this Congo business is so far not the disaster I thought it may be."

Well, I guess that is some sort of praise, he thought. "Yes father, we have tried. I think Stephanie and mother have more in common than either would care to admit to be honest."

His father actually laughed. "Yes, perhaps so."

April 1890 - Oil

17 April 1890, Cabinda Port, Kingdom of Congo

Johann Salvator and his wife had had a quiet day trailing around after the two engineers, one of his own, Gabor Janjic and the visitor, Harold Planchard II from Standard Oil. The common language was English, so he had followed along with the conversation.

"As you can see, unlike Muanda, there is actually seepage of raw product here just beyond the line of the dunes. All three exploratory drills have hit oil at shallow depths, less than 200 meters, less than 50 in one case. I am quite convinced that this is only the tip of the iceberg. Deposits likely exist at sea as well and I have a number of local reports of "black water and bubbles" being released in the shallows after large storms. Deposits at depths of less than 10 meters should be easy enough to access with the new technology. It is more a matter of infrastructure and the cost of building it."

Harold Planchard considered what had been said and what he had seen. "Well, purely from an oil-man's point of view, I have no doubt at all that we have viable potential fields here. I have seen enough to know that. I guess the question is location and the provision of skilled labour, which drives costs. Thankfully these deposits are not inland, so transport will be much less of an issue. Of course, these are decisions I cannot make, all I can provide is a technical report and recommendations."

Johann Salvator stepped back into the conversation. "In many ways it is a matter of scale Mr Planchard. If Standard Oil were to invest, then the funds from the royalties would then be used to assist in infrastructure development that could help the make the project even more attractive, both here and at Kap Weiss. Of course, we have already indicated that we would be prepared to drop the normal royalties from 1/8 to 1/20, a not inconsiderable saving. I have also provided Mr Rockefeller with certain other...incentives."

"Indeed. Well, I have been instructed in indicate we will provide a response within a month of my return. Thanks you for spending these last two days traipsing the wilderness with me gentleman and of course lady."

Johann Salvator looked again at his wife, the former Milli Stubel. In Vienna, the chance of such a marriage coming to pass under the nose of the court and him still retaining his title would be next to none, however here such a thing was possible. Of course, it was considered a morganatic marriage, but that was of little concern. At least he was able to retain his own privilege and marry the women he chose. For these reasons, he had to make this grand scheme work in this African wilderness. Going back to Vienna was not an option, at least not for many years.

April 1890 - Two Van Goghs visit

30 April 1890, Hofburg, Vienna, Austro-Hungarian Empire

"It is lovely to see you both again. Vincent, how did you enjoy your stay?"

"Very well thank you, Your Highness."

It was Theo Van Gogh who spoke next. "I think it has been good for my brother Your Highness. He seems to have improved somewhat and was nothing if not industrious, completing some 236 oils during his time here at the various locations we lodged at. Now that we head back to Utrecht, I offer you our thanks and by way of that thanks I invite you to avail yourself of ten of the paintings that Vincent has produced. Some 22 have already sold, leaving 214 to choose from. We leave via train on Saturday, I am anxious to return to my wife and son, but perhaps you could come and select ten paintings tomorrow before they are packed for transport on Friday afternoon?"

"Indeed, I would be delighted to do so. We visit Russia in a month's time, so perhaps you would allow me to purchase four more for the Hermitage collection as a gift to the Tsar."

"Your Highness, we would be honored."

Stephanie looked at the two brothers. Now the situation seemed almost reversed. It was Theo that looked pale and unwell. Vincent retained his nervous demeanor and unhealthy look, yet did not look quite so haunted. Perhaps both had demons that would be hard to excise by more than the application of simple kindness.

May 1890 - A warming in relations, a bonding over sweat raised

6 May 1890, Vienna, Austro-Hungarian Empire

Sisi watched Stephanie perform the ten repetitions for chin ups before swinging around the bar and landing on her feet. "That was quite....remarkable. How do you get the strength to repeat the repetitions? I do strength work on my own workouts but not to this extent."

"I have always had an interest in exercise. Now that I am in a happier state emotionally I have felt free to pursue that interest. Besides, I have always been interested in tennis and winning at tennis requires power as much as finesse. We come back from Russia via St Petersburg and London so I intend to prove that 1889 was not a fluke by repeating last years win, if I can. Rudolf has been helping me when he can. He has changed as well, he is settled and a good man, a good husband and father."

"Yes, I can see the changes. I am....not so vain that I can credit them to myself. Both of you have changed and both deserve the credit for such. I wish.......I could spend more time here, yet I hate the court and all it represents. My husband will never change. Duty is his wife. I am merely his mistress, an object of passion and love, but not his FIRST love, I fear."

"I am sorry to hear that."

"I am sorry....I have been...harsh. I like to think I am protective of my son. I can give you some beauty tips if you like, my dear."

"That would be appreciated. There is not as much to work with as there....once was." Stephanie thought of her former life. She missed her former..charms at times, but her life here was, on balance, so much superior. "I suppose we had better get back? Perhaps just a walk on the way back. We can stop at Demel....they should just be opening."

Sisi laughed. "Yes, I suppose we can."

May 1890 - Tiffany comes up trumps

16 May 1890, 15 Union Square West, Manhattan, United States of America

Barney Barnardo stood with Charles Tiffany. The level of response for the little show he had put on had been extraordinary, beyond what he could possibly have hoped for. Beyond the presentation of what for the time was a record numbers of coloured diamonds. There were three other points of attraction.

He had been allowed to bring with him the Florentine diamond from Vienna under guard to be displayed against the Tiffany Yellow Diamond, bringing the two largest examples in the world together. Secondly, invitations were exclusively sent to America's most wealthy families, creating a spirit of competition as each strove to possess what the other did not. Lastly, the origin of the diamonds was of course exotic, so the store as a whole had been decorated into what some fondly thought was an African theme, complete with men who, whilst they had black skin, had likely never seen Africa.

It had been a most worthwhile venture and had vastly exceeded the success of what was a modest event in Vienna some five weeks before. His hunch that America would provide much of the sales for the coloured diamonds, of which he now had a good supply, was coming up trumps.

June 1890 - To Russia and love

2 June 1890, Livadia Palace, Russian Empire

The trip had not been without it's dramas. Her namesake ship, Kronprinzessin Erzherzogin Stephanie had developed engine problems and they had been forced to change ship to the escorting destroyer for the trip to Constanza, cutting that visit slightly short. The Romanian formal state visit itself had been cordial enough, Rudolf had met Carol I before, but Stephanie had not. To Stephanie, he seemed like a cold man, wedded to his duty and devoid of much in the way of feeling. His wife was estranged and his heir, his nephew Ferdinand, had actually brought his mistress, with whom he seemed besotted, to the meeting in an incredible breach of protocol.

The meeting itself had confirmed the loyalty of the Romanian King to the German-Austrian alliance, however, Stephanie feared that it was not a loyalty shared by Romanians as a whole. Carol had been gratified by Rudolf's promises to try and end the closure of Romanian language schools in Hungary, but the prospect of this policy of Magyarization being changed soon were slim. Whilst Hungary possessed Transylvania with it's large numbers of Romanians, the alliance would always be paper thin.

What lay ahead would be infinitely more challenging. The next two months would be a whirl. A week in Livadia informally with Nicholas would be easy enough. Then a long trip to St Petersburg to meet the Tsar Alexander III and a series of formal meetings. Then on to London, Wimbledon and then back to Vienna for Rudolf's sisters wedding at the end of July. Many kilometers to be covered.

The first of the surprises was to occur very rapidly. She had been excited to see the beautiful seaside palace, the lighting making it seem pink in the late of the summer day. They had been met by Nicholas at the private jetty and after the anthems and the usual Te Deum, had traveled up to the Palace by carriage. It was at the palace that it them became obvious that Nicholas was not, in fact, alone. Rudolf was so very right. Princess Nina Pavelovich Gruzinsky was indeed a beauty, with a perfect figure and complexion, raven hair and limpid dark eyes. In fact, the sort of woman that she had often felt herself attracted to.....in a past life. It was small wonder that Nicholas was besotted. One look at how the Tsarevich looked at the girl confirmed that.

I would be an interesting week.

June 1890 - Nicholas ponders

10 June 1890, Livadia Palace, Russian Empire

Nicholas’ eyes flicker open a long time later, when the room is bathed in the barest light from the rising sun. She is warm and soft against him, her body nested in the circle of his arms. He stared down at her, careful not to move or make a sound.

She is softer in sleep, as most people are. Her hair was loose and splayed out beneath her, and Nicholas reached up a hand to run his fingers through it. The faint scent of roses wafts out from the dark, silky-smooth strands. She frowned in her sleep, her eyebrows drawing together, and he pulled her closer, arms tight and protective around her.

Christ, this was a bad idea. He can already feel it in him, just so much stronger than with Alix. It’s starker now, and sadder. A reckless devotion; the same impulse to do anything and everything to preserve the person lying inside his arms.

“You’re staring.” The voice is quiet and so unexpected that he jumped. Her lips curved into a smile, her eyes still closed.

“You’re just so beautiful,” he answers. He has a hazy memory of telling her that last night, when the desire was warm and close.

Her eyelids crack open. “Flattery is unnecessary at this point, no?”

He pulls away from her, sitting up and throwing his legs over the side of the bed.

“Nicholas—”

“We shouldn’t have done this.”

Her answer comes slowly. “Regret it if you must. I don’t.”

When he looks back at her, he’s almost lost again. She lies on her side, her head braced on her elbow and one knee bent upward. The bed-covers have slipped off of her, but she doesn’t seem to notice.

Slowly, she sits up, giving him a full view of her breasts, perfect champagne glass size.

“You’re unhappy,” she says.

He presses the palms of his hands into his eyes, trying to regain some semblance of sense, of control. “This makes things more complicated. Yet I love you.”

"I know."

She moves back down into the bed again and he moves back to embrace her. Ten minutes later her breathing is again steady. Nicholas thinks back two days to what Rudolf was saying as they sat on the beach, the women, including Rudolf's small daughter, having walked way down the beach to the lighthouse.

"You only get one life, my friend. Because of who you are, much of will not be your life as such, but in fact will be shared by others. Take as much of it for your own as prudence and duty allows."

"The marriage laws……"

"Require you to marry the someone of equal rank from a dynastic or former dynastic house. She is the granddaughter through the direct male line of a reigning King."

"It is a little bit more complicated when said King was deposed by my own dynasty."

Rudolf smiled. "Complicated. I think all our lives are that. If the events of the last two years have taught me anything it is that complicated and impossible are a long way apart."

Yes, thought Nicholas as sleep started to claim him, I need to be strong for once, stronger than I have ever been to influence my father. With his brother George now sick, he would have to summon all his reserves of courage to face his father. Yet he was convinced it was worth it. This afternoon they were to leave via train for St Petersburg, he thought as he drifted.

June 1890- Fisher and battlecruisers

13 June 1890, Pola Naval Base, Austro-Hungarian Empire

The young Lieutenant saluted and gave Fisher the telegram from von Sterneck. The finance for the building of the two battlecruisers had been approved. That meant the 9.2 inch mounts could be ordered from England. As for the hulls of the ships themselves, the designs specifications, consistently worked on and updated these last twelve months would now go out to the shipyards concerned, STT at Trieste and another to the naval arsenal at Pola.

Interestingly enough, the Hungarian contingent had indicated that they may be willing to push funding for a third ship if it could be built at the still under construction Ganz Yard at Fiume. This was not likely to be completed until 18 months-two years time, but certainly bore thinking about. By that time, his tenure here would be finished, he realised with some regret.

This Navy had moved from one of some institutional lethargy to one of high efficiency, even if it's tools of trade were currently not all they might be. Given five years or so the Italians may well be in for a surprise.

June 1890 - Yellowcake

14 June 1890, Jáchymov, Austro-Hungarian Empire

Anton Haslov looked at the government letter from Vienna again.

"....as a consequence of involvement at higher levels, we are willing to make a more than satisfactory offer of 25% above commercial value in the compulsory acquisition of your mines in the area. We deem this to be more than fair based on the fact that most of the silver content of the mines themselves are mostly played out, as are cobalt, lead, bismuth and nickel and the fact that most ore left on site is Uranite, which has more limited applications."

Only two months before he had shipped to Vienna a two kilogram lead tub of Uranite concentrate, to the Hofburg of all places. He was not that attached to the mines, which worked at a very small margin and seemed to result in many complaints from his workers of sickness, so selling would be no chore, especially for more than the mines were worth. The survey appeared to have overestimated the reserves of silver, which were not far from being played out. Also, Cobalt, of which only a scratching was left.

June 1890 - Meeting the Russian bear

15 June 1890, Gatchina Palace, near St Petersburg, Russian Empire

The small chamber recital to be followed by a private dinner later was dominated by the Tsar puffing on his bassoon. Her first impression had been quite simple, 'fuck, he is enormous'. At 195cm and weighing between 135 and 140 kilograms Alexander III looked literally like a Russian bear. He was loud, gruff and straight to the point, almost making some frightened guests feel like he was on the verge of hitting them by the look on their faces. Yet he seemed easily charmed by his vivacious wife, so there remained options open to her. They had a series of meetings spread over the next two days with Bunge and the Foreign Minister, de Giers. The visit would finish the following day with a full formal ball at the Winter Palace. It was strange, oh so very strange as a Russian to be back here in a completely different era, talking to a Romanov Tsar of all things.

It was after the simple meal that they retired to a sitting room that she made a move to get up.

"Your Majesty, I have a present for you and your wife. I know you both enjoy art, after all."

Alexander III's expression changed, his interest clearly piqued. "We have already exchanged official gifts Princess."

Stephanie sighed inwardly, noting Rudolf had already gone to get the crates carried in. Oh well, here we go she thought. "Yes, the boring and oh so expected official gifts that neither you, I, or anyone else really cares about. I am talking about a private gift from Rudi and myself to you. We have discovered a painter that both of us have fallen in love with and wanted to gift you both, as art enthusiasts, some copies of his work. Five copies, in fact. Now, whilst we are in private, can we possibly dispense with the formalities of titles? I don't feel the need for them in private, I am not that self important. Odnohuystvenno."

For a moment Alexander III looked stunned. His wife as well. Nicholas, the only other person in the room looked fearful. Then the Tsar burst into laughter. "Well, you really are something. Stephanie it is."

It was then that two servants and Rudolf reappeared with the crate and spent the next minute opening it. Rudolf proceeded to lay out the five paintings contained within.

Both Alexander and Maria rose and looked over the paintings, the most striking of which was a simple vase with sunflowers.

Alexander III looked at the paintings more closely. Yes, I do love them. Who did this work?"

She smiled. "An artist I have come to know, a Vincent Van Gogh."

"Thank you, this is the sort of present that does make me happy."

Alexander III brought his gaze to Stephanie. "I understand you play the piano?" he asked with a smile.

"Poorly, I have had far to little practice these last two years."

"No need to be so modest my dear."

I am not being modest she thought, seating herself at the piano. Oh well, what the hell she thought and cleared her throat for the opening bars.

"When you're weary, feeling small
When tears are in your eyes, I'll dry them all
I'm on your side when times get rough
And friends just can't be found
Like a bridge over troubled water
I will lay me down
Like a bridge over troubled water
I will lay me down...."

June 1890- St Petersburg balls

17 June 1890, Winter Palace, Russian Empire

She was no red revolutionary, about as far as possible from such a thing in fact, yet it was not difficult to see what had ended this era. The sheer opulence of the function was indescribable unless one was here to witness it. Alexander III himself seemed uncomfortable in the extreme and had privately let her know that he despised such affairs as a waste of time and money. He was a man she had come to have an admiration for. Autocratic true, but at the same time fearfully nationalistic and a leader of a spartan, simple life by choice.

Case after case of Bollinger, Krug and similar champagne. Vodkas of all sorts- peppered, lemon flavoured and lastly Rudolf's new favourite, Starka, a fearful mix of brandy, vodka and port. The sheer amount of jewels on the women present was stupendous, yet she had dressed simply deliberately, her only jewels a net of sapphires in her hair. She had seen the court in Belgium, in Vienna and in London. Nothing compared to this in terms of sheer opulence. It was frankly distasteful when one saw the poverty of certain areas of the streets. Unless changes were made, revolution could only be postponed, not avoided.

Nicholas had avoided his father as much as possible, that much was painfully obvious, dancing most of the night with Nina. During his dance with her he had indicated that he intended to screw up his courage and approach his parents immediately post their visit. She had encouraged him to start with his mother. God knows, she thought, it could not work out worse than what happened in her previous memories.

Alexander III and his Ministers had obviously been surprised when she had sat in on some of the meetings. It was difficult, as Rudolf could not comment on Austria’s official position, only comment on his own opinions. She recalled parts of the conversation.

“I strongly favour a negotiated settlement with Serbia in regards to not only Bosnia-Herzegovina but also Novi-Pasar. This could potentially involve annexation of both areas and breakups along ethnic lines, as well as the creation of a buffer state between both powers.

The breakup of the Ottoman Empire in Europe I regard as almost inevitable. The real question is how that occurs.”

This has piqued the Russian’s interest and provoked the inevitable question of the Straits. Rudolf had been careful in his answer.

“For myself, I do not oppose Russia’s ambitions at the straits, which would obviously safeguard your own Black Sea security and ensure the passage of trade. In return, of course, Austria would require guarantees in regards the current border in Galicia and a measure of control in regards the breakup of nearby areas, such as Albania. Of course, it is not just a matter of OUR opinion. The British and French have substantial investments, the Germans increasing ties.”

Rudolf had also spoken about his own thoughts on the League of the Three Emperors, indicating he favoured a return to such a policy. The Russians seemed interested. The question would be Wilhelm II. It would likely come to nothing but he indicated he would be happy to lobby for a renewal of such a treaty both in Vienna and Berlin.”

It all came down to what Rudolf had said earlier, Russia or England. They must have at least one.

She had earlier provided an update on the Congo in terms of some raw materials that may be able to be supplied. She had delivered this wholly in fluent Russian, a delivery that she could see impressed Alexander III. One thing was quite obvious, Nicholas was excluded from such meetings.

It as they danced the final dance to Tchaikovsky and she was in Alexander’s huge arms, she asked the question.

“I notice Nicholas did not sit in on our meetings?”

“He is still a child in so many ways, not ready to govern yet I think.”

“Yet none of us live forever. We need to do our duty to our dynasties and for that reason I know Rudolf is doing some work in preparing HIS successor and he is not yet the sovereign. It is awful, awful to think about, but look what happened to your own father. If Nicholas is unprepared, he will be overwhelmed and where will that leave Russia? He does not have your strength of personality. Yet we spent time in the Crimea. He is an engaging personality and dreams of doing the right thing. He needs encouragement and support.”

Alexander swept her into a dip and then straightened and bowed.

“I will think on it.”

June 1890- Eyes on the Congo

22 June 1890, Marienburg, Kingdom of the Congo

Awax Schwarz was nervous. In only two more weeks he would have a final test of his German language skills and then most of his class of 80 students would disperse. The need for interpreters had been quickly recognised and efforts had been made to correct the shortfall. Some had been people previously fluent in French, others had been new faces. Many had been previous victims of mutilation he thought, as he looked at his missing left hand. He had worked hard. How could he not? What other use did a man with one hand have?

It was for that reason that he hoped to finish near the top of his class. The top eight students would go to Vienna for a trip and attend the wedding of the Queen’s sister-in-law. It was a place he wanted to see. His homeland had provided little in the way of joy these last few years. In Austria he may be a stranger in a strange land, however, he had been led to believe that it would be one free of the all too frequent horrors of home.

At least there should be work in ample supply for a successful translator and, unlike the previous regime, that meant access to food and basic shelter. Especially since construction of the railway had commenced in April from Matadi to Marienburg. Now there was talk of another from Boma to Cabinda. Once an official interpreter he would be provided with a uniform and a paid position in the Congo Colonial office. He had had to take a last name, something the Belgian authorities never bothered with. Schwarz was just his own little joke.

Things had improved this last year, there was little question of that. The hated Belgians were(mostly) gone and the legacy of the Force Publique was still very much on show, however, whilst things were a long way from perfect, at least the terrors of the rubber quota, now only 10% of what it once was. Many villages production of rubber, funnily enough, had not dropped much at all with the lure of proper payment. No, things were not perfect, but they were better. Many villages were being visited more frequently courtesy of more than 100 'Necker' boats that had been brought out by ship some three months ago.

Atrocities were seemingly a thing of the past, at least from troops of the new regime. There were only ten reports of excesses in the last ten months, a vast improvement on the previous circumstances where there was no mechanism to complain to authorities at all about poor treatment. The main perpetrators of massacres or abuses now were reports of Arab slavers out of Zanzibar to the East, bandits from Sudan to the North East and slavers in Katanga to the South.

July 1890 - A second Wimbledon

6 July 1890, Wimbledon Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, United Kingdom

It was one advantage of having a tall build, not as tall as before, true, but tall by the standards of women in 1890 for sure. It had been a small field in 1890, only eight competitors, brought up to ten by two of those spaces being taken by herself and Maria Moskoni, the latter of which had actually won her first round match. In fact, she had not dropped a game until facing Helena Rice in the final. This had proven to be a much harder match and she had lost the first set 4-6, courtesy of a misfiring serve. She had won the next 6-3 and was finally able to crash a first serve down the line to secure the last 6-1 against an opponent that appeared to be tiring.

She was not the only one thought Stephanie. She had been nauseous these last two days and felt somewhat bloated. None the less, as she looked at Rudolf and the Prince and Princess of Wales, she had done what she had been unable to do over 100 years later-win two Wimbledon's in a row. It had not been a difficult draw with Lottie Dodd away and Blanche Hillyard pregnant, but at the end of the day you could only beat who you played. Now for the journey home.

July 1890 - Miscarriage

22 July 1890, Hofburg Palace, Vienna, Austro-Hungarian Empire

He had insisted on being there. His eyes are fixed vaguely upon the pile of bloody cotton wool beside the bed, the steel instruments lined up that seem too cruel, too cold, too sharp to be near his wife’s soft skin. The doctors are performing their tampering with less urgency now and it is drawing to an end. He's holding her hand as tightly as he can. She's shining with sweat.

The nurse touches her shoulder with a hand and tells her it’s almost over. The coppery smell of blood and the reek of disinfectant settle at the back of his throat as he breathes in, heavy and cloying; he will associate both odours with this moment for as long as he lives. It’s just a mess, a bloody mess.

Stephanie begins to cry. She cries and screams until he's sure she's torn her lungs to pieces, and then she lies still. The tiniest uneven fluttery breaths, tiny as the beating of butterfly wings, are all that betray she is awake.

The doctors burn the blankets the same day. All those pieces of you and I, all those fond dreams of the future, reduced to dust, to disappointment, seemingly never meant to be, he thought. Stephanie’s grief seems to fill the whole room. No one has asked about his own. Yet for her sake as much as his, he represses his own grief.

Later that night he finds himself drawn to the palace chapel, despite the fact that he knows he is a poor Catholic at best. The door is slightly ajar. Puzzled, he enters. Several candles glow softly. Lilies perfume the scene. At the edges of hearing there is a sound like low breathing, or sobbing.

He discerns a heap of orange silks upon the step. It is his Stephanie, prostrate beneath the shadow of the arch. He says her name, and she startles upright. He kneels beside her and throws his arms around her. Neither of them speak. He draws Stephanie back, cups her face in both hands and wipes her cheeks with his thumbs. She doesn't need to explain to him. He knows why she came here.

He has knelt and done his penance to, in fact that very afternoon.

Finally she speaks. “Well, now we know. For whatever reason, we have lost this one. Yet, we have not wasted our time in drinking those solutions these last 18 months. It may be more difficult than normal, but I can get pregnant.”

“Yes, there is that my love”.

July 1890 - A file extracted

28 July 1890, Evidenzbureau, Vienna, Austro-Hungarian Empire

Laura Tratiani finished her work as a typist for the day. The offending file was tight under her corset as she left the building, turned left and started to walk towards her sister at the Hofburg. It had not been that hard to secure a position within the organisation itself. As a linguist, she had quickly learned to type, a skill not all that common in 1890. She was also familiar with shorthand for her own position as an educator.

Her sister had made the approach and whilst she was initially reluctant, Laura Tratiani, ala Laura Mosconi eventually was talked around. In fact it was laughably easy to gain the appointment, typists were not given background checks, as Rudolf's handsome friend Arthur von Gieslingen had indicated. This would be her final day at the Evidenzbureau, the file extracted this very afternoon from archives during routine filing. It contained everything from notes compiled by Krauss, the Vienna police chief to reports from field agents on Rudolf's movements. This was intrusive but routine. However, it also noted the placement of the Kaiser's daily private schedule with Merlino the Italian anarchist, arranged by von Wallerstein himself.

Yes, this was what they had indicated they were looking for and if the conspirators thought writing the notes about Merlino in Spanish was in some part of protection they were woefully foolish. In any case, they had been overly efficient with who had seen the completed report- von Wallerstein, then all the way up to Ferdinand Freiherr von Bauer and lastly and most damning, Archduke Albrecht, Duke of Teschen, Rudolf's arch conservative cousin and Army Chief and therefore superior.

The guards were quite used to her visiting her sister at the Hofburg and she had the file in Stephenie's hands within the hour.

July 1889 - Counter plans

29 July 1890, approaching Bad Ischl Railway Station, Vienna, Austro-Hungarian Empire

"I can hardly believe it! From a Hapsburg Archduke for Gods sake! I can accept many things, even foolish Johann Salvador, I mean that was love and as you know, love is the death of duty. But for simple self interest, to simply further an agenda. It is repugnant. In addition the man will be here, he will be here for your sister's wedding!"

Rudolf looked at Franz Joseph, who was beet red.

"We cannot afford a scandal for the dynasty and MV's wedding is in two days. I recommend we do nothing for now."

"Do nothing?" Franz Joseph spluttered.

"Do nothing for now. Not quite the same as doing nothing at all. One day after the wedding all the protagonists will be back in Vienna. Then we need to make a move. von Gieslingen can secure the Evidenzbureau under a warrant from yourself. The other two can simply be summoned under the guise of a regular meeting. Then we can see just how far and how deep this goes, whether the three are all that are involved or whether it extends further. If you approve, I would have von Gieslingen take control of the Evidenzbureau for now. There are obviously serious security problems there even excluding these sad events. I can take over as Army Commander-in-Chief in a temporary capacity until a permanent appointment is made, until we know who is safe to appoint."

"Yes, well.....I suppose that could work."

You are going to be much busier than me in these next two days. If you give me the authority, I can make the arrangements and submit the orders for what needs to be drawn up in writing tonight."

Franz Joseph gave a weary sigh. "Very well. It makes me sick to my stomach. Handle it."

July 1890-Preparing to move

31 July 1890, Kaiservilla, Bad Ischl, Austro-Hungarian Empire

Rudolf and Stephanie moved forward towards his sister, who looked very happy on her wedding day. "Congratulations MV."

"Thank you Rudi."

Rudolf found his sister's husband neither handsome or particularly intelligent to be honest, but she clearly saw something in him he did not. "Stolid', would be the best he could call him. His wife was sticking close by, sensing his tenseness, but they could talk later. His father seemed distracted now that the ceremony was over as well. The hardest part had been when Albrecht had came forward to offer his congratulations. He had thought his father would explode he had reddened so much in the face, but thankfully nothing further had occurred.
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Later that night he had contended himself with watching his wife brush her long, sandy tresses, seeing her long legs peak out of the short robe she wore. Finally she settled onto the bed next to him.

"Erszi certainly enjoyed herself today playing with the other flower-girls."

"Indeed she did. She went out like a light when I took her to bed."

"What time?"

"Early, I have a special train that has priority ready to go at 4am. I should be in the capital by 9am at the latest."

"Well then we need to get up early."

"We? You are not going."

"Why should I not go? Who was it who provided your mole in the first place?" Rudolf saw that his wife was starting to cock her eyebrow, a sure sign of anger and decided to adopt a more diplomatic approach.

"I need to do this so that my status a the new Head of the Army is doubly reinforced. That is the reason I need to do it alone, not because I have no confidence in your abilities or because I am scared you may be hurt."

Stephanie deflated. "Very well, make sure you telephone as soon as you are able. You know you father will be tardy in letting me know, if he deigns to tell me at all."

"Very well."

"So, the arrangements?"

Rudolf leaned back against his wife. "Alright. Tomorrow will be a Friday so it is imperative that we move in the morning, ideally close to lunchtime. I have telephoned and activated Infanterieregiment No1 and Dragonerregiment No 13 plus I also have Landwehr artillery on standby if required. I have spoken to all three commanders personally. I do not actually think any of this will be required. I strongly suspect that the four we have mentioned comprise they key people and that any others are further down the line. Father has already telephoned Beck to ensure his loyalty and has told him to meet me at the Zentralbahnhof. I see him and present what we have a what we need to do. Our objectives are simple enough. We will occupy the War Ministry and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, specifically the Evidenzbureau and Kundschaftsbüro.

This has all been made much easier by the simple fact that after the troubles of 1848-50, plans were drawn up for just such an action in 16 major cities around the Empire. Which also means that we can pass this off as exercises in readiness, although it will be a thin smokescreen, it will suffice. The three main men will go to Mayerling, where I have guards. Any others can go to the Rudolf Barracks."

"Sounds like you are well prepared. Take all five guards with you, I will be fine here with Maria."

"Of course."

"Well, we had better get some sleep. To tomorrow."

"Indeed. At the completion of the day we will hopefully have control of the Army, Navy, Science and Technology, Colonial Office, Evidenzbureau and Kundschaftsbüro. That is a substantial step forward."

August 1890- Two suicides and a murder

1 August 1890, Mayerling, Austro-Hungarian Empire

Rudolf entered to find Albrecht sitting in front of the desk awaiting him. He nodded to the guard that he could wait outside, leaving him alone with his soon to be former superior.

"So Duke, it has all come out in the wash, yes? Dear Colonel von Wallerstein has been only too accommodating in terms of naming those involved. It turns out quite a small group, but I suppose all things considered it was a small plot. Just the three of you, plus a series of underlings following orders. I suppose the main question is why?"

"I am aware of your thought on a Czech compromise, your thoughts on universal suffrage. One cannot afford, this Empire cannot afford to have someone like yourself in a position of influence."

"Would not have helped much my father had been assassinated by anarchists, however, would it?"

"There was a limited chance of that. It was worth the risk."

"Was it now, sitting here? Oh well, we shall see at your treason trial."

The Duke of Teschen went pasty. "Your could not. I am a Hapsburg."

"My father gave me full authority to act in any way I saw fit to resolve this. I think that is a fitting punishment. Unless, of course, you were to sign a full confession, which would be for my father only and remain a secret, in which case, under certain circumstances, I would be prepared to offer you the honorable way out."

"What 'certain circumstances' are you talking about."

"Well I would allow the Teschen name and your Austrian estates to pass to your nephew, of course, as well as any personal items you wish to leave to your daughter, however, you will sign over your Hungarian estates and your accumulated bank accounts to this nominated charity. It assists the poor on one hand and also helps in providing cheap land to peasants to establish their own farms. Your art collection will be willed to the State. I have taken the liberty of having the needed documents drawn up whilst we have chatted to your two friends. You are already known as Engelsherz, are you not? This will merely confirm your generosity, elevating your reputation after death, no? In your confession, you will also add the following name to those involved in the conspiracy alongside von Wallenstein and von Bauer."

"Oskar Potiorek? That fool was not involved."

"No, but to achieve this deal you will add his name in any case."

"Very well. I will write out the confession."

"I think that a wise choice. One von Bauer has already taken." He threw Albrecht a key. "Top draw on the bureau. You will find a pistol with a single bullet. Not on the carpet please."

"What story do you hope to tell?"

"You met, fought over policy. von Bauer shot you and out of guilt then shot himself. Tragic."

"Von Wallerstein?"

"Killed in a street brawl near a brothel on Sunday. You see, there will be no hint of scandal, or treasonous scandal at least."

"Very well."

Rudolf waited. It was to be 50 minutes before a shot rang out. He moved rapidly to check on the Archduke. Yes, everything was in order. Von Bauer's bloody corpse was brought in and positioned.

He could trust his other men to take care of von Wallenstein until the Saturday night, where he would likely be found the following morning. Potiorek he could simply say was aware of the full reach of the plot rather than actively involved. That would be enough to get him cashiered from the Army, there would be no need to go into the reason why if it was under his father's signature.

Yes, there would be suspicions and likely conspiracy theories, but nothing that could be proven and no treasonous scandal to stain the Hapsburg name, just like his father had wanted.

August 1890- Unexpected progressions

12 August 1890, Schonbrunn, Vienna, Austro-Hungarian Empire

"Well, it is a scandal of sorts, but none of it splashes back to us or the family."

"Yes, I suppose it is the best we could have hoped for. The Army?"

"Well I think the only real candidate for Supreme Commander is Beck, he has the necessary level of both experience and respect. I have worked well with him in relation to the funding for last year's budget and he seems well able to recognize how poorly funded we actually are compared to other powers, especially given our own unique threat level both internally and externally. I worked with him previously on Plan U as well. He is competent and committed to the Army as a career. What I would like to do, in addition to my Navy post, is finish off my own education in regards the Army's policy. To that end, I would like to take up a post as "zur Disposition des Allerhöchsten Oberbefehles" after Beck takes over. It will mean exactly what it says, "At the disposal of the Supreme Commander" and allow me to be actively involved in Army matters as well. I think at this stage we wait a month to show we have not been rushed and appoint Beck to the position."

"Very well then. The Evidenzbureau?"

"I would never have broken this open without Arthur von Gieslingen. He is young yes and junior, yes, but is not the work itself a young man's game? I think he deserves a chance at the appointment. With our plans to increase the staff of the Evidenzbureau in any case after this, as well as a total overhaul, I believe he could be the man to do the job. To that end, I also support both the separation of the Kundschaftsbüro, which means a smaller portfolio in any case, as well as the removal of both from the Foreign Ministry and their placement back under the Ministry of War. It only makes sense."

"I agree. Von Gieslingen is your friend, no?"

"Yes, but..."

"A trial. We will give the appointment a trial. We will also have to find someone for the Kundschaftsbüro role."

"Yes, I will speak to Beck."

"Well, I have to say it. You have done as well as can be expected considering the circumstances. I am...sorry about what happened with your wife."

"Thank you father. Well I does at least confirm such a happening is possible."

"Rudolf?"

"Yes?"

"Take a break for a couple of days with your wife. Go to Prague. Come back to me in two weeks with your Bohemian plans. I will have a more detailed look at them."

"Again, thank you father."

August 1890- Russian news, Bohemian plans

16 August 1890, Schonbrunn Place, Vienna, Austro-Hungarian Empire

Even three days away produced a flurry of correspondence but it was the gaudy one ruble orange and violet double headed eagle and the Cyrillic writing addressed to the Russian embassy that made her select the letter first. It was short and to the point.

"My Dearest Stephanie,

I cannot express enough my thankfulness for the support and encouragement that you offered both Nicholas and myself as well as the friendship you offered me. during your recent visit. Despite what seemed like insurmountable obstacles my darling Nikolasha held firm and his parents have acquiesced to the match. I can hardly believe that not only will I get my heart's desire but that I will also one day be Empress of this huge country and that the Georgian Royal line will rise again.

Oh, how I wish everyone could have such happiness.. I could not wait to dash off a line to you my dear friend to share the news.

Nina"

Stephanie smiled. Well that situation seemed to have resolved itself. As a person with Russian heritage it was hard to see that things could go any worse than happened in her own memories, so hopefully a better outcome beckoned.

However, she was under a crushing burden of work. Whilst Rudolf planned a detailed submission in regards the split of Bohemia and Moravia into a Czech State and Parliament under a version of the previous defunct Fundamental Principles in conjunction with others, she had taken on the task of not only considering the mix of how a Czech Parliament would be elected but also at the same time a revision of the Imperial Council here in Cisleithania. With the Czechs no longer sending Deputies this would also be required, firstly to start the shift of the power away from the nobility and take the first step to one man, one vote or at least something similar but also to balance the power of the German Nationalists, who's traditional opponents had been the Czechs. This was to grant the vote to all men over 22, those previously excluded under the five gulden threshold were to vote for a fifth and sixth Curia, electing rural and urban poor respectively, numbers set at half those elected by those that made the threshold. One enemy would need to be replaced with another to keep such people occupied and this would introduce a new element to Parliament that would have to be worked with. It may make it more fractious and difficult, but at the same time this was something that simply must occur. Best it occurred in increments.

Whilst talking about the Czech Parliament, her plans were quite simple and since she could start from scratch more radical. Full universal suffrage for both men and women, a proposal that would hopefully lead the way for Austria and perhaps Hungary in years to come. There had to be some concessions to the older elites, however, and that was twofold. Plural voting was one, where a person could cast up to ten votes depending on his landownings and tax scale. However, each person received at least one vote. There would also be a House of Lords, similar to Vienna. It required much work as yet, however, the bare bones were coming together.

August 1890- Pipelines of Oil, money and deception

16 August 1890, Cabinda Town, Kingdom of the Congo

Peter McAllister looked at the well. It was an easy build, in fact all three of the wells were. Two were right on the beach, the third no more than 100 yards inland. All three had been shallow drills and were, as of two weeks ago in the first instance, producing oil.

He had already drilled a substantial deposit via a test drill actually inside the old borders of the Congo, some three miles from the sea. The question was how best to exploit it, but the likely solution was a railway to cover the 15 miles required. The three current wells were only two miles at most from the newly constructed jetty and the tanker Bellbird was already docked.

The African Queen Oil Company would soon set sail with it's first quantity of fine crude oil. At the upgraded Kapa Weiss port another tanker would join in AQO colours would join the Bellbird on the voyage to Hamburg.

Africa had it's first oil industry and Standard Oil had their markets in Germany and Central Europe.

August 1890- Awax's impressions of Vienna

18 August 1890, Vienna State Opera House, Vienna, Austro-Hungarian Empire

For Awax Schwarz it had been an education. He had spent fully a month in Europe so far, visiting sights as varied as the naval base at Pola to St Stephens Cathedral. He had met Queen Stephanie, or the Schneekönigin as she was starting to be known as in the Congo twice and this would be his final night in Vienna. It was hard to comprehend how such things existed when his own experiences were of a country which lived in such simplicity.

It was less about poverty and deprivation, for he had seen some of that here as well, although the everyday atrocities of the last few years of Belgian rule were obviously not present here in Europe. His level of fluency in German, proven to be good after finishing top of his language class, had been further honed this last month. He had always thought of himself as a student of human nature and he had experienced the full range of human emotions during his time in Europe meeting people. Aversion, acceptance, curiosity perhaps most of all, the two rarest disgust and friendship.

The Queen had been pleasant but inquisitive more than anything and tonight had apologized for spending so little time with him due to being so busy. Yet here he was, dressed in formal wear, sitting in the "bodyguard box' next to the Queens', in fact sitting next to Laura Mosconi, the sister of the Queen's friend Maria Mosconi. His eyes flickered from his newly fitted prosthetic arm to the women in rose silk next to him to her sister in blue at the front row to the two other bodyguards next to him, Hans and Edvard. He had spent much time with Laura Mosconi this last month as she explored her own interest in languages by learning some of his own, disabusing him of the notion that most white women in Vienna cared only for fashion and gossip. Besides, it was pleasant to teach rather than learn for a change.

He had seen many wonders yet none had moved him, yet whilst he had no idea what the two ladies were singing about, it affected him. He did not need to know. Some things were best left unsaid. It seemed like they were singing about something so beautiful that it could not be expressed in words alone and made your heart ache just because of it. It made him feel free. Yes, he was a free man. Now he owed it to himself and his people to try and work towards something better than what existed before. Tomorrow he would leave Vienna and in two days he would be aboard ship, heading home to Africa. When he returned, he would have a purpose.

August 1890- Preparing for war in the Congo

25 August 1890, near Bunkeya, Katanga, Kingdom of the Congo

It had been a long march to get to where they were, even though most of the passage had been by boat via the rivers, Lake Tanganyika and Lake Mweru. Oberst Johann Butterweck's forces were widely disparate. A battalion of regulars, consisting nominally of 21 officers and 661 men, however, reduced by some 80-100 men due to sickness and various other maladies. In addition there were 7 officers and 390 native troops from the former Force Publique, now renamed the Queen's Congolese Rifles. All were armed with rifles, the regulars with Mannlichers. There was also a small force of 20 local adventurers and some 1200 camp porters, camp followers and traditional weapon armed local tribesman. The later some 300 mainly Wasanga's that had flocked to his banner. He had little in the way of heavy weaponry due to the difficulty in transporting it. One Maxim Gun that had somehow been found at Kalemie, having been used previously in Sudan and left behind. There was limited ammunition for the gun, less than 500 rounds. In addition, some Congreve rockets were also on hand.

They could face between five and six thousand indifferently equipped native troops loyal to the local despot, Msiri. No rifles but muskets were likely present. His instructions via Johann Salvator and again via the Queen were clear enough. In the event of Msiri refusing the sovereignty of the Queen and in addition refusing to free all current slaves and repudiate the practice of slavery, he was to eliminate the despot and his army by any means possible. Butterweck had been fully briefed. If he was able to achieve a victory, he was to restore power to the Wasanga chiefs that had chaffed under Msiri for nigh on 30 years and gain their signature acknowledging government sovereignty and permitting local police and administrators. This would then satisfy the requirements of the Principles of Effectivity initiated in Berlin in 1885 and lock the English out of the Congo. Post victory, all slaves were to be freed. Since a number were meant to be mulattoes, likely mainly from Zanzibar or Angola, they were to be offered the chance to return with him to Marienburg and decide their own fate.

He looked again at the letter he had been given via Johann Salvador from the Queen.

"This expedition will likely face armed resistance, much as I wish it were not so. That being the case, it will also likely be a bad business. Yet I see no other option. We cannot allow a native despot to reign over a self proclaimed Kingdom based on slavery and terror within the designated borders of the state given over firstly to my father and latterly myself in Berlin in 1885. Msiri rules by terror and slavery, things I have sworn to eliminate as much as possible within the borders I have control over.

I have no doubt that like all wars innocent people will be caught up in the fighting and lose their lives. We impose our will not only on Msiri but the Wasanga chiefs as we feel that any solution would be better than that currently in place in Katanga. I cannot say in all honesty it is a just war. However, I can say that it is just war and for that reason alone I have every confidence that you will do your duty as a KuK officer and a Christian.

Stephanie R"

Finally he looked through his glass at the large boma, or palisade fort then back at the Kingdom of the Congo flag. He had reached his objective.

Kingdom of the Congo Flag

Kingdom of the Congo Flag

August 1890- Battlecruiser guns

26 August 1890, Elswick Ordinance Company, Newcastle on Tyne, United Kingdom

Andrew Noble looked at the telegram from Vienna. So, the order for 12 9.2 inch guns had been increased to 20. They would be a new Type, the Mark VIII, some 40 calibre in length as opposed to the 31.5 of the Mark VII. The most challenging build would be to fulfill the capacity to range to 30 degrees and that required much work on the design of the turrets, a relatively new concept themselves. Still he was grateful for the orders and hoped for more rather than such work going to the Americans, who he was aware were building two cruisers for the Austrians currently.

August 1890- Naval auxiliaries

27 August 1890, Brooklyn Navy Yard, United States of America

All three vessels readied for departure. The small 2,650 ton liner Sacrobosso had been converted to a training ship earlier that same year, with Rudolf specifying that she should also have the capability of troop transport and landing. She had come back to the USA to transport crews for the two newly built 1,080 ton colliers Mars and Jupiter. With the two smaller colliers currently in service, they would allow the navy to create a supply line to the Congo ports via the Galite Islands and Kap Weiss.

Trade from the Congo was increasing steadily and it was not only military vessels that required increases in service, but also Austro-Lloyd. These vessels would do much to alleviate the logistical issues and already a third was likely to be laid in the following year, to be built in Austro-Hungary using the same design.

August 1890- A bloody victory

29 August 1890, Bunkeya, Katanga, Kingdom of the Congo

It was ugly in the aftermath, as all battles were. Initially he had his doubts as to how victory may be possible. Msiwi in the finish had mustered and estimated 4000 troops near his compound, 1200 or more having been dispatched to other areas to quell rebellions. He had stubbornly refused to leave the compound and Johann Butterweck did not have the numbers to force a defensive position.

His ploy to encourage them to come out and fight on the open ground that favoured his rifleman had worked, firing rockets into the compound, however, this had started fires and a number of people had perished as a result. Msiwi had then sallied forth, leading his own forces in an attack on his line and this had been repulsed with heavy losses, the machine gun and aimed rifle causing terrible casualties among the native troops of the despot.

Despite an attack from the rear by about 100 men he had advanced steadily on the burning compound that Msiwi's troops were retreating to and a rout had become a slaughter. Unfortunately, news that some of Msiwi's troops had attacked the makeshift hospital and slaughtered his two doctors and many of the sick men left behind had gotten out to his own men. With their blood up, many of not only his black soldiers but white as well had gone on a rampage, not only killing indiscriminately but raping as well. It had taken some time before he had gotten his men back under control and only then by summarily executing eight of them.

He had thought it would be ugly and indeed it was. Smoke still rose from the compound, 75% of which was destroyed. Now remained the grim task of burial. More than 1600 of Msiwi's troops lay dead, another 700 captured, the remainder fled. The warlord himself was dead, as were all four of his sons. Another 592 from the compound also lay dead, some due to burns, others post the battle.

His own troops had also suffered. Seven officers and 128 men, as well as 72 from the Congolese Rifles and 91 others, a not insignificant amount. He had executed eight more himself. For all it's failures, the power of Msiwi was broken. As for the crimes committed by his own troops, nothing more could be done. He was not so overburdened with troops that he could afford to not use the remainder of the men under his command. Some 2000 of Msiwi's former troops were still at large and even now, leaderless, they could still pose a threat.

All he could now do was establish a form of government control in Katanga and make arrangements to send the wounded and those slaves that wished to go back to Marienburg. It was not all a negative. They had achieved their objective and in addition freed some 900 slaves, some 700 plus of them local Wasanga, the Chief's of which would sign today a treaty granting control of Katanga formally to Congo. Yes, for all the fact that it left a bitter taste in his mouth, it had been a victory of sorts.

September 1890- Mannlicher M1891

2 September 1890, Austrian Arms Factory, Steyr, Austro-Hungarian Empire

Rudolf had come to see the test batch of three guns fire their reliability tests with the new more powerful spitzer 8x56 round. Mannlicher had accepted his recommendation that the power and increased range of the bullet would leave room to lighten the rifle itself by cutting the length by more than 10cm to 111cm, making a less cumbersome weapon that was also 200g lighter. There were no significant issues at all and the gun's performance exceeded it's recent predecessor's quite significantly and was deemed "easy to handle' by the testers he had specified, all long term Army senior NCO's.

There were still changes to be worked on, however, the rifle would likely go into production as the standard type for both infantry and cavalry in 1891, ensuring a commonality of weapon that could be mass produced and replacing the M1888 and M1890, although the M1890's would be upgraded and re-chambered for the new round, the M1888's would likely be not and instead moved over the next ten years to reserve, colonial or naval troops. Rudolf calculated it would take ten years to completely phase out the older weapons from the Common Army, as well as the Landwehr and Honved.

September 1890- Not quite Bohemian Rhapsody

8 September 1890, Prague Castle, Prague, Austro-Hungarian Empire

They were all there thought Stephanie, both Gregr brothers, Alois Trojan, Josef Kaiszl plus others. Coming from Stephanie this was something that could be passed off as an informal discussion, although all present were well aware of that it was likely more than that.

"What in general terms would be proposed was the creation of a not Bohemian or Moravian or even Bohemian and Moravian State, but rather a Czech one. This would be based on the Fundamental Principles but go further in the fact that these Czech lands would have an equal status to Austria and Hungary within the Empire. Their own parliament, own House of Lords, in exactly the same way that Austria and Hungary do now based on the agreement of 1867. The only areas outside domestic Czech control would be those outside Regional Government control now, ie Foreign Affairs, a small budget for Science and Technology and the military. So essentially full independence within the Empire.

Broadly speaking, we are talking about a House of Lords based on removing the 11 Czech peers and two Lords Spiritual, as well as the current 16 Czech peers for life to create a 35-45 member House of Lords. The remainder to make up numbers can be appointed by the Kaiser. However, the House of Lords would only have to power to make recommendations. The real power would be would lie with the House of Deputies. The House of Deputies I envisage to number around 100 members who would be elected by a system whereby the lands of the Czechs would be divided into say 100 separate areas based on equal population. Each area would elect a representative based on a first past the post system and these representatives would form a Parliament to govern. The powers of the monarch would remain the same and Franz Joseph would be crowned in Prague with the Crown of Saint Wenceslas.

In regards who could actually vote, I would propose that this Czech parliament leads the way in becoming the first to grant women the right to vote. In fact, the proposal is to allow all citizens over the age of 22 that are sound of mind the right to vote. However, some people may be able to vote more than once, based on certain qualifications. You will see a list of these in Appendix 2.

Now, the other part of the issue we have tried to implement is to make this is very much a Czech solution. It is to ensure and enshrine the rights of the Czech people as a proud and integral part of this Empire. It is not to punish Germans by forcing them to undergo a policy of Czechisation much like others have had to endure in the past. For that reason, it has been important to look at demographics. The reality is that means the Kingdom of Bohemia can be no more, neither the Margraviate of Moravia. Make no mistake, this is a radical change and hundreds of years of history are not so easily cast aside. However, we stand on the edge of a new modern era and for those reasons need to look to the present more than the past. This new entity can be called the Kingdom of Czechia or whatever you desire, even the new Kingdom of Bohemia, but it will be brand new entity. The potential new borders are shown on the last page.

Julius Grégr stood up. "This is an outrage, much of Bohemia has been lost."

Stephanie sighed. "Julius, what do you really want here?"

"What do you mean?"

"Do you want what is best for Czech interests? If so, you see over 92% of the Czech population within the borders of this new state where you can have these people lead a life free of outside interference, where they can chart their own domestic course. Or is what you are really saying is that you wish to trap the agitation of ethnic Germans, concerned they have lost their traditional privileges, within the borders of your new state, provoking demonstrations, condemnation, the ire of he German Kaiser and anti Czech and anti government protests, not only in Vienna but Prague as well? For make no mistake, this will be unpopular on a wide scale. Germans will hate it, Czechs will not like these borders.

Without your support, this does not happen. Then there is no way forward. The basis of any fair comprise is an agreement that leaves both parties a little bit unhappy. Or is your real objection an unhappiness at not being able to lord a reverse of the situation now over ethnic Germans inside Bohemia and Moravia?"

Eduard Grégr pulled his brother down in his seat. "It is a lot to think about for certain Your Highness."

"I am here for four days. I recommend we meet for all of them but my door is open to any of your each and every day. Of course you also need to understand these are only suggestions, recommendations. Nothing is guaranteed and even if approved a time-frame will be required."

September 1890 - Czechia proposed borders

Proposed borders

September 1890 - Kingdom of Czechia?, interludes

12 September 1890, Prague Castle, Prague, Austro-Hungarian Empire

"Before we summarize our discussions, let me share some personal thoughts with you that may be more insightful in regards the future than any of you may be aware. The world, this world, is changing. Better medicines will mean longer life spans and the poor no longer dying young. Better communications means decisions will be scrutinized as never before. Better education will mean the disenfranchised and poor will demand a say in how their lives are governed. Increased urbanization will mean more government involvement in everyday lives. We need to be ready for these challenges. We need to provide a government of the people, for the people, to borrow a slight catchphrase from our American friends.

Here I quite clearly state that government must be for all people of this new entity we have agreed, the Kingdom of Czechia. By all people I mean all people, Czech and German. That means institutions like the University of Prague should still continue to teach in German as well as Czech, after all German will still be the lingua franca of this Empire. That leads us on the the next logical question, why remain part of such an Empire? I am not so naive that I cannot think it has not entered your minds.

Let us consider those areas that would be under the control of Vienna. Foreign Affairs. Defense. Now, here in Prague you have an unfortunate location. Next to two huge Empires, Russia and Germany. I feel I need to delve little into the ways Poles are dealt with within the Russian Empire, it's little secret they are better off here in the Hapsburg lands. Would you like to be part of Russia? Then Germany. Again, let us take the Poles as an example. The Kulturkammpf laws, the Prussian deportations that are still going on, as we take the ethnic floor sweepings that Germany have wished to expel. That is the way that Germany has dealt with their minorities, not by inclusiveness, but by quite the opposite. I need not even touch on religion.

Small nations have always been the playthings of the large. We are unfortunate in our geography. There is no sea at our back, instead we are adrift in Central Europe and surrounded on all sides. How long would a Czech state last in Central Europe? Oh, but together, together we are strong and united in a purpose. Who is to say that these future governments of countries that have always been nationalist in thought, both Russia and Germany, may not get worse than those currently in power? When you are looking for protection, the fact that Foreign Affairs and Defense are in Vienna and that the Austrians, the Croats, the Hungarians, the Austrian Poles, all stand side to side with you will be a matter of great comfort. Great comfort indeed, as in war it is the big battalions that win. Increasingly what we, both Rudolf and myself, wish to see for a purpose is dignity and equality for all men and women. It is a hackneyed phrase, one often abused, but it makes striving for it no less desirable.

All I ask is that you take the first steps to strive for it to."
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13 September 1890, Schonbrunn Palace, Vienna, Austro-Hungarian Empire

She swirled around the mixture and drank it in one gulp. As usual, it had a bitter and acrid taste that required a shot of sweet Spanish sherry to wash it down. At the end of September, the treatment she and Rudolf had been using, now down to once every second day, would cease. Then they would see. They had not been intimate since the miscarriage and part of her could not bear the thought of a similar event happening again. Yet, it was time and she had missed the intimacy. She dried off her hair from the henna she had been using and swept it over her shoulder loose in a blonde wave. Pulling off the robe, she put on a simple red satin robe that went only to her thigh, one of a series she had had made, rose and moved to the double doors. She found him at his desk, working as usual, probably also on the Czech issue. He looked up and she could see his eyes widen.

Afterwards, he drew her to him.

"So, spooning, that is what this is called?"

"Yes."

"Prague?"

"Yes, there were a couple of dissenters, but broadly speaking we have their support. The names that are on board with what we wish are the ones that matter. Of course, there will be objectors, but I am confident most will not be from Prague. I cannot speak for here of course, but there will be issues. Major ones no doubt. Yet nothing worthwhile is ever easy, or so I have found."

"You understand it had to be you, not me at this stage, until we have father's approval and it's in play for real?"

"Yes of course."

"Good, very good. Now we just need to mate it with the proposals for a fifth and sixth voting curia for those previously unable to vote here in Austria."

"Umm. Rudi?"

"Hmm?"

She kicked off the sheet and switched to lay on her stomach, her hair fanned down her back her only adornment. "I'm still not tired."

September 1890-Musing on changes and Russians

14 September 1890, Schonbrunn Palace, Vienna, Austro-Hungarian Empire

Rudolf read through the report from von Gieslingen. Currently no permanent head had been found for the Kundschaftsbüro. It had been delivered by both himself and Laura Mosconi, who now seemed..close. So, the visit of Wilhelm II to Peterhof in August had come to naught, at least as far as the Russians had been concerned. Reportedly the fool Caprivi had even said out loud that a Russian solution to the straits questions was "quite impossible" and that no changes in the near East could be possible without the agreement of Germany and Austro-Hungary. Caprivi clearly believed he had solved the problem that had defeated Bismarck and that by associating themselves wholly in support of Austro-Hungary that they would secure British support for her as well. Whilst Anglo-German relations were at an all time high after the treaties for Zanzibar and Heligoland, this was a dangerous illusion. None the less, there was no doubt it did increase the value of his hand with the Russians when he cared to show it. There would be chances to do so. Nicholas and Nadia were coming to Vienna in December and he knew from Nicholas there would be a wedding in May 1891.

He transferred his attention to the proposals for the changes to the Imperial Council. The voting age had been pushed back up by the Czech amendments to 25 and the proposed changes to the Cisleithanian part of Empire were simple enough. A House of Lords that would be reduced to 95 noble families, the Czech nobility such as the Lobkowitz's, the Kinskys and nine others would move to the Czechia House of Lords, reducing Cisleithanian numbers to 95. Lords Spiritual likewise would reduce to 16. Life peers would reduce by 16 after the Czech lords were removed, numbers dropping to 143 of a target of 135 to 145.

The House of Deputies would be elected via the Curia system currently in place. Almost immediately in 1891 a further 30 members would be elected for a Fifth Curia, urban dwellers who did not vote in the last election and a Sixth Curia of rural voters likewise. These would elect 30 and 53 members additionally, respectively, in the nearby early 1891 elections. Then, at the next election, not until 1897 considering the six year terms, numbers per Curia would move to 55 landowners, 14 commercial, 79 cities, 81 rural, 45 urban(poor) and 79 rural(poor), transferring more power to the people on lesser incomes. It may be flawed democracy, but it was a start and had already produced a furious response from Rudolf's cousin Franz Ferdinand, who showed his displeasure at the idea with an expletive filled rant that accused his wife of an "insidious influence" on himself. He did not seem to realise that one could not order back the tide, as Canute had found to his detriment.

It had been weeks of exhausting work to pull everything together. Now he needed all the ideas therein to be completed and made pretty before being presented to his father on the 30th September, however, the thinking and consulting part had been completed. In the meantime he had a trip to Pola for a ship launch and an opening of the new facilities built by Ganz at Rijeka. He would take his family with him, they needed a break and a few days at the villa that no one knew he owned on Brijuni Island would refresh them all.

September 1890 - On holiday, France reaches out to others

30 September 1890, Villa Gelb, Brijuni Islands, Austro-Hungarian Empire

It had been a pleasant few days bathing and relaxing with his wife and daughter, teaching Erszi how to fish for Common Pandora from a small boat and, overruling his wife, had taken her at a night to fish for Blackhand Sole using a spear. The seven year old girl had loved it and he reflected even more on the fact that he would need to start teaching her politics in the next few years. She was a strong swimmer in any case, her mother teaching her the strange overarm style she seemed proficient at. He sat at night on the terrace, going over his telegrams.

In France, recent moves had underlined the drift to war under de Freycinet. The former Minister of War had introduced the three-years' service and approved the establishment of a general staff and a Supreme Council of War. More worryingly, he had started to canvas the possibility of French loans to Russia and this most recent report indicated the government in Paris was considering moving on exiled Russian Nihilists. This would be a complete about face and signaled a change of policy to bring the two regimes formerly the furthest apart in Europe closer together in common cause as France sought to remove the isolation Bismarck's former policies had imposed on her. It was not only Russia that she had her eyes upon. Italy, short of money and with the Banco Romana in trouble was courting loans from abroad as the former strongman Crispi, worn down by age and pressure, stumbled from one crisis to another. France's price for such loans was a detachment from the Triple Alliance.

They had been here five days, a significant break considering the whirlwind of activity his life usually consisted of. They had attended the opening of the Ganz shipyard in Fiume. The first of the smaller slips was ready for production and would receive contracts for destroyers as he had promised. Construction of a 200m slip designed for capital ship production had commenced. They had then been present at the launching of the cruiser named after his mother. In his own mind, she was already obsolescent, even with his changing the original design so she mounted 10x5.9 inch rather than the slow firing single 9.4 inch guns originally proposed. These would go to coastal artillery. This second ship he had modified to test the spraying of oil on coal in her power plant. This and being 113 tons lighter had made her 1.5 knots faster than her sister on trials.

It was the third telegram that had cut his visit short, indicating that his father had been given the Czech information on schedule on the 30th. It would be time to head back to Vienna in the morning.

October 1890- 1st November announcement, financial negotiations

15 October 1890, Hofburg, Vienna, Austro-Hungarian Empire

Interested parties usually came to Franz Joseph, not the other way around and so it was to prove again. Both Gregr brothers and Alois Trojan headed the Czech delegation. Whilst his father may be a reactionary in regards thought, he was by no means stupid, even if his judgements of character were sometimes lacking. He fired a series of questions at the Czech delegation, many related to their proposed treatment of the ethnic German minority, likely to number only 6.8% under the proposed borders but up to 10% in Prague. This number would likely fall with some functions administered from Vienna moving to Prague permanently.

All had given assurances in regards the continuation of German language education at all levels, including University. Lobkowitz Palace would house the Czech House of Assembly after purchase from the State, the House of Nobles would be housed in the New Provost Residence.

The most contentious decision was, of course, the split of income between Czechia, the remainder of Cisleithania and Hungary. Recent changes negotiated by Rudolf had seen Hungary's share increase from 30% of common revenues to 32.75%, fixed for ten years until 1.1.1900, when a new joint treaty would be signed. That left Cisleithania with 67.25% to contribute. Common Expenditure was over six areas: Army, Navy, Foreign Affairs, Science and Technology, Finance and the Supreme Court. Revenue outside of the proportional contributions came almost entirely from Customs, with small amounts generated by weapon sales. Customs revenues had jumped after acquisition of the Congo with revenues going heavily to Cisleithania, mainly via the ports of Pola and Trieste, especially the later.

It had taken much negotiation, but eventually the percentages had been fixed at:

Cisleithania 52%
Hungary 32.75%
Czechia 15.25%

Rudolf was pleased that his father now seemed committed, even bearing in mind the obvious problems when such a scheme was broadly announced. There was little question that such support would be needed. It would be an unpopular measure that would be in all likelihood be resisted by the House of Deputies, certainly by the House of Lords. If support could be obtained on bloc from the the Czech and the Polish Club, it may get through, but it would be likely it would have to be enacted as Franz Joseph's will as Kaiser rather than via the support of the Imperial Council. That made it dangerous, but his father had seemingly seen the need now and these changes, along with the changes to liberalize voting, would be announced on the 4th November.

In late March, for the first time, all Austrians 24 and over, including women, would go to the polls. It was one of the main platforms of the SPD and their newspaper, the Arbeiter Zeitung. If only they knew how close they were to it's being granted.

October 1890- The downfall of the first Fuhrer

17 October 1890, Die Bergsteiger, Vienna, Austro-Hungarian Empire

The man had been under watch even before the resources of the Evidenzbureau had been so drastically stepped up. That had included a double agent inside his own Pan Germanic Movement. His weaknesses were there for all to see, alcohol and women and Karl Hoss had not found it overly difficult to exploit either. A number of times he had walked away to "greet friends" and had disposed of his own schnapps down the toilet or by the simple expedient of leaving the glass in an alcove, remaining sober whilst von Schönerer drank at the tavern. Georg von Schönerer had not failed to indulge and by midnight was more than ready to acquiesce to his suggestion that they visit a house containing a number of "friendly" young ladies.

The Evidenzbureau had brought a number of the new KODAK cameras in the last month and Karl Hoss was well trained in it's use. George von Schönerer of course had no idea that the young lady that received his attention so extensively real name was not Gerda Muller at all but in fact Rebekah Grunebaum, a 'lady' from Sibenico. von Schönerer had been so drunk he had not even realised that he had been photographed at all more than likely. He had two quite distinctive photos showing his beard, waxed mustache and corpulent figure.

18 October 1890, Hofburg, Vienna, Austro-Hungarian Empire

Rudolf looked over the photos again. Yes, they would do nicely and could be 'leaked' to the press later today, at the same time that the tearful girl would announce that yes, she had been in the photo and that her "dear Georgi" had been such a regular customer and a "generous father" to his "love child" little Sarah. It would blow the mans Pan Germanic and anti Semitic rhetoric to pieces and shatter the belief that his supporters had in "Their Fuhrer" and likely splinter them as a force. The girl and her daughter he would pay to relocate afterwards.

The palace would put their seal on his disgrace but reviving his extinct title, lost after his first criminal conviction, and give it instead to his sister Alexandrine, a theater director and heavy critic of her brother's policies. Doing such a thing was unprecedented and would underline the Emperor's displeasure and disapproval of not only George von Schönerer but his views in general.

Once this was finished he then needed to move onto a bit of carrot with Victor Adler in regards the truck system and stick in regards the Linz Program and it's new association with the disgraced Georg von Schönerer. Adler's party would undoubtedly win seats in an election in 1891 when one was called so it may be time to lay some cards on the table, at least some of them.

October 1890- A meeting on minds on Marxism

20 October 1890, Trattnerhof 2, Vienna, Austro-Hungarian Empire

If Victor Adler was mystified by the summons, he was even more so by the address. He supposed he could have refused, indeed, he had considered doing exactly that, however, the missive had indicated it was not only in his best interests and also the best interests of the SDP to come. The most compelling reason to come, of course, was the simple fact that he was curious as to what Laura Mosconi, who's apartment he was walking to, could want? Her sister worked in the Hofburg with the Crown Princess. Was it a leak? Well, it would soon be found out. He passed the beggar at the front entrance and climbed the stairs, finally knocking on the door of the apartment.

He was quickly shown in and into a large living area. It was then that two figures rose from the settee and he recognized both the Crown Prince and his wife. It was all a little surreal. A few minutes later he was seated and drinking coffee served he guessed by one of the two Mosconi sisters. It was Rudolf who spoke first.

"Dr Alder, I hope you will forgive the deception that brought you here today. I, or indeed we, wanted to bring you here to ask you a few simple questions."

"Well I retain the right to refuse to answer, but go ahead."

Rudolf laughed. "Of course. Now, if I can begin. One of the main platforms of the SDP and indeed yourself is universal suffrage and increasing the rights and roles of women. Correct?"

"Yes, of course."

"Your position also involves a loose United States of Greater Austria rather than the 1867 compromise. Is this correct?"

"Yes, these positions are no secret after all."

"What if I was to tell you that it is in my power to bring about Universal Suffrage for not only men but also women? This is not only something that would be ticking the boxes of the SDP agenda but also potentially transform the amount of power your party would hold in such a revised parliament. What would you say to such a thing?"

"Well I would say you are an enlightened man sir."

"Well, I do have such power. I potentially also have the power to take the first step towards your United States of Greater Austria as well, just the first step mind. I now enjoy my father's ear and confidence and such an arrangement could be put in place, has been discussed."

You are not telling me this for nothing thought Alder, viewing the Kronprinz's emotionless face. "You are saying this in such a way that you want something from me."

"Exactly, I do."

"What is it?" said Alder.

"Nothing."

"Nothing?"

"Well, nothing more than the truth. If I enact these reforms then I expect the truth from you, stated to your colleagues and printed in your newspaper."

"What truth would that be?"

"That although you are free to criticize the government and indeed the Hofburg over what you see as perceived failings, you criticize fairly. If the government introduces the start of Universal Suffrage, you acknowledge their support and indeed mine. I simply ask you to support what you agree with and do not attempt to undermine simply because of perceived shortfalls or because, initially, it does not go far enough."

This was enormous, mind boggling, thought Alder. Reforms that would give a huge voice to the SDP that he thought would take years of evolutionary and likely revolutionary struggle. "You see me as a dictator in my own party. I cannot enforce such actions."

"Oh, I think you have the influence, at least I trust you do."

"And if I refuse?"

"Well, of course that is your right. However, that means reforms such as these may be delayed, may not happen at all. I take it you saw the disgrace of Georg von Schönerer. Sad business. I had heard that you may have known him and supported the German national movement, even signed the Linz Program that favoured removing Austrian citizenship for Slavic peoples. Best to keep your distance from the man now. It would be unfortunate if your name was to come into the spotlight in such a matter when von Schönerer's anti-Semitic activities were investigated. It would lead to people to assume all sorts of links that may not in fact exist."

So, thought Alder. It was to be a velvet sledgehammer. "Of course I will not refuse. These reforms are too important to our cause not to do so. You have my agreement."

The Kronprinz was starting at him intently. "Well then we have an agreement, let us shake on it like gentleman."

He had little option and, besides, it was a deal far to good to refuse, if he was telling the truth. Finally, he reached for a slice of Sachertorte, a weakness he indulged, before he left. It was then that the Crown Princess spoke.

"Believe it or not Dr Alder, we to are an ordinary family, or perhaps not quite so ordinary, but one that has wishes, agendas and dreams. One of those is to improve the lives of all that live in this Empire. Do you consider yourself a communist?"

"Well, I follow the teachings of Marx and Engels, Your...Highness."

"No doubt you believe such things as well. That is your right. People say many things about communism, indeed socialism. Some call it Godless. Others unnatural. Still others treasonous. I care little for those explanations. I may be a layman but I read and I would like to think I know something of communism. There are two main criticisms of communism.

First there is the thought that with guaranteed equal compensation, there isn’t any incentive to work hard or to produce basic necessities and that these factors will be reflected in a country's output. That individualism, indeed creativity and free thought will be crushed. Secondly, communism and indeed socialism are political philosophies built upon the idea of making the economic system fair. Capitalism is an economic system with no political agenda. The former tries to impose limitations on human nature such as greed or materialism in order to enforce fairness. Because communism tries to impose those limitations on human nature by force, there will always be resentment, hence authoritarianism and dictatorships will be the norm. However, I think a third factor is also a key. A fully communist economic system bans all free-market exchange, therefore prices of goods and services cannot be determined. This leaves said government with no way to determine the costs and benefits of allocating resources, a hopeless situation.

It is only my opinion, but socialism can only work and gain traction in a society that also practices capitalism to enable wealth to be generated and then spread via social programs and progressive taxation. Anyway, we could sit here all day I suppose...."

"I had no thought that you were so well informed and indeed practiced...political opinions Your Highness."

"I had thought a socialist such as yourself would not be so dismissive of a women's intelligence Dr Alder."

"Yes, err well..."

"Thank you for your time. Please, take another piece of cake before you go..."

If was after the man had gone that Stephanie turned to Rudolf. "How do you think that went?"

"As well as can be expected. The man is dangerous, as are his philosophies as they currently stand. Hence the need to keep this meeting secret. However, turning your back on danger never made it any less dangerous."

"Agreed."

November 1890- Counts and Zeppelins

1 November 1890, Ostrau, Austro-Hungarian Empire

Maybach looked again at the old Count. "Is there any reason why the engine could not run in the air? How would it get into the air for God's sake?"

"Airship." replied von Zeppelin. I have come to you as you are the leading people in terms of engine development. You have shown me your new engine and how it works on petroleum. Now, can it work at heights?"

"Can you build an airship? I thought you were still an Army officer?"

Ferdinand Graf von Zeppelin sighed. "Yes, I am still a German Army officer, but not for much longer. Fuck the Army after the Autumn maneuvers is all I can say. I want to attract investors and build an airship. Now, for the third time, can your engines power it?"

"I have no idea."

"No idea?"

"No, but I guess if you can raise to money to build a frame, we could contribute the engines." The publicity alone would help sell cars and a new model based on the Phoenix engine was under design and development.

November 1890-Congo economics

4 November 1890, Hofburg, Vienna, Austro-Hungarian Empire

Well, she thought, it had been announced and after the news hit the papers the following morning then the agitation would start. The Czech move would be unpopular with ethnic Germans, Hungarians to more than likely since it would point directly to their own shortcomings in regards to the Kingdom of Croatia and would likely place intolerable pressure on their own appointment as Ban, a Hungarian in breach of the spirit of the 1867 protocols if not the letter.

Oh well, on to other items. She returned her gaze to the figures for September for the Congo. Revenue was up significantly in other areas, rubber showing another rise to almost 70% of pre Leopold level, helped by the rise in international demand.

Figures were:

Ivory 180,300
Diamonds 126,100
Rubber 88,900
Crude Oil 76,000
Palm Oil 28,200
Palm Nuts 26,600
Philatelic and Numismatic Sales 920
Port Fees 830
Company Taxes 9,818
Miscellaneous 3,120

TOTAL 560,000 Florins approximately

It was clear already that revenue figures were on the rise and the annual revenue over the next twelve months could reach in excess of 6.5 to 7.5 million florins. Expenditure was 6.7 million. More, if one counted the cost of the Colonial Ministry and the need to deploy a regiment of troops, in that case closer to 7.5 million. However, revenue figures were increasing and now that Katanga had been secured copper mining could add to revenues, as could cocoa, crops of which had been started last year. Coffee and Acacias were also projects to consider. The problem with the former would remain transportation of product. Increased oil production was more likely, the main barrier only the provision of more ships.

For the port of Trieste and indeed Customs duties, it had been a major boon, flowing revenues back to government and also to Austro-Lloyd, a largely government owned company in any case. There was much cause for optimism after a short period of time, especially since expenditures included not only railway and port projects but also, for the first time, healthcare.

November 1890-Melees in Prague

16 November 1890, Prague, Austro-Hungarian Empire

Captain Vaclav Primosrki watched as the protestors moved towards Brusnice Bridge. It had not been that violent a protest as yet, although a couple of hecklers had been set upon, unlike in Iglau when a large mob had set a fire near the town hall that had burned quickly, burning down three buildings in the town center and requiring a call out of the local Moravian garrisons stationed in the town, resulting in three shootings before the crowd would disperse.

Here he was more worried about his own men and what was coming from the other side. A large mob of workers moved towards the anti Czechia protest, made up of almost entirely ethnic Germans. The workers carried no Czech placards, only one man one vote signs.

It quickly became an ugly melee, one his small group of men were loath to control.
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A quietness befell the two mobs before they intermingled as Otto unwittingly faced what seemed to be his opponent, who looked more than 1.85 meters tall and very broad and just waited. He would let him make the first move. The large roughly dressed man moved towards him.

Otto jerked back and aside. The blow meant for his jaw whizzed by in a blur of knuckles. From the corner of his eye, he saw his opponent’s other arm begin an upward trajectory. He ducked this time, and felt his hair ruffle with the force of it. He dropped to the ground, rolled and stood, buffeted by others in the crowd. Don't let him connect, he thought. The man charged with a roar like a enraged bull. He sidestepped, whirled to face him. His opponent lunged. He avoided one flying fist, only to collide with another. The blow glanced off his rib-cage, a sharp sting fading fast.

Block. Shove away. Back off. Avoidance was simple, but it couldn’t last forever. Otto went on the offensive. He lashed out, aiming for his opponent’s gut. However, he proved equally effective at defense, and his fist met a meaty forearm. He tried again with both hands—one-two, and this time connected. It felt like punching flesh-covered iron. Then he saw a huge fist coming and that was his last memory before a gendarme shook him awake, aching and bleeding, his nose broken.
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Vaclav Primosrki looked over the scene. It was a mess. One dead of a knife wound, over 20 injured, mainly broken bones and the like. His men had tried to separate them, but it was a hopeless task. The factory workers had quickly won a decisive victory, if one could call it that, scattering the protest and taking possession of the road leading to Prague Castle. It had been a scene repeated a few times over the last fortnight. Ethnic German protests, both inside and outside Bohemia and Moravia, some peaceful, some not. These had stirred two main oppositions, Czech nationalists in Bohemia and Moravia and, outside Czech lands, peasants and workers keen to finally avail themselves of the franchise. German nationalists were losing battles to both when they had taken to the streets and the early anger seemed to be settling somewhat despite today's events. Both rival groups regarded the ethnic German protestors as their enemy. Thankfully whilst it was unpleasant, with a couple of exceptions it had been able to be handled by the Gendamarie and not the army.

The opposition of the House of Lords to the new measures had not helped, nor had the fact that on it's last day before dissolving for winter the House of Deputies voted 128 to 125 against such an arrangement, much closer than many had thought. Not that it mattered in any case, as it was the Kaiser's will that such a thing happen. It only remained now to see how such an arrangement played out. The genie was out of the bottle now and could not be put in and even Minister-President Taaffe had made that clear in an interview, expressing the view that a vote now by the House of Deputies would likely be in favour. In foreign newspapers the country was already being referred to as the Triple Monarchy.

New elections would be held in early March, the Kaiser would be crowned as King of Czechia on the 4th April 1891 and the Czech Parliament would open on the 1st May 1891 by self same Kaiser or his son. KuK would remain the designation for the empire as a whole, kk for the remainder of Cisleithania, mk for Hungary and ck for the new Kingdom. His brother had already been asked to assist in the formation of an Armada Královský, or Royal Army, restricted to one infantry division, two independent infantry and two independent cavalry brigades. It would be large task from scratch. In Hungary, here was criticism of a third Kingdom from many in Budapest, but the average Hungarian themselves could not seemingly care much. It would be a busy six months, he thought.

November 1890 - Post Offices, stamps and Empire names

18 November 1890, Kap Weiss Colony

Commander Schaubert looked again at the surely most unusual package he had received in his time here. The crate had the seal of the Austrian State Printing Office and inside were sheets of stamps with various values to one gulden, each bearing a picture of the port, a palm plant of all things(there were none at Kap Weiss), a fishing boat or a camel(something also in absence). Also enclosed was a date stamp for cancelling stamps and a letter inviting him to appoint a local Postmaster. Previously letters had simply gone under cover via Austro-Lloyd. His 304 square kilometer province contained only two towns, although the largest, Kap Weiss itself, was now home to 400 or so people, an eclectic mix of local tribesman, sailors, labourers and women from the Congo, a few soldiers and administration staff and port workers. There was also a small fishing village along the coast containing 30-40 souls.
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18 November 1890, Hofburg, Vienna, Austro-Hungarian Empire

Stephanie looked at the stamps, so different to the normal stamps of Austria. The colonies had only 304 square kilometers and 500 population and eight square kilometers and 260 population in the case of the Galite Islands, but the stamps would be popular with collectors and should bring in a nice side income and, in any case, both settlements needed a Post Office. The Congo already had 17. It had been a difficult month with the unrest the announcement on the 4th had brought. It was now just time to ride it out.

With all the well laid plans it had remarkably occurred only the day before the announcement what this new Triple Monarchy would be called in response to questions asked. That had produced a frantic rush to come up with such a name. Both the United States of Austria and the United Kingdoms of Austria were rejected out of hand by the Hungarians, likely looking for an excuse to vent their spleen in any case. Other possibilities mooted were The Empire of Danubia, the Empire of Illyria and finally the Empire and Kingdom of the Austrians, Hungarians and Czechs. Remarkably, it was the later that had been adopted, despite it's hopelessly unwieldy moniker. The Hungarians had been firm in not adopting anything else and it was an easy battle to concede at this stage. What was surprising was how popular in some quarters the Empire of Illyria was.

December 1890-The Iron Ring and electroral musings in Cisleithania

1 December 1890, Vienna, Austro-Hungarian Empire

Minister-President Eduard Taaffe's thinking had moved away from the recent disturbances to the new reality of things. His position had been held by virtue of his so called "Iron Ring" coalition between the 59 seats of the Hohenwarts or conservatives, 59 more of Conservative Bohemian and Moravian landowners(or Czech club), 5 of the Moravian Middle Party, 58 of the Polish Club and 7 of the Trentino or Italian Club, which helped to establish a majority in the 343 seat House of Deputies. 64 of those seats would likely move to the new Czechia House of Assembly.

His Iron Ring had been blown apart and he needed new alliances to ensure his major political opponents, the United German Left, consisting of the Liberal and Progressive Party's did not come to power. Plus there was the new specter of the Social Democratic Party, which would no doubt attract votes from the new fifth and sixth curia. In fact, most of the 83 new seats from the two new curia would be filled by the SDP, the German left or nationalist parties. He could not afford to approach the other new party likely to win seats, the Anti Semitic League. The other far right party, the German Nationalists would win votes, even after their founder's disgrace. He could approach the Ruthenians but it was hard to see where the required 172 seats would come from unless he was able to attract low income voters or he was able to split United Left in some way, perhaps by offering government to the Progressives and excluding the Liberals. It was a conundrum, made perhaps more difficult by the fact that with the addition of low income voters, even on a smaller proportional scale, the national parties would drift towards being truly nationalistic rather than being dominated by rich landowners whose preference was to maintain the status quo. April next year would be an interesting month.

December 1890- The laying of battlecruisers

16 December 1890, STT, Trieste, Austro-Hungarian Empire

Rudolf had performed the ceremony earlier in the day that saw the first bones of what would be the battlecruiser(although it was still called an armoured cruiser) Viribus Unitis. Two days earlier her sister Prinz Eugen had also been laid. The third and final ship of the class, to be named Lissa, would not be laid until such time Ganz had finished the slip at Fiume to accommodate her, likely late next year. Both ships would use what was supposedly Harvey armour, but in fact with the addition of 1% Chromium was in actuality nearer Krupp armour. The three, when completed and added to the two cruisers building in America, would allow the retirement of the remainder of his obsolete vessels, unless markets to third grade powers such as China or South American navies could be found to dispose of them.

The secret of the ship's armour was one of the few that the man standing beside him did not know.

"Well admiral, we are finally on our way. These will be the largest ships ever constructed for the dual or should I call it triple monarchy Navy."

"Yes indeed, they should be the first step in the Navy becoming something more than a coastal protection force, something that with your wife's possession of the Congo will be an asset the country badly needs for showing the flag purposes at the very least."

"Have you been in contact with London?"

"Yes indeed I have. I have been offered an appointment to H.M Dockyard to take effect from September to I am afraid I will have to leave in late July. It is an extra four months and I cannot say I will regret spending part of the summer here rather than at home, but that will be it. I must say I have enjoyed my time here. The girls to."

"Jackie, it has been a pleasure, as you English say. I know Stephanie feels the same way. The changes you have wrought have been profound in regards the readiness and competence of not only officers but especially the men."

"Well, I have done what I can. I have always thought that when you are told a thing is impossible, that there are insuperable objections, then is the time to fight like the devil to prove this incorrect."

"I suppose we had better get back to the ladies, however, I know you are due leave. We are having a ball at the Hofburg, the Fete Imperiale on the 3rd July. It happens every year. Finish here at the end of June, take your leave and come to Vienna. We will need to decide on an energetic and competent successor in any case. Come to the ball and I was going to ask whether you would like Pamela to formally come out at the event."

Fisher demurred. "Well, she will only be 15 but I think that would be fine, girl speaks German as fluently as English now. Poor thing will be in a tizz. Thank you. For your support but also your friendship. Without that extra funding we would not have gained the sea time needed to sharpen this dull knife."

December 1890- Troubles in Croatia

21 December 1890, Hofburg, Vienna, Austro-Hungarian Empire

Stephanie stepped into see her daughter and husband with their heads together over a map.

"What are you doing liebchen?"

"Papa is teaching me more about our lands."

Good she thought, it was time the girl was taken in hand to prepare for the role she may one day have to take up. "So, the disturbances have died down?"

Rudolf sighed. "Here yes. In Prague, mostly. As per your suggestion we have taken what many railed against and published the full scale notices in newspapers guaranteeing that there will be no closure of German schools in Czechia and that government business will still be done in German as well as Czech. It has gone a long way to soothing sensibilities although of course there have been some Czech demonstrations against that, although these have been muted and small. However, the disturbances in other areas have picked up, specifically Croatia."

"Oh? Worse?"

"Yes, demonstrations against the Ban de Belás have accelerated in frequency and violence, protests against Magyarization, the fact that for the first time in 45 years they have a Hungarian and not a Croatian as Ban. What is more dangerous is that now the Croatian nobility have started to take up the call. Last night the Hungarian flag was burned before the opera house in Zagreb."

"Well you did want a separate Kingdom for the Croatians as your eventual aim."

"Yes, but too soon, too soon."

"So, what will happen?"

"Well, this is one we have to stay out of. Many will view us as being the cause in any case, as the leaders of the Czechia reforms. There is little doubt the Czechs gaining their own state has brought home to the Croatians just what they are missing. The Croatians and Serbs, the Slovenes as well I suppose you could say are the next biggest group. The Poles are not restive. They know they have no chance of a national state whilst Germany and Russia sit astride their lands. The Ruthenians just want to improve their lot. The Croats are already a separate Kingdom, they just lack political control over it."

"So, what are we to do?"

"Nothing. We are already too far into the limelight as what many see as radical reformers and we cannot afford to totally split with the conservatives or the family. Franz Ferdinand has been so antagonistic I have secretly had him appointed as the Arch-ducal representative to the Czech Parliament and ordered him to Prague just to get rid of him. He just does not know it as yet. We must let father solve it and indeed he has already come to a decision. He will ask de Belás to resign so that a Croatian can be appointed. For now, that will hopefully be enough."

"Very well."

"I take it you have news by the letter in your hand?"

"Yes, as well as the official invitation to the court to send a representative to Nicholas and Nadia's wedding in mid May, we have a personal invitation inviting us."

"That should be fine. We can open the Parliament in Prague on the 1st May, then travel on to Berlin and then onward to Petersburg via rail. God knows we need to open a dialogue with the Russians before the French get the claws too far in."

"Very well."

January 1891- Prague election preparations

17 January 1891, Prague Castle, Austro-Hungarian Empire

Karol Kriajik sighed. Today was the last day for political parties to register their party for the historic elections to be held on the 28th March and then the following week the Kaiser was to be crowned right here at Prague Castle. He was excited, but also exhausted. As to be expected, he supposed, most parties had left it until the last moment to register their nomination. They had another fortnight to name candidates and then the printing of ballot papers would commence, providing an unexpected boon to Prague's printers. Then a Government was to be formed from 1st May. It would require that many of the Kingdom's new Government Departments co-locate with their old provincial officials in shared offices until all the accommodation issues were sorted. Already a new structure on Staroměstské náměstí had been approved, a large building for Government offices. With the level of excitement present in Prague, he was sure this would be a prospect cheerfully faced. Some senior career public servants would no doubt return to Vienna, offering opportunities for ambitious and loyal young men such as himself to climb the ladder. Things were changing, as the appointment of a new Ban in Croatia, Teodor Pejačević, the son of the previous Croatian Ban. Of course, he had a Hungarian mother so it was to some extent a compromise.

He looked at the clock. It was almost 3pm, time to close the doors. There were six party's that had registered:

The National Party, or old Czechs
The Liberal Party, or new Czechs
The Social Democratic Party of Czechia
German People's Party
Catholic People's Party
Moravian Agrarian Party

It would be a busy time between now and the 1st of May, likely for some time after in fact.

January 1891-Congo railways and resources

28 January 1891, Cabinda Town, Kingdom of the Congo

Awax Schwarz had settled into a job he was comfortable with. He had worked for a short time on the Matadi-Marienburg railway. This had been under construction for a year now and 72 kilometers of track towards it's needed 370 kilometers length. Progress at Matadi had been the fastest of the two but Marienburg had been boosted by the influx of over 1000 men, all former warriors of the slave King Msiri. All had been told that they had been sentenced to six months hard labour for their support of the old slaver and would then be able to return home. Some had run off, but most had stayed. They had little other way of returning home. He had felt sorry for them in many cases. In others, he sensed bad thoughts and feelings.

Building the railway was a brutal business. The men laboured nine hours per day in the heat and jungle. Yes, they were paid and food was plentiful but the work itself was heavy and dangerous. 39 men had died already in accidents, not all of them black. Yet he now understood what a railway would mean in terms of bridging the communication gap and dispensing from using the walking track, a dangerous event in itself for native bearers.

Yet he had felt the railway itself was not the place for him and had moved from Marienburg to Cabinda. The port town was thriving and construction had started on another railway, a less than 30km stretch from Cabinda port to the mouth of the Congo, past all five oil wells now operated by African Queen. The port was now receiving two ships per week and the town was growing not only with Austrians but also some Americans. It had also become a stop on the regular Austro-Lloyd service, who's route now went Trieste-Pola-Split-Gaite Islands-Kap Weiss-Cabinda-Matadi. The latest Austro-Lloyds ship had taken back to Trieste some 22 mulatto orphans, mostly from the Katanga conflict.

The railway here had already been extended 3km to accommodate three wells and would move further in the coming six to nine months it would take to complete. Some had objected to the black labourers being paid the same wage as whites, but it had been made clear that this was African Queen's official company position and nothing would change it. Of course, all of the technical and supervision jobs had been filled by whites but Awax himself was paid the same wage as a supervisor for his translation skills. He had seemingly found his niche. Perhaps it would be possible for a one armed man to attract the opposite sex after all.
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28 January 1891, Hofburg, Vienna, Austro-Hungaran Empire

Stephanie sighed. There was little else in the way of options. The only way to exploit the copper mines of Katanga properly was via connection to a rail head. The province was too far inland and too isolated to construct one herself. No, it would have to connect to an existing rail head and the only real possibility was to the South where Cecil Rhodes British South Africa Company was labouring to extend their own rail head to Bulawayo.

At least if she was to commence negotiations for the potential exploitation of mineral rights in Katanga she could now do so from a comfortable position of strength. Katanga was now fully controlled and, in addition, Rhodes had been wild with jealousy in regards the coloured diamonds market that had been created. It was a deal with the devil but essential in any case. It was time to summon her Private Secretary and dictate a telegram.

February 1891-Filing cabinets, diamonds and orphans

15 February 1891, Evidenzbureau, Am Hof Square, Vienna, Austro-Hungarian Empire

They proceeded down the long aisles in the bowels of the small building near the War Ministry that housed the Evidenzbureau behind Arthur von Gieslingen.

"You can see the filing tasks are immense as nothing is ever thrown out and all of the files need to be catalogued and centrally indexed. I appreciate that you have appointed Emil von Belobresk to the Kundschaftsbüro. Good man, seems very competent. Croatian, so has had to struggle to obtain what he has in life. However, I need more filers and judging by what Laura pulled off recently they will need to be extensively vetted."

Stephanie was quick to ask "What about filing cabinets?"

"Filing cabinets?"

Rudolf was shaking his head at Stephanie behind Arthur von Gieslingen. "Errrr, well, it is an idea that Rudolf came up with you...err...see."

Rudolf took up the conversation. "Ummm, yes. Well, it is like a rectangular metal box that can hold files in hangers that have the subject written on them. They can be numbered on the outside so you know which cabinet you are looking at."

Arthur von Gieslingen spoke again. "I can't really envisage it but I know you have a track record of innovative ideas."

Stephanie spoke again. "Well Rudi will design one for you and get a sample made, won't you my love?"

Rudolf sighed. "Yes, of course I will Arthur." They were walking back to the anteroom where Laura Mosconi and her sister waited. "Now I understand you have other news for us?"

Arthur von Gieslingen broke into a large smile. "Well, Laura and I have only known each other a short time, however, yes, we are to be married."

Stephanie laughed. "Oh Arthur, I am so very happy for you. How could she say no to that lovely little diamond I gave you a few weeks ago."

"Indeed Your Highness and again, thank you."

Stephanie thought back to the other small batch of diamonds she had had placed into the Uranium filled lead container that was kept in a sealed truck at Rudolf's Brijuni Island estate. On their next visit she would get the diamonds extracted and see if there had been a colour change by the application of such radiation for the proximity to the Uranium. She was no scientist but the concept was worth testing. Unfortunately she had no idea if a years application of radiation was enough. It could require millions of years to effect a colour change. Time would tell. Indeed the island should have acquired some new residents by now, 20 or so mulatto orphans, mainly girls, from Congo that she had decided to fund and accommodate since they had no relations. She would fund their education as they would likely be subject to predators if they stayed in the Congo frontier towns.

March 1891- The end of a tortured genius

7 March 1891, Hofburg, Vienna, Austro-Hungarian Empire

Rudolf walked into his wife's rooms to hear her crying, holding a letter in her hand.

"My darling, what is the matter?"

Stephanie wordlessly passed the letter over.

'Utrecht, Netherlands, 1 March 1891

My Dear Majesty,

know that by the time you have received this letter, I will have departed this existence that at times has proven to be so painful. My brother has supported me at all times during my life, I must now support him in death. Theo departed this life on the 24th of last month and I have hung on, in the space between life and death this last week. I have now reconciled myself to what needs to be done, in fact I even went to church on Sunday for the first time in many years and arose with the greatest of sureness in my heart.

I write today to you to simply say to yourself that I thank you for the kindness that was shown me and have happy memories from my time in Croatia and Vienna. There is no greater mark of a better class of person that those who fight to enrich the lives of others for no outward gain beyond the satisfaction a kind deed can give. To that end expect another package via ship containing a further five paintings I have picked out for you and my final painting that I complete tonight and dispatch tomorrow. I have called it "Twilight's Last Gleaming."

Do not grieve for me. My fate was tied to that of Theo from birth, as it will be in death. I have bequeathed my paintings that remain unsold and my estate, such as it is and larger than expected, to my brother's wife in trust for his son. Considering how popular my paintings have become, much through your own patronage, that should see her quite well though any difficulties. It was a blessing to know my art, which was my life, was seen as important.

Always yours

Vincent Van Gogh'

"It has been confirmed. He shot himself on the morning of the 3rd and was found on the afternoon of the 4th."

Rudolf just put his arm around and held his wife.

March 1891- Triple alliance

22 March 1891, Hofburg, Vienna, Austro-Hungarian Empire

"You have been working late much."

Rudolf sighed. "Yes, I am sorry, but my father has dropped the renewal of the Triple Alliance negotiations into my lap since he has enough on his plate with the Corination in Prague on the 4th of next month."

"I thought it was not due for renewal until next year."

"That is the problem. In Italy Crispi has fallen and been replaced by Rudini. He has a shaky spot in Parliament and seeks to do great deeds to strengthen his position. He seeks I think to lure Britain into the Triple Alliance, a noble enough aim to be sure, but unlikely to be performed by his strategy."

"How so?"

"He seeks German support to take Tripoli. Caprivi hates the idea and views Italy as merely a link to attract England into the alliance. The Italians have told him they can get England if the Triple Alliance is renewed. Hence, we all do this dance for no real reason. He had drafted an agreement whereby the British would promise to support both Italy and Germany in exchange for diplomatic support in Egypt, leaving France to object alone. The Germans realise that this is largely a fantasy and that the English will not allow themselves to be drawn into a continental war with so little gain. As for us, of course, the Italians offer us nothing, not even consultation. They will not get England at all of course. Salisbury will not venture a war on so little inducement and knows full well that as long as France fears Germany she can and will do nothing to injure England, no matter her frustrations. So, at the end of the day Rudini can still trumpet that at least he has renewed the Triple Alliance.

If anyone is going to benefit from the destruction of the Ottomans it must be us, or, if we can obtain a Russian alliance, us and the Russians. Not Italy, although I care not if they take Tripoli or not. In fact, when the time comes, that may be a fine inducement to start the moves that we want in the Balkans if the Italians can be led to into it. That way we can be seen to be merely taking a side to protect our legitimate national interests rather than actually starting a war. If we can get our cards in place to fall the correct way, of course. The one advantage we have with the Russians is that for all France's need for an ally, she will support Russia in all aspects, except at the straits. She has too much invested in Istanbul in terms of bank loans to let the Ottomans fall. We have no such qualms as long as we can obtain the concessions we require from the Russians."

"Of course. So all it requires is a power spark then. Yes, and ideally the Italians will provide it, much like they did in 1911. Only this time, we collect the result we want, not sit by on the sidelines fulminating. We just need to wait until ready, perhaps 1895 or so and then hopefully set the wheels in motion."

April 1891- Election aftermaths

3 April 1891, Prague Castle, Austro-Hungarian Empire

Stephanie propped herself up in bed. "Rudolf, pass the Wiener Zeitung."

"It's the only copy we have."

"Yes and I want it. You have been monopolising it and in any case you read Czech, you can read the Dnes, you know I don't read Czech."

"Yes, but it has nothing much about the Cisleithanian election, only here locally."

"You have read the other from cover to cover for God's sake."

"Oh, all right. Christ."

"Why are you so snippy?"

"Just a bit nervous I suppose. Tomorrow father gets crowned. It has happened. In addition, I will have to make ready, play the Imperial Prince. It is not really a role I enjoy."

"I know. Just remember, you do not have to have your hair twisted and pulled into place, before being pinned and glued, a tiara placed on your head, makeup put on and then laced into a corset, a swath of silks, stockings, suspenders and high heels and then forced to stand for hours before finally effecting a curtsy and oath of allegiance to your mother and father."

"Hmm. Anyway here is the paper. Perhaps we can go for a run later?"

"Unlikely. Security concerns so close to the coronation and also too much to do. Unless you wish to rise around 2am and try it. Anyway, what is the consensus on our dual elections?"

"Well, here we have a 105 seat parliament based on a first past the post electoral system. It is quite different to the remainder of the country. To be able to hold at least one vote one must be able to read, to be of sound mind, not in jail and be over 24 and a resident of Czechia for at least 6 months. Those are the only qualifications. The results are interesting:

The National Party had obtained only 9 seats, mainly in Prague
The Liberal Party 51 seats
The Social Democratic Party of Czechia 17 seats
German People's Party 5 seats
Catholic People's Party 13 seats
Moravian Agaraian Party 9 seats

Only one seat remains in doubt between the Liberal Party and the Social Democratic Party. It seems likely that the Liberals will find the National Party the least offensive and likely form a government in coalition with them, which means Eduard Grégr will be the new Minister-President from the 1st May."

"Cisleithania?"

"Elected via the curia system. 353 seats, so 177 needed to govern.

Results are fairly mixed. They are:

German conservatives, mainly German People's Party 106
German liberals, Progressive and Constitution Party's(United Left) 67
Polish Club 64
Pan German League 30
Italian Club 20
Croatian-Slovenian Club 18
Social Democratic Party 17
Ruthenian Club 10
Romanian Club 6
Anti Semetic League 3
Independents 12

Now it remains to be seen what Taaffe, who will likely retain government, will do. With the conservative vote at 106, he can add his old allies from the Polish and Italian Clubs and pass the 177 threshold so for him it has been a very good result. Much of the so called low income support the SDP likely expected actually went to minority National Parties. Considering Taaffe is a proponent of equal rights for minorities, this is likely a triumph for us as well as it makes our path much easier and eases the way to increased representation in the fifth and 6th curia in 1897 without undue panic from conservatives."

"Well then, to tomorrow and all it brings."

"Indeed."

April 1891- A corination in Prague

5 April 1891, Prague Castle, Prague, Triple Monarchy

Czechia had officially come into existence with the crowning of her father and mother-in-law at St Vitus Cathedral that very afternoon. It had been a long day, getting ready, moving through the crowds via carriage and then finally walking to the cathedral, standing through the service. Finally Franz Joseph had been crowned with the Crown of St Wenceslas and received the orb and scepter. Rudolf had looked most handsome in his Grossadmiral's uniform as he carried forward the Sword of St Wenceslas and presented it to his father during his Oath of Allegiance.

It was a lengthy procedure, yet shorter than it may otherwise have been by the sheer shortness of time given to prepare for the ceremony. After the hymns, simply the recognition and oath, the annotating and investing, finally the crowning and enthronement. Then, after the enthronement, a short period of homage. First the Church, with the Archbishop of Prague, von Schonborn, Moritz of Lobkowicz on behalf of the House of Lords and the man who would be Minister-President, Eduard Grégr, on behalf of the House of Assembly. Finally it was the turn of the family. Franz Ferdinand was first, followed by her dear Erszi, then it was her turn, what she had feared most, the departure of the large peridot encrusted tiara from her head, had thankfully not occurred. The Empress, concerned by outwards appearances as usual, had insisted they should outshine all other ladies present and to that end she had worn the tiara, a huge necklace, two earrings and a drop pendant containing 22 huge peridots and diamonds. Finally Rudolf had come forward and presented the sword to his father.

Then the Empress was similarly anointed and crowned using a simple gold and diamond circlet made for the ceremony. Finally they left the church to the strains of the anthem. It was all followed by a banquet and then a small ball.

The day had only been slightly marred by the shooting and wounding of an innocent bystander by known anarchist Otto Gross, who had himself been shot dead by a gendarme. Thankfully the man had survived and she intended to visit him tomorrow. He had tackled the gun man, who had apparently attempted to fire at her and Rudolf's carriage, although she had not even been aware of the attempt at the time.

It was now past midnight and she was finally able to think about her bed. Her ears, back and neck were killing her. Finally he first significant reform in the Empire political system had been completed. Both herself and Rudolf would be be required to return in four weeks for the opening of the Czechia Imperial Council. Then on to Berlin and finally St Petersburg for the wedding of Nicholas.

April 1891- Uniforms and Waffenfarbe

29 April 1891, on board Imperial and Royal train departing Vienna, Triple Monarchy

"Here, what do you think of this?"

"Ugly is the best word I can describe, would not be seen dead in it."

"Stephanie, stop pulling my leg. You know full well I have been looking at army uniforms. Ruthless standardization is required, not only in the common army but also the Landwehr, the Honved and now the Armada. We need a common uniform, one that provides some basic camouflage. Every man should have a steel helmet to protect from enemy fire and shrapnel. I have spent some time looking at the colours for such a uniform and have decided on two potential materials, this one, called Grüngrau and this other material, called Hechtgrau for use with alpine troops.

Now, whilst the basic colour will be the same for both the tunic and trousers, piping will be sown on the trouser sides to denote which Army the person belongs to. Red for the Landwehr, green the Honved, blue the Armada, orange the Common Army and finally purple for generals."

"What about the Congo Askari's?"

"Black?"

"Now look who is being funny."

"I would also like to bring in a system of Waffenfarbe to denote the branch of service that a soldier belongs to using a system where these coloured strip of cotton are attached to the cuffs of the soldier or officer in question. The Branches I have in mind are:

Infantry
Cavalry
Field Artillery
Coastal Artillery
Signals
Military Police
Jagers/Mountain Troops
Engineers
Supply and Ordinance
Medical
Veterinary
Transport
Judicial
Chaplains
Intelligence
Pioneers
Musical, Finance and Administrative
General Staff Officers

I have already decided General staff officers will be royal purple. You can decide the other colours of you wish" said Rudolf, throwing down a heap of coloured cotton on the table. "I will write them down and we will keep this for a rainy day until such time it is are ready to implement, when we have the power and influence to do so. Whilst in the short term it will cost, in the long term it will be a money saver as the basic uniform will be used for all services and, with some modification, all ranks."

"Very well. Let me see then. We can use two types of red and pink for Infantry, Jagers and Pioneers. Two blues for artillery, brown for engineers, tan for signals, orange for cavalry, white for chaplains of course...."

May 1891- A Czech parliament

1 May 1891, Prague Castle, Prague, Triple Monarchy

It had been worth the time taken to to dress carefully for the ceremony as she sat carefully listening to her husband's speech. The striped red, blue and white silk dress was certainly eye-catching and provoked roars to acclaim when she had dismounted from the carriage to go inside Prague Castle. It was a sign of her better relationship with the Empress that Elizabeth had insisted she wear the Hapsburg Swords tiara for the ceremony. Rudolf was finishing up and she again tuned back into his words.

"I will not stand here and lie to you and say that achieving this opportunity of a separate Kingdom of Czechia was easy, 700 years of history are not so easily cast aside, of course there we those who ever disagreed, but I would also say that we are committed to achieving outcomes that strive to meet the needs of those that live within the borders of not only this Kingdom but most areas within the borders of our Empire.

Think for a moment on what we have achieved. Here we have 39 members of the House of Lords, 105 of the House of Assembly. Elected by all men over 24 but also all women. We are the first country on earth to grant voting rights to not only men but women and lo, the sky did not fall by giving each man and woman a say in this noble endeavour.

Therefore, I charge these 144 men to not only uphold the power of the ancient Bohemian lion, but also to govern within this Kingdom and do what is right for all citizens, no matter their origin, to do right by the Empire as a whole and to be ever faithful subjects of the proud Kaiser on who's behalf I declare this Parliament to be open."
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It was after that the small numbers of guests mingled they had finally retired to a private room the Gregr brothers and others came came up as a delegation to both of them. "Mr Minister-President", Rudolf said to Eduard Gregr.

"Your Highness", replied Gregr. "I just wished to say thank you. I am aware from where the impetus for this came from and for that I, and indeed most here, are grateful."

"It was not just myself, it was Stephanie as well. It was a bit of a battle, but we got there in the end and at the end of the day that is what is important. My father and I handpicked the five new life peers to provide as little trouble as possible and whilst you will find Franz Ferdinand perhaps a prickly man he is by no means a stupid one and he is capable of quite insightful opinions."

"Yes, I am aware. Your wife spoke so eloquently some months ago to us all, changed a few men's mind, including my brother. Well then, let me introduce you to my Ministers. My brother as Interior, Alois Trojan you know as Justice, Josef Kaizl as Finance, Dr. Karl Kramarsch as Education, Jan Gebauer as Transport, František Rieger as Agriculture and I don't believe your know Thomas Masaryk who will do Industry. We have still to decide on a War Minster but I hope to have that finalised by the end of the week."

This is a lot more pleasant than the next few days, thought Stephanie, sipping her champagne. Four days with the Kaiser will likely be a trial. At least they had a wedding to attend after that in St Petersburg, although even that had a deep political agenda. It was time to place some cards on the table and discuss the Straits.

May 1891- Time with the Kaiser

3 May 1891, Stadtschloss, Berlin, German Empire

"So, they call you the Czech-liberator now."

Rudolf knew this was going to be difficult, but it seemed even more so. "Yes Willy, we have made some changes. Before we finish we may have to make some more."

"What of the Poles?"

"At this stage we have no further plans and if we were to initiate any, it would likely be for Croatia. We have no plans for an independent Polish Kingdom within the Monarchy and would certainly consult yourself if such plans existed."

"Very well."

"I have noticed that you have laid down some battleships."

"Yes, I am so enthusiastic about this. The fleet is necessary to show that Germany is as involved in naval matters as much as Britain."

"I think that the British will not be alarmed by the laying of four ships, much like they are not alarmed by us building a couple of armoured cruisers. However, in the long term they will not understand if you attempt to match them in a naval sense. They will not be able to see why you view the safekeeping of your shipping as not dependent on their goodwill as a problem and will drift to viewing such actions as instead hostile intent."

"Perhaps. I am not a man who believes that we Germans bled and conquered 25 years ago...in order to be pushed to one side when great international decisions call to be made. If that were to happen, the place of Germany as a world power would be gone for ever, and I am not prepared to let that happen."

Thanks for reminding me of the Austro-German war Willy he thought. It is almost as thoughtless as sending your mother to Paris and then have her visit Versailles and scenes of other French humiliations in 1871, the visit having to be cut short due to protests, as had happened recently. "Well, Willy, if we are to have a valid alliance, we need either the English or the Russians."

"Yes, I do know that. One a hotbed of Slavic and socialist unrest. The other a place where socialists can run the country. There is only one person who is master in this Empire and I am not going to tolerate any other. I regard every Social Democrat as an enemy of the Empire and Fatherland. I cannot conceive how you let such men get elected to positions in your own country."

"Well, I did not elect them Willy, the general public did. We need to move with the times, to remain in all ways relevant to everyday people. To do that we need to trust our own people, allow them freedoms, or at least freedoms within a framework of limitations. Like wood if you do not flex you break. The trick is how far to allow yourself flex, an admittedly difficult calculation. Now, Russia?"

"Yes, I fundamentally agree. We need them or England, preferably friendly relations with both. I favour the English, Russia's aim will always be at the Straits and only last year I pledged German friendship and loans to Abdul Hamid. However, if we can get the Russians without too high a price then I shall be well pleased. All of us, after all, recognise the divine right of Kings, Alexander III more so than most."

And if you support and encourage Russia's ambitions, what then Rudolf thought. Nothing else was likely to bring an alliance after the rebuff of the League of the Three Emperors and the termination of the Reinsurance Treaty. Best the initial part of the negotiations be conducted without your knowledge Willy. You are more likely to accept a fait accompli but first the waters simply needed to be tested.

"What about German minorities in Czechia?" asked the Kaiser.

"We have formal agreements from the new government that German language schools will not be closed where they exist and that all University courses will be available in German and Czech. In addition, all government business will be conducted in both languages. German will, of course, remain the language of the Central Government."

"Very well. The English? I, of course, have family ties via my beloved Grandmother. What can we do to foster closer relations?"

"The English will likely clash at some stage with the French in Africa, where both are carving out huge swathes of land. We need to not alarm them with large naval programs, support them against French ambitions when clashes do occur, assure them of our amity and at the same time sign trade agreements, especially the later. As Napoleon had said, they are a nation of shopkeepers after all."

Wilhelm laughed. "Yes, very good. Now perhaps we rejoin the ladies."

May 1891- An approach to the bear for a Balkan solution

12 May 1891, Olga's Pavilion, Peterhof, Russian Empire

Tsar Alexander III sat next to his son and was, as ever, never one to mince words. "You wished to talk to me about foreign policy, my son says you are a good man but it is Russia's interests I need to look after, not my own. You talk vaguely of interests and a desire for peace and flowery words of friendship, but are like a blushing maid, unwilling to commit or say anything definite. What can you offer Russia in return for her support, in return for her saying those Little Russians inside your borders are well looked after."

"For as long as I can remember the Russian Empire's foreign policy has been centered on the Straits. It is the perennial vexed question. It is no bad thing to have the Straits held by the Ottomans as it gives Russia control of the Black Sea by locking foreign powers, particularly the British, out. However, this is all predicated on the fact that this task is performed adequately by the Ottomans. Moreover, the growing issue is trade. With Russia shipping enormous grain exports, any closure of the Straits will be disastrous economically. It seems to me that after so many wars against the Ottomans that you cannot expect them to reliably close or open the Straits as required to suit Russian policy. Obviously you have ambitions there. Equally obviously they have been frustrated repeatedly, mainly by the English but also the French and also ourselves and therefore the Germans. The French want an alliance with Russia, but not at the cost of the Straits as they are too deeply involved with financing projects in the Levant.

However, given the right circumstances, we would perhaps be prepared to agree on a Russian seizure of the Straits, or at least the European sides of such. As I am sure you are aware it is ethnically Orthodox in majority in any case." Greek, not Russian thought Rudolf, but what the hell.

Alexander III sat back in his chair, looking out over the private pavilion in the middle of a lake at Peterhof. They were the only three people on the island. "Tell me more of these "circumstances."

"Well, in the event of such a war it would be best to be seen as being dragged in by necessity, rather than being the aggressor. There are two ways this could possibly be accomplished. Firstly, the Armenian Question via Article 16, secondly, the Italians have been coveting Tripoli for quite some time. With the right encouragement such ambitions could easily be fanned and then, if victories are forthcoming, as they likely will, the smaller Balkan powers will likely act in concert. Better some part of the corpse than nothing at all. As their natural protectors and guarantors of Balkan peace, we would of course, be forced to intervene as well.

Now Germany will hate the idea, fancying themselves as Ottoman allies. However, if we side with Russia, Germany will do nothing as they cannot risk casting us aside as an ally. The British will be horrified by Russia's increased influence but will be able to do nothing to stop a short war. The French likewise, too afraid of Germany to commit large forces elsewhere. If the Ottomans are on the verge of collapse, the small powers will pile on to take their spoils as I said before. l do not for a moment propose extra lands for us in the Triple Monarchy, instead I propose that we let the small powers have the lands that are ethnically theirs in any case. In broad terms", said Rudolf, pulling out a map and starting to draw lines, "something like this:

Area I would be a new state born out of Bosnia Herzegovina, likely a protectorate of ourselves, let us call it Bosnia
Area II would also be a new state, a homeland for the oppressed Albanian people. I would, of course, like to retain the right to appoint a suitable King from Vienna
Area III would be gained by Serbia, including half the current Sanjak of Novi Pasar and areas generally North of Salonkia
Area IV would be gained by Bulgaria, including Adrianople and Macedonia
Area V would be annexed to Greece, all South of Salonkia and East to the Fingers
Area VI, which would include the European side of Istanbul, would go to Russia
Area VII, including half the current Sanjak of Novi Pasar would go to Montenegro

Italy would of course take Tripoli and the surrounds if they commence this war for us."

"Well, you are nothing if not ambitious, I will give you that. It relies on a awful lot of things falling into place and could embroil us in a war with both Britain and France, as well as the Ottomans."

"Hence the need to draw in the smaller countries. The British have always fancied themselves as the supporters of ethnic self determination. It will make it that much harder for them to go to war to oppose Bulgaria reclaiming lands inhabited almost solely by Bulgarians and the like. In England, public opinion is a very strong force, one not easily gainsaid."

"Yes, I can see that I suppose. I am confident the French will not intervene, not without British support. They desperately need an ally and the Ottomans will not do."

"Of course, this would have to be the precursor to a formal alliance, an alliance that guarantees the current Galacian border status, an alliance that will likely include Germany and perhaps Italy.

"It sounds like a return to the League of the Three Emperors."

"Perhaps it is."

"Very well, let me consult. These things take time and we will, of course, need more detail than very rough lines drawn on a map. It would pay to talk to some of the other countries so involved in a general rather than specific sense as well."

"Yes, well for us the start of this must be Serbia, much like it would be Bulgaria for yourselves. I have secured an invitation for a such a meeting from Alexander later this year."

"Very well, we can talk on this at a later stage. Your father knows?"

"Yes, it has been discussed without proceeding further." That is code for saying he has no idea I am making this approach at all, he thought, although it is true to say it has been discussed at least. "He wanted to run all discussion, which naturally must remain secret, through me."

"Very well then. This will likely take many months, but we will be in contact. Now, I will let you go with my son. You are here for the whole wedding?"

"Yes, indeed."

"Well, let us hope you have the stamina. Russian weddings are a two day affair with much celebration-and much drinking."

May 1891 - Possible Balkans map

Maps of proposed Balkan Changes. Map1. Area VI to go to Russia in light violet. Area VII in biscuit to go to Montenegro. Area V to Greece in blue. Area IV to in light orange to Bulgaria, Area III in light green to Serbia, Area II Albanian state
View attachment 353614

May 1891 - Possible Bosniak map

Map 2 - Possibles split of Bosnia-Herzegovina. Red areas annexed to Triple Monarchy. Crimson to Montenegro. Black to Serbia. Remainder Bosniak Protectorate.

May 1891- A Russian wedding

18 May 1891, Grand Hall of the Winter Palace, St Petersburg, Russian Empire

It had been an exhausting day thought Stephanie. Because Nina had no mother or sisters and only an Aunt in Paris, she had assisted her to get ready for the ceremony. It was not hard to see why Nicholas was so taken with the girl. She was graceful, funny and yet with an inner strength. While she was helping her get ready it was all too obvious that she had the body of a modern athlete. That in itself was difficult enough and in the finish she had woken at 4am and gone for a run to clear her head, pursued somewhat reluctantly by Maria Mosconi and Hans. The afternoon and night before the wedding had been bad enough. Nina's father owned a small house in St Peterburg and they had crammed into that for the traditional paying the ransom. It was unfortunate, but some of the people knew only Russian and Georgian so much conversation was in Russian, although some in French, and Rudolf was somewhat excluded.

Much drinking had occurred. Firstly Nina had been hidden and Nicholas had asked to see his bride, giving the family a pouch of 100 5 ruble gold coins. This resulted in her being brought out under a heavy veil. Eventually, upon presentation of the sapphire and gold necklace Nina would wear at her wedding the bride was brought out and many toast drunk until after midnight.

The wedding had consisted of the traditional two stages. Firstly, the ceremony in the Grand Church of the Winter Palace, resplendent in white, gold and flowers, incense heavy in the air during the Orthodox ceremony, so much like she remembered. Then the crowning, traditionally the center piece of a Russian wedding. Finally bread and salt were offered and then whilst the couple themselves went up and down the Neva on the destroyer Kazarskiy, they had retired to the Grand Hall, the couple returning two hours later. Again, toasts were widely made, then dancing, singing and yet more toasts.

Stephanie was wasted and there was no way she was returning for the post wedding day of celebration, post the bride and groom leaving for their honeymoon, which would be in Greece. Being Russian, she had drank vodka before, but there were limits.

Finally the couple came up to her and Rudolf, who seemed remarkably sober.

Nicholas offered him his hand. "Thank you Rudolf. I am not sure how I can ever repay you."

"I know what it is like to find your perfect mate now, even if she is currently drunk. What sort of man would I be if I was to deny you such an opportunity as well."

"Again, thank you."

Nina came forward to hug Stephanie. "Thanks for being 'mum'. Nicholas' is scary-I would much rather you."

Stephanie hugged the girl back. "That is alright. Remember what I told you, you have not only your own happiness in the palm of your hand, but also Nicky's. Sometimes you may have his happiness in your mouth as well." Stephanie said, giggling loud enough for the men to hear.

"Well on that note", said Rudolf. "I will take my wife and retire. Goodbye for now, good friends."

January 1892- Reflecting on troubles at Sandringham

10 January 1892, Hatfield House, Hertfordshire, United Kingdom

The two men sat inside in the well warmed room, both dressed in black and with an air of resignation. Mournfulness seemed to seep into the very walls, helped along by the sleet blowing against the window by the brisk breeze.

"So how bad is it?" asked the second man, Charles Stewart Hardinge, 2nd Viscount Hardinge. He looked across at his friend of many years, as their fathers had been, and fellow Conservative politician Robert Arthur Talbot Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd Marquess of Salisbury and Prime Minister of Great Britain.

"It's about as bad as it can be. Francis Joseph the First, by the Grace of God Emperor of Austria, Apostolic King of Hungary, King of Czechia, Duke of Bohemia, King of Dalmatia, Croatia, Slavonia, Galacia and Lodomeria and Illyria, King of Jerusalem etc., Archduke of Austria; Grand Duke of Tuscany and Cracow, Duke of Lorraine, of Salzburg, Styria, Carinthia, Carnolia and of Bukovina; Grand Prince of Transylvania; Duke of Upper and Lower Silesia, of Modena, Parma, Piacenza and Guastalla, of Oswiecm, Zator and Ceszyn, Friuli, Ragusa and Zara; Princely Count of Hapsburg and Tyrol, of Kyburg, Gorizia and Gradisca; Prince of Trent and Brixen; Margrave of Upper and Lower Lusatia and in Istria; Count of Hohenems, Feldkirch, Bregenz, Sonnenberg, etc.; Lord of Trieste, of Cattaro, and over the Windic March; Grand Voivode of the Voivodship of Serbia seemingly lies dying at Sandringham alongside the son of our own Prince of Wales. There is little doubt the death of the Triple Monarchy Kaiser on British soil would be a disaster of the first order. Prince's sons we have plenty but we are in a no win situation here. If he dies on English soil we will bear the blame. Some will call it poisoning no doubt, it matters not that the man obviously has pneumonia. Yet if we attempt to move him and he dies, we risk saying it was our callousness and lack of care that killed the man. No win either way, unless he somehow recovers. Unlikely as the doctors are saying he is worse than Albert Victor."

"Sometimes these things are simply the will of God. There is little you can do."

"Spoken like the Grandson of a Minister, however that is horseshit. This could be a diplomatic disaster of the first order and will effect our relationship for years afterwards. It's bad enough that the Austrians of all people appear to be sniffing around Russia looking to revive the League of the Three Emperors. That is not in the interests of this Empire at all."

"Well what can you do?"

"Oh, enough! Nothing but continue to watch the papers I suppose. Hope. Princess Victoria recovered, after all. If worst comes to worst, Her Majesty's government will have some serious apologies to make and it will unfortunately be me that has to make them. Now, on a more personal note, I received a letter from Tasmania...."

"I do not wish to know, none of my siblings know at all and that is the way it must stay."

"Very well."

January 1892 - Arise as Kaiser

14 January 1892, Hofburg, Vienna, Triple Monarchy

Gustav Siegmund Kálnoky came into the room quickly, not even waiting to be announced. He appeared to be shaking and had a tremor in his voice. The Foreign Minister knelt before Rudolf.

"Your Majesty."

So, thought Rudolf, it had happened. Fourty-four years on the throne had come to an end. Had he known that there was a chance of this happening when he suggested to his father that he go to England after Christmas. Well yes in truth, but the chance seemed so low. It was strange, he had thought of many ways he could succeed his father yet it was only after he had moved it from his mind for a while that it had actually happened. Now he had dominion over 44 million people with 18 million more in the Congo. His father had been a good man with backward opinions, much like his other father in Germany. It was a strange situation, a man half a German Naval officer with a wife that was half a Russian athlete had risen as far as one could possibly rise in this world. He was drawn back to the present.

"Your Majesty."

Kálnoky was still kneeling. "So it's happened then? Confirmed?"

"Yes sire. Within an hour of the Duke of Clarence."

"Well Gustav, rise then, it looks like we have work to do. The first order of business is to get my father back from England."

January 1892- Body in a battleship

16 January 1892, Admiralty, London, Great Britain

Rear Admiral John Fisher had been quick to respond to the urgent summons that had given away nothing more than a need to report to London immediately. Now he sat in front of the First Lord, Sir Anthony Hoskins.

"Do you have any idea why I have summoned you Jackie?"

"No Sir I cannot say that I do."

"It's the Franz Joseph thing. Whitehall have lost it and are in a panic as to what to do. With the Duke of Clarence dead obviously no members of the Royal family can be spared to escort the body so it was felt it was best to go for a personal connection. You do know the new Kaiser personally do you not?"

"Yes sir I would consider us friends."

"Well in that case there is an assignment for you. The late Kaiser will sail via the fast new cruiser Blake under your command tomorrow from Sheerness. At Malta you will meet your old command Inflexible and deliver both the body and the battleship itself to the Austrians and assume the duty as Her Majesty's representative at the funeral. You are to be promoted immediately to Vice Admiral."

"Sir, the old Inflexible, well, she is obsolete sir."

"London wanted a ship of the line sent, that is what they will get. I would hardly give away one of of new builds, now would I?"

"No, of course not, but the new Kaiser knows about naval matters and...."

"It matters not, it is how Whitehall want to play it in the press. Grand gesture and all that."

"Now, they have also asked what you know about the new man. Can you take the time to submit a report similar to what you did on the KuK navy. Compile it whilst you are away, submit it when you return."

Jackie Fisher sighed inwardly. "Of course."

January 1892 - Thoughts on changes, a Russian reply

17 January 1892, Hofburg, Vienna, Triple Monarchy

Stephanie lay her head on her husbands chest. "This is getting exhausting, very exhausting."

"Yes, I know. So, sooner than expected, where do we go from here?"

"I say we move fast, although out of respect we will obviously need to wait some time; until say a month after the funeral at least. There is much to do even in the short term. The Navy Department will need a new head who will need to be fully briefed, likewise Science and Technology. You cannot continue in those roles. Likewise your Army post. Dare I say the coronation is also important and will take up much time, since it will be required to be performed three separate times and we will have to deal with three separate administrations, but it will serve to cement the legitimacy of the succession. Now in regards to that, would it be best to make changes to the Imperial Family Statue before the coronation or after?"

"Well, I certainly have some thoughts. With Johann Salvator in the Congo and Karl Salvator on his death bed, I took personal oaths of fealty from all other 17 Archdukes tonight. Karl Ludwig came to me tonight to request permission for his son to marry a Czech Countess, Sophie Chotek. Apparently he is obsessed with the girl. Of course, such a marriage is completely outside the Family Statute. However, the statute can be changed by the Head of the House. If, as you say we change the statute to allow male preference primogeniture, then the time to do will be now. Franz Ferdinand would have been the most difficult opponent. Relaxing of the marriage laws will bring him and his father to our side, his brothers as well. The Teschens will do what they are told after their recent scandal, happy to retain their positions at all. The Tuscans will fancy that this will help Johann Salvator. The remainder can complain but will be able to do little without solid family support. What else?"

"Well we have already set the tone so I think we need to be seen as modern, as setting the pace for change. That being the case, I think we need to look at some aspects of the Court and the way it functions and open it up more. Much of the old Spanish Court protocol needs to go, in this instance we could learn something from, believe it or not, my father and the Belgian Court. I would also seek to economize of the Crown Estate, use the money saved to fund worthwhile charitable grants, such as school, orphanages, scholarships.

However, after the funeral the most immediate need will be to address the reply from the Russians you received a fortnight ago. Yes,I know it does not seem to be too eager and it took them eight months to reply, but we will need an answer soon. Your father's trip to England to investigate the other side of the coin did not go as planned. Yet we must still provide an answer at some stage."

"Yes, I am aware. If we answer in the affirmative then we will need further talks and agreement from Serbia, as I understand Russia have done with Bulgaria."

"What about the Russian's desire for loans? I am not sure we are in a position to supply them."

"Bonds yes we can do, made easier now that we are on the gold standard. Large scale State Loans less so. No, we must convince the Germans to supply them."

"Surely they would not be so stupid? There is only two powers that such increased rail infrastructure can threaten. Even Willy would not be that stupid."

"Mmm, it's not quite that simple. Russia are building the Trans-Siberian. If the Straits are resolved to her satisfaction, I fancy her main interests will lay to the East after the completion of such a line. There, with China prostrate, the rewards lie thick on the ground. The Russians have no commercial interests in the Balkans even now, however, the possibilities in the Far East are endless. Of course, that interest could be, well, directed by offering lower interest loans for Far East or Persian lines as opposed to European ones. Further success will breed further expansion and eventually she will be addicted to our loans like an addict on opium."

January 1892-Navy Changes,sale to China(again)

19 January 1892, Pola, Triple Monarchy

Rudolf Montecuccoli looked out over the vessels that had been made ready for such a long journey. The death of of the Kaiser had already produced major changes for the Navy. Von Sterneck to move to the position as Navy Minister, Von Spaun to Commander in Chief and himself to Fleet Commander. The new Kaiser had made so many changes. Making ready were all three Zrinyi Class sloops. All three had been sold to China, where tensions with Japan continued to rise and a good relationship existed. 180,000 Krone was nothing to write home about, but was at least something. The crews would sail the ships to China, then cross the Pacific to the United States and pick up their two new large cruisers in Philadelphia, along with a third collier and return to Pola.

Gradually the obsolete ships were going, both Radetsky Class frigates being hulked these last six months. Once the large armoured cruisers were completed, the remainder of the obsolete centre battery ships would also go. Supposedly the Royal Navy were gifting the navy a battleship, although he held no great hopes there. Smaller torpedo ships were all the rage after the success of the torpedo in the Chilean Civil War, but he was also interested in more minelayers. In any case, it left the Navy with:

Battleships:
3 3550 ton Kaiser Max centre battery ships
7430 ton Tegettoff centre battery ship
5080 ton Kronprinzessin Erzherzogin Stefanie centre battery ship

Cruisers:
+3 11,400 ton Veribus Unitus Class armoured cruisers with 6x9.2inch guns, two commenced December 1890, a third just laid down two weeks ago
2660 ton Saida armoured corvette
3 1600 ton Panther Class protected cruisers
2 3970 ton Kaiser Franz Joseph I Class protected cruisers
1+2 2580 ton Pula Class light cruisers(two still fitting out-one due March, the other July)
+2 6350 ton Budapest Class protected cruisers (under construction in the U.S, due July)

Destroyers:
4 350 ton torpedo boat destroyers Blitz, Komet, Planet, Meteor
10+2 260 ton torpedo boat destroyers Mars Class

Torpedo Boats:
53 torpedo boats, XI-XXVI (55t); Adler, Falke (100t); Sperber, Habicht (90t); Bussard, Condor, Geier, Uhu, Würger, Kranich, Reiher, Ibis, Rabe, Elster (80t); XXVII-XXXII (55t); XXXIII-IV (70t)
Kukuk, Staar, Krähe, Flamingo, Sekretär, Weihe, Marabu, Gaukler, Harpie(80t), Kibitz (90t); XXXV-XXXIX (70t)

Others:
1 sail training ship, Möwe (400t)
2 600 ton minelayers Albatros, Nautilus
4 large river monitors
1 3500 ton small liner for use in cadet training, under refit in the US
2+1 1080 ton colliers, a third under construction in the US

January 1892- Cecil Rhodes, Cape to Cairo and the bloody woman

20 January 1892, Cape Town, Cape Colony

So, the reports were correct, verified independently. The women was sitting on a bloody mountain of Copper at greater than 5% grade for God's sake. Not only that, the ore was mixed heavily with Cobalt as well. Plus the diamonds and oil. Curse the woman, who would only be more powerful now. The Americans had gotten the oil, Barney Barnarto, who he had assumed he had removed from the picture, had the diamonds. With both slavers broken, there was little chance of an uprising, indeed the twice damned blacks seemed to like the change in administration. Well, no matter, the offer on the wealth of Katanga had been made and no matter the cost it now had to be exploited. His dream for a Cape to Cairo railway had been frustrated by the bloody woman, but perhaps it could still be realised, if not all on British soil. To the North Egypt was practically spanned. If the Mahdist War could be stopped the line from the Sudan border 54km South could be extended.

Currently the railway was labouring on being brought forward to Bulawayo, from there it's planned path to Victoria Falls. From there it was a 350km run to Katanga and the border. Another 400km awaited for a route to be found through Katanga to the agreed terminus on Lake Tanganyika. It was a hard deal, he financed 100% of the railway to Victoria Falls and then 80% of the cost afterwards. In return, the British South African Company would reap 30% of the profits from minerals transported by the railway, royalty free for ten years after the first shipment. It saddled him with at least 4-6 years of expenditure before any profits were likely, but it was needed if some measure of consolation for the loss of the riches of Katanga was to be obtained.

For Africa, his premise remained the same. He must find new lands from which he could easily obtain raw materials and at the same time exploit the cheap labor that is available from the natives of the colonies. The colonies could also provide a dumping ground for the surplus goods produced in British factories. The world was nearly all parcelled out, and what there was left of it was being divided up, conquered and colonised. He thought of the stars that you see overhead at night, these vast worlds which he could never reach. He would annex the planets if he could.

January 1892-Paving the way with Franz Ferdinand

22 January 1892, Hofburg, Vienna, Triple Monarchy

The two men sat across from one another, the warmth from the wood stove heating the room. "So, you wish to marry Sophie Chotek. You are aware that under the current House Laws as designated by Joseph and codified by my father that such a marriage cannot possibly take place."

"Yes, of course. I am also aware that the Kaiser can give permission outside such rules. Look, I know we have disagreed in the past both on the Czech changes and also the introduction of a fifth and sixth Curia, however, if I received your support on this then I will publicly support your changes."

"Those changes are already in place. Tell me, what have been their outcomes?"

"Well in Czechia, indeed in Prague events have settled."

"And women voting, what has been the impact?"

"We have socialists to deal with, but I suppose it fair to say most vote according to their husband's preferences in any case. It was not women who elected the SDP any more than men."

"There, two crisis but no disaster. Now, on to your request. Firstly, I will not be altering the House Laws to make an exception for your marriage."

"What..?"

"I wish to overhaul the House Laws in regards not only marriage, implement changes that will allow your proposed union to go ahead and give your wife equal status plus any children proper rank but also to change the rules and laws of succession."

"How?"

"By adopting the English system of male preference primogeniture."

"This is your wife again, is it not? You wish to protect your daughter's rights."

"It is nothing to do with my wife. As to my daughter,of course I wish to protect her rights. Why would I not? However, this is nothing more than a logical extension of the right to vote. For God's sake our greatest monarch was a woman. Now,as for your own situation I have proposed changes that will allow a marriage to take place between anyone in the family and a second party that has a noble title. This would, of course, make your marriage dynastic and enable you to keep your own place in the succession and indeed within the family. Do you agree?"

"Very well, you have my support."

"I will need it publicly and inside the family. Your father's as well."

"Very well, it shall be done."

"I know we disagree on much, but I am trying to do what I see is best for a modern Austria. I know you have ideas about ways to give more autonomy to Regional areas of the Empire and also on Army reforms. Once this is over, come to me and we shall talk."

"Very well, you have my support."

"These changes to House Laws will have to wait some 6-12 months out of respect for my father you understand? However, with your father on side we will have the support of the heir and second in line and the Teschen's agree."

Of course they do thought Franz Ferdinand. Oh well, it was not like he ever wanted the position of Kaiser in any case and under current house rules he could be expelled from the family altogether. "Of course. Six to twelve months then."

January 1892-Economic cake cutting, not enough coins and crushing responsibility

24 January 1892, Hofburg, Vienna, Triple Monarchy

It was seemingly an endless series of meetings, all requiring decisions and he was already wondering how he could have wished for this; indeed how his father had stood the strain and workload. The Kaiser really was the centre of all that happened across three separate Kingdoms.

He recalled his first meeting with a Herr Anton Gaskell, an economist and accountant from the Interior Ministry.

"Thank you for coming Herr Gaskell."

"Thank you Your Imperial Majesty for summoning me."

"Herr Gaskell, I will get straight down to business. Now your superiors assure me you do excellent work. I now have a task for you. As you are aware, we have signed a six year funding agreement between the three kingdoms with a split of Cisleithania 52%, Hungary 32.75%, Czechia 15.25%. Using not only population data from the 1890 census, but also a model showing per capita income, in fact I wish you to assume the following changes these current models. From Cisleithania remove the Condominium of Bosnia-Herzegovina and Dalmatia, from Hungary remove the entirety of the Kingdom of Croatia-Slavonia, leave Czechia as is. Add a new fourth entity, Croatia-Slavonia,consisting not only of it's current borders, but in addition add Dalmatia, plus the following provinces from Bosnia-Herzegovina: Stolac, Mostar, Zupanjac, Prozor, Livno, Bugojno, Travnik, Fojnika, Brcka, Dervent and Gradacak. Then do a second model and add these 18 provinces to Croatia-Slavonia as well. This should produce a population of 3 million to 3.6 million people approximate, similar to Switzerland. You will also need to take into account increases or decreases in customs revenue via the affected ports."

"Yes, of course."

"Now there is one very important point Herr Gaskell,this report is only for my eyes, not to be disclosed to anyone else,even your superiors, am I quite clear?"

"Err, quite clear Your Majesty."

"Well then, thank you for your time, I have written some notes on my request,pick them up from my Private Secretary and you may go."

"Of course."
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Secondly with a panicked Head of the Mint, Ludwig Giskra. "My dear Director, your request was of a crisis, what has occurred?"

"Sire, your late father died at a difficult time in terms of currency. As you are aware, we have moved to the gold Krone, made up of 100 Heller here in Austria, 100 Filler in Hungary and 100 Haller in Czechia. Now, whilst all three Kingdoms have common banknotes, the coinage, as I am sure you are also aware, is minted separately. Different coins for all three realms."

"Yes, of course."

"Well the mint locations are here in Wien and at Kremnitz in Hungary. Now, we have notes printed at the State Printing Works at Vienna and also in Budapest. I am sure you know all this but..."

"Just tell me the problem Herr Director."

"Whilst our supply of the notes is adequate, ranging from 1k to 10,000k, the need to mint three types of coins, the Czechs having no mint, means that their coins have to be minted here in Vienna. In addition, the Congo coinage is struck in Wien as well. Frankly, we are not keeping up. In addition, we have already struck huge stocks of coins with your fathers portrait, however, more are required and with his death will will need to rework the dies with your own portrait. I cannot see how all this can be accomplished."

"Well, firstly, what about the mint in Karlsburg?"

"Closed 1872, the equipment transferred and the building now used for other purposes."

"We still have large stocks of the old gulden banknotes, do we not?"

"Yes, these have been accumulated to be burnt."

"So, our main shortage is 1, 2, 10 and 20 low value coins since the higher value 1, 2, 10, 20 and 100k coins in gold or silver can be replaced short term by notes?"

"Yes, however, strictly speaking we are obliged to redeem for gold upon request."

"Well, it may be a short term solution, but why not take the pressure of the number of small coins required by overprinting surplus Gulden notes as 1/4 and 1/2 krone as an interim measure. In the meantime, I will talk to my wife and place some orders for Congo coinage via the British, Germans or Americans. If needed, we can get some regular 1 and 2k silver coins done in this manner to make up the shortfall. In regards to the obverse of the coins, use my father's portrait for all 1892 coins. It will simplify the process and we can change the dies for 1893. Will these measures help?"

"Well, normally I would say overprinting the old notes would open the door to forgery, however, the denominations of such overprints would be so small that it is of minimal concern."

"Excellent. After the need has passed and adequate stocks of coins on hand, recall and burn the overprint notes with the rest of the old stock. Now, the conversation does lead us onto to other things."

"Such as Your Majesty?"

"Well, it is clear we need a mint in Prague. Find what we need to make a start and I will take to the Czechian government about the necessity."

"Very well."

"Secondly, now that we have three Kingdoms I have been thinking hard about what offices and responsibilities the Imperial Administration has and the fact that no law enforcement agency functions in that role. To that end I have been thinking about creating an agency responsible to myself for the protection of Federal buildings- embassies, the Supreme Court, customs buildings, palaces, the Imperial family and the like. One of it's other functions would be currency fraud and counterfeiting, since this spans all three realms."

"Well, it would make some cases less cumbersome where the person had committed crimes in more than one location."

"Exactly."
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If only those meetings were the grand sum of his day thought Rudolf. There were endless meetings not only about the protocol of his own father's funeral but also the personal dispersion of his estate, all three coronations, what to do with the late Kaisers personal correspondence. It was seemingly endless.

January 1892-Fisher arrives

25 January 1892, Pola Naval Base, Triple Monarchy

HMS Inflexible took the salute as she sailed into Pola harbour. Vice Admiral John Fisher confessed himself somewhat misty eyed at the prospect that in less than 30 minutes she would haul down the white ensign and never raise it again, to be replaced with the triple crowned jack. He would be sad to see the old girl go, even if she was past her time. At 11,800 tons she would be the biggest ship in the Austrian Navy, even if likely not destined for a long life.

She had seen many innovations in her day, in particular being the first ship to have her own electricity. However, her main claim to fame was her incredible armour, fully 41 inches or over a meter thick. He had no idea what the Austrians may use her for.

Whilst his men would go back to Malta, he would go on to Vienna to attend the funeral of the late Kaiser on the 30th January at St Stephens and afterwards at the Capuchin Church. Afterwards he would travel back to London by train. Britain had been savaged in the Austrian and German press, although he knew Rudolf held him or Britain no ill will, although it would be with a heavy heart he greeted Rudolf again. With the old Kaiser gone he sensed an era of change in the Triple Monarchy and had made that quite clear in his own intelligence briefings for the fools in Whitehall.

January 1892 - Lastkraftwagons

26 January 1892, Schloss Hetzendorf, Vienna, Triple Monarchy

"Rudolf had badly wanted to come today to see your inventions, however, as I am sure you can understand, matters are just a little pressing at present and will be for the next week. Now, these are the two machines?"

"Yes, they are Your Majesty." said Wilhelm Maybach. "They have come down on the train. May I say your husband's idea to use the large 12hp 4 cylinder engine was indeed an inspired one. The larger size necessitated the engine going at the front of the vehicle but I think that this had actually helped balance the weight in any case. It really was quite inspired, now we had some concerns about using the larger engine, however, it has come out well. As you can see, we have packed the outside of the wheels with a layer of your Congo rubber but we are thinking about the pneumatic wheels of Mr Dunlop for future construction."

"Yes, of course. You realise you are quite a hit in our home? Erszi loved your last experiment of the erupting apples and you are popularly known as the 'green fire man'."

Maybach laughed. "It is but a small reward to please the child of a man who had helped us so."

"You understand your role in Saturday's proceedings?"

"Yes, the two, it is lastkraftwagons we call them." Maybach nodded. "The two lastkraftwagons will be last in the parade, in case of any breakdowns. The second last wagon will carry a selection of older and wounded veterans from here in Vienna who fought for the old Kaiser, including a man who supposedly fought against Napoleon. The last will carry a selection of girls from the Congo and two of their tutors. Since they will never have seen such a thing, you can perhaps let them aboard at some stage today when you do tests. I will send their tutor to you, a Mr Awax Schwarz. I presume you have drivers?"

"Yes, two mechanics, although I will likely drive one myself."

"Very well then. This should provide nothing if not a large publicity boost for your products as not only will their be huge crowds on the day, but we have made arrangements for most of the procession to be taken in moving pictures so others who could not be in Vienna can watch the last Kaiser's funeral."

"A remarkable innovation."

"I hope the accommodations are sufficient?"

It's a palace thought Maybach. "Yes, quite sufficient."

"Very good. Ah, here is Herr Schwarz now."

Maybach was confronted by, of all things, a well dressed one armed negro. It had been a strange week, the death of Franz Joseph, the summons to Vienna and it's attendant excitement, putting the vehicles on trains, being accommodated at a palace, meeting Stephanie, now a one armed negro. Schicksal. Best just to surrender to it's whims and hope for no breakdowns in four days time."

"Herr Schwarz."

"Herr Maybach."

"I understand your charges will be rising with us?"

"Yes indeed."

"How many and who? During the procession they will need to sit still in the vehicle."

"All the girls are orphans from Africa. All have white fathers. They are just like any other teenage girls. Silly, but not so silly that they will not do as instructed, do not worry on that score."

Well, he spoke perfect German if slightly accented German thought Maybach. Perhaps he was not such a bad fellow. "Would you like to see how the lastkraftwagon works?"

Awax Schwarz smiled. "Well of course."

January 1892-Standard Oil and tankers

29 January 1892, Standard Oil, 26 Broadway, New York, United States of America

Standard Oil's investments in the Congo could well be a fortunate circumstance, thought John Archbold. Oil prices had gone up were moving upwards and it was clear that Standard Oil must follow the example set by Branobel and the Tank Group. The oil tanker was the future, there was no way to break into the European market in a large way without it. America had far too much oil than she could ever consume herself and to that end transportation by sea was a necessity. Standard Oil had no operational tankers in 1885, now they had 38 with 12 more building.

They would be needed. There was a crying need for more tankers to export U.S oil and currently much oil was flowing from New York to Kap Weiss coaling station, approximately six tankers a week, all badged with the African Queen registration, made easier by their ability to use Congolese registration at nominal fees, yet another advantage. Three of those tankers carried Pennsylvania oil, three more oil from the Congo.

In truth they could use another 50 tankers right now, that, or larger ships than the current 3000 to 5000 tonners. The current tanker schedule at Cabinda Town collected 40,000 barrels for export. This was the net result of four fields. But seven more had been explored, four more of those drilled and capped. Production could be expanded to likely triple current levels if only the carrying capacity was available to transport it. That was the key.

January 1892-Funeral of a Kaiser, start of a new era

30 January 1892, St Stephens Cathedral, Vienna, Triple Monarchy

It had been an exhausting day, the planning, the procession, even a photograph of all the Kings and Emperors gathered for the funeral, Portugal, Germany, Russia, Serbia, Denmark, Holland, Greece, Italy, Romania and himself, ten in all. Typically Stephanie's father had not presented himself. Stephanie had been so busy that he had missed her support. Thankfully all had gone well and their had been no disturbances in the huge crowd that had come to witness the last procession of Franz Joseph. He looked down to the Hapsburg's in the front row, across to the left the reigning monarchs, Willy openly crying, Nina, now clearly pregnant, sitting next to Nicholas, Alexander of Serbia, who he was due to visit in March. Finally his sisters, his mother and lastly his wife and daughter. An upsurge of emotion came as he prepared to go on with his own speech.

What was it about the death of a parent, even one that you were not that close to, that provoked such emotion? Was it sadness borne of missed opportunities? Things not said or asked? Nostalgia for the more carefree days of childhood when it seemed your parents were Gods written large on Earth? Or a simple realisation that with the death of a sire one's own mortality was inching ever closer? No matter, he choked things down and moved on with the remainder of his eulogy.

"When the death of my father was announced to me it struck a deep and solemn note in my life, no doubt all our lives which, as it resounded far and wide, indeed stilled the flow of the river of life in many lands, and made countless millions of human beings pause and look around them. The peculiar vagaries of human existence presented itself at the that moment in its serenity and in its sorrow, in its splendor and in its pain, in its fortitude and in its suffering.

The Kaiser was greatly loved by his peoples. He was respected as a man and as a ruler far beyond the many parts of this realm over which he reigned. The simple dignity of his life, his virtues, his sense of duty over the vast number of communities for which he bore responsibility. His example as a husband and a father in his own family circle, his courage in peace or war.

We thought of him as a young man with so much responsibility thrust upon him. We thought of him when calmly he assumed the heavy burden of the Crown. We thought of him, so faithful in his discharge of State affairs, so strong in his devotion to the enduring honour of our country. Well balanced in his judgments of men and affairs, yet wise and shrewd in judging between what matters and what does not merit attention.

All this we saw and admired. Therefore the nature of his passing, suddenly and with little pain, is in at least that small way a blessed relief. He did not suffer. He was at all times sustained by the sincerity of his Christian faith. It is a shame he was not able to spend his final days in his own beloved country, yet I am sure he held us all in his heart and I know all efforts were made to save him by the medical practitioners and indeed the government of Britain.

For 44 years Franz Joseph was Kaiser. Never at any moment in all the perplexities of his office, in public or in private, did he fail in his duties. Well does he deserve the farewell salute of all his governments and peoples.

It is at this time that our compassion and sympathy go out to his consort and widow, my beloved mother. Their marriage was a love match, that much was so clear in my father's eyes. My sympathies go to my mother and indeed my sisters, as well as all of you gathered here today. We have all lost a father.

Now I must leave the treasures of the past and turn to the future. There is no doubt that of all the institutions which have grown up among us over the centuries the monarchy is the most deeply founded and dearly cherished by the whole association of our peoples. My father and your Kaiser embodied that and I swear I will not stray from it's path in the years to come.

Thank you."

He would be exhausted yet again when he reached his bed tonight. Today marked the end of the reign of Franz Joseph, tomorrow the commencement of his own. Serbia, a reply to Russia and Army reform would be the first three items. When he could get through the next week, when all his guests had left, then he would take a few days at the Kaiservilla with his family before turning his focus to such matters.

February 1892-Young guns

16 February 1892, H. Gruson and Son, Magdeburg, German Empire

"So, Mr Gruson, you hold the patent rights of Herr Haussner. I am interested in buying the patent rights for his novel recall system and will not even quibble over the price, yet young Haussner seems to be full of good ideas. I was wondering if he would be interested in moving to Vienna to take up employment with us at the Artillerie Zuegfabrik. I am sure a suitable offer could be made that handily exceeded his current salary at Ingolstadt."

"I will pass on your offer Herr Kraus and telegraph you a reply."

"Very well."

February 1892- Military budgets and the Hungarian Diet

22 February 1892, Hofburg, Vienna, Triple Monarchy

Stephanie relaxed back into Rudolf, resting her back on his torso. "You look troubled by something more than our new found status. Your Army meeting with Beck tomorrow?"

"Yes, in part. I wish to have a series of meetings with him. There are so many issues to deal with. Firstly, standardised uniforms, you remember discussing that with me?"

"Of course"

"Secondly, artillery. We have pieces on inventory that pre date the Austro-German war. In addition, the only two suppliers we have are here in Vienna or via Skoda. There is no Hungarian supplier as the Honved have been forbidden artillery since the Ausgleich. Our pig iron production figures are less than 3/4 of a million tons per year, our steel production only half a million tons. That is less than any other major power. Our field artillery pieces are cast in bronze. Why is this, you ask? The answer is because other country's steel production is driven by their military and here in Austria we cannot get our military, especially the Common Army, funded adequately. Why are our military budgets so small? God, I would prefer a smaller military, there are other things we could use the money for here, but we both know we will need that military power at some stage. So, again, why are our military budgets so small? The Honved is why.

It is meant to be just a home guard, that is how it was originally authorised by father. Yet he and his advisors failed to set ratios of how many troops would serve in the Honved via-a-vis the Common Army, who's language of command is of course German. Efforts to direct Hungarian conscripts in any numbers to the Common Army by the War Ministry here are routinely defeated in Budapest. Defence budgets have to be approved by both the Imperial Council in Vienna and the Diet in Hungary, now by the Czechs as well. Since the 1880's the Hungarians have been blocking any moves to expand and better equip the Common Army. From their perspective the Common Army is an enemy. It teaches loyalty to the Kaiser and the German language. They see this as denationalising Hungarians. It unifies us all, hence they attack it as infringing on their carefully gained rights. This is why we can get neither recruits or funding.

There are so many things we could be doing. For artillery, hydraulic recalls, split carriages, better coastal artillery, steel tubed guns, trench mortars, proper divisional artillery, decent mountain guns. All this would, however, require funding.

It's not only artillery and uniforms. Better communications, a better rail network to facilitate troops movements, armoured trains, medical services including ambulances, field kitchens, larger stocks of munitions, earlier roll out of the M1891, machine guns in particular, storm troops using the flamethrowers and more. Much could be done, if only we could find the funds to do so. Our defence expenditure for this year is 2% more than it was 22 years ago. Germany, even Italy, is 50% more. How can we achieve these things in the face of such intransigence?"

"You must make them increase the military budgets. Make Csáky and his followers see this. If they will not see it, then take steps to force them to compromise."

"Whats steps can I take to do such a thing?"

"Well I can think of two for a start. Abolish the Honved and roll the units into the Common Army, or more importantly imply you may. Do the same with the Landwehr and the Czech Armada."

"That will create an uprising."

"Well, first I would threaten to abolish it. That may be shock enough that you are willing to take such a measure. If there is an uprising, then what was done in 1848 may need to be done again, but let us hope it does not come to that. Abolishing it is the stick. The carrot for compliance and a reasonable budget that can be tied to inflation and population increase at the very least would be removing the restriction on artillery for the Honved, which will stimulate production and design efforts inside the country."

"Perhaps."

"Now I said two measures. The second is taxation. Currently there is no capacity to tax citizens at a Federal level. Threaten such a tax, which would force a lowering of Hungarian taxes in all likelihood. It is the one thing that will impinge on their budgets, one measure they are both terrified of and will resist by all means. If you let it be known you are quite resolute unless proper funding and recruitment methods are forthcoming, they will likely buckle. They will have to. 1848 is well within memory for many and in Budapest there are many who think themselves bulletproof. It would pay to disabuse some of those notions."

February 1892-Last of the centre battery ships

24 February 1892, Pola, Triple Monarchy

Rudolf Montecuccoli looked over the older ex RN battleship. Decisions had been made in relation to relation to the ship. She had just been fully refitted in 1890 for Mediterranean service and would become the new flagship of the Austro-Hungarian navy. All three of the old Kaiser Max Class centre battery ships would all go to Spain, which was looking for flagships for both the Philippines and Cuban Stations. Originally a price of some 300,000 Krone had been agreed, but in return Spain had offered the one off torpedo boat Destruktor and this had been accepted with a new price of 250,000 Krone.

With the exception of the old Tegetthoff, earmarked as a repair ship when the new battlecruisers commissioned, this would see the last of the older ships gone. It was in many ways a blessed relief as naval technology was changing so rapidly that keeping centre battery ironclads was little more than a death sentence for the crews involved due to their lack of offensive power, age, poor sea keeping and slow speed.

Things were changing and whilst the Navy was not getting substantially bigger, it was getting both more modern and far more capable.

February 1892- A proposal on taxation reform and for Hungary

26 February 1892, Royal Palace, Budapest, Triple Monarchy

Rudolf looked over the men, taking comfort from his wife's position at his side, Eugen von Bawerk on the other. This was a crucial meeting in so many ways, so as to gain the extra money needed for the Army budgets and other reforms. He had to engage the members here, all from the ruling Hungarian Liberal Party. Whilst the nominal leader was Csáky, in reality the real power behind the throne was still Kálmán Tisza. After the usual pleasantries and congratulations on his elevation, as well as questions regarding the coronation, it was time to commence.

"Gentleman, I thank you all for coming. I come to you today to fulfill my own agenda, I will not lie to you in regards to that. I suppose the real question is then, how can I assist you to achieve the objectives that you desire in concert?

First, let me talk about what I see our joint needs as. Why are we in this Triple Kingdom? I would like to think the reasons are loyalty to the Kaiser, because of ties fostered in some cases over a thousand years. We have grown up in the same household and, like all siblings, may not always like each other, but deep down love each other and will not let others, outsiders, bully or mistreat us. Some of you may think an independent Hungary a great thing, yet deep down you know that Russia lies just across the border, German nationalism behind another, Pan-Slavism from Serbia behind another and finally Romania, desperate to establish a coalition of other willing powers that can help her take Transylvania. All these threats exist now. Yet together we can see them off, as indeed we have always done.

Yet to do so requires a military capable of performing such action. Let us not fool ourselves, the loss of Lombardy and Venetia in the 1860's hurt us badly, these two provinces contributed 18% of our total taxation revenue and their loss has only bolstered a state who is still not satisfied with the current border, Italy. We have a poor geographical situation in Europe, surrounded by those whom covet what we have. They see in disunity a chance to take it as well, mark my words. Our front line of defence against such ambitions will always be a strong a unified military, at all levels. We can no longer afford to be suspicious of each other and assume agendas that do not exist.

In broad terms our Army budgets need to be sufficient to protect the lands we all live in. We need to move away from the politics of confrontation, where every year to achieve a military budget for the Common Army and Navy, they need to go cap in hand to not only two but now three Parliaments to achieve funding and have all three agree. What is required instead is a baseline figure in relation to defence expenditure, approval of which is automatic, not requiring Parliamentary approval. This in turn needs to be tied to population increases, the later pegged at 1% per annum based on current demographic modelling. Any increases beyond that in real terms can require funding via Parliamentary approval, but not the base amount. What do we base those figures on? In 1880 we had a budget for the army of 12.4 million British Pounds. This should require a budget in today's terms of 14.525 million Pounds or 73.5 million Krone. This is above the current 63.8 million Krone, of course. This not include the Kingdom based budgets for the Honved and Landwehr or Armada, of course, which are separate and not funded from common revenue.

In regards the Navy, with our increased and profitable commitments overseas, I believe an increase of the current 1.6 million pounds, or 8.1 million Krone should be expanded to 1.825 million Pounds or 9.2 million Krone.

It is not the only item I wish to fund. I would like to introduce an old age pension to look after disadvantaged, poorer old citizens who cannot look after themselves. Such a state based benefit would pay 60 Krone per annum to those aged over 70 who's current annual means are less than 150 Krone. I have done some costings on this with the help of Herr von Bawerk and would calculate the cost of such a scheme, likely to assist 500,000 people as 3 million Krone with an additional 600,000 in administration.

Yes, I know the first things you are thinking is where will we be able to come up with 14.4 million Krone, a not inconsiderable amount. One off the most idiotic decisions ever made in this country was the sale of the state owned railways systems in 1854 onward. We have been trying ever since to buy them back. 20% of the debt in the Lands of St Stephen's Crown is railway debt. Don't worry, the situation is similar in Austria and Czechia, as I am sure most of you are aware. Yet we still have more lines we need to buy back, this will be an ongoing process that we cannot afford to stop as rail infrastructure will be our lifeblood. Yet we still only own 38% of our own railways, even now. Increased state ownership of the railways will reduce the subsidies we pay to foreign firms as well. So, how do we, as Hungarians, service such additional debt? Let us look at options we can perhaps pursue across all three kingdoms.

The most obvious step to increase revenue that directly affects much of our debt would be to introduce a railway land usage tax of say 100 Krone per annum per kilometer of track. This would likely net around a million Krone. It would also make the current owners more liable to sell existing networks at a more reasonable price, especially if it was hinted that such a tax, once introduced, may go up.

We currently have state monopolies on salt, tobacco, lotteries and postal and telegraphic services. The former and later are basic necessities. However, increasing tax by 10% on both lotteries and tobacco would garner an additional 9.5 million crowns. Lastly, the middle class is growing at all levels in the state and they to need to be able to contribute to the taxation system as well. Currently we have a progressive income taxation system that applies to all that earn over 1260 Krone per annum, with two rates, at 2% until 10,000 Krone then at 3.5% until 20,000 Krone then at 5%. I propose to change this to a 1% tax for 780 to 1,260 Krone, then 2% to 5,000, 3% to 10,000, 4% at 10,000, 6% at 20,000, then 8% over 100,000. These simple changes will net us in the region of 15 million Krone.

Finally, I have used these potential tax changes to develop an agreement with Germany that reflects our status as close allies. It would eliminate not only double taxation but also, more importantly, tariffs. I need not remind you what that would mean for Hungarian agricultural products given Germany's hunger for grain and her ever present agricultural shortfall if German tariffs were abolished.

I have talked enough. I will let my wife say her piece as Queen of the Congo.

Stephanie commenced. "As you are aware, revenue from African Queen have risen sharply and will no doubt continue to do so as we are constrained only by the capacity of ships to carry oil. Currently such shipping goes through Trieste, providing a substantial boost to their customs and excise incomes. It is a solution that is adequate without being perfect. There are no dedicated facilities for unloading oil tankers. However, if such facilities were to be built at another port, say Fiume, well that could become a preferred option. Of course, that would shift said customs revenues."

Kálmán Tisza spoke up. "There have been rumors you intend for a separate Kingdom of Croatia..."

Here we go, thought Stephanie. "I think we need a long evaluation process to see how the Czechia experiment goes before any such thoughts can be turned to such a problem. And lately it has been a problem, has it not? Regular riots and demonstrations that have only subsided with the appointment of the new Ban. In any case, if such facilities were built by a Hungarian company, any profits flowing from such an enterprise, as indeed that of Ganz in Fiume, would flow back to the Kingdom that had the headquarters of such a company under our dual taxing arrangements, Hungary."

It was Rudolf who spoke again. "Now, if the plan I have outlined is adopted, it would do two things, allow you to post much larger surplus and retire your debt that much faster, as well as assist in repurchasing railway infrastructure and to lay new track. One thing we are desperately short of, even more so in Hungary, is iron and steel production. Military spending assists that and to that end I think it would be time, in such circumstances, to remove the ban on the Honved using and deploying artillery, creating the need for a state arsenal to produce such. 1848 was such a long time ago and the memories of it need to be put to bed. We need to trust one another, gentleman. Who can ask for more than that? I am sure you have more questions. Let us address them so we can hopefully arrive at a consensus by the end of the week."

March 1892-Hungarian thoughts

2 March 1892, 16 Landfill Square, Budapest, Triple Monarchy

Minister President Csáky looked Kalman Tisza directly in the eye. "So what do we do about this mess? We have been going back and forwards for days, looking at figures. Yet he is like a police inspector, I think he knows he has us and is just patiently waiting for us to come to the same conclusion."

Tisza smiled. "Well, there are some large benefits for us here. His plan actually gives us larger surpluses which we may well need. Already there are rumours that Erste Ungarisch-Galizische Eisenbahn are prepared to sell, even before this meeting. If they sell likely DBE will follow. These will be expensive purchases and we will need the extra money to pay off the loans. I would, of course, prefer not to fund the Common Army, however, the concession of having the Honved gain it's artillery back is almost worth the cost. His idea to tax the lines the private railways run on is actually quite ingenious and he may well be correct in asserting that it will make companies more likely to sell.

The idea of a state based pension I support. This will gain us popularity and even the nobility will not want to be seen as against such a project, one that has been mooted for some time and already exists in Germany. The income tax changes are...regrettable, however, of a necessity if the funds wish to be raised for these agendas. In any case, they represent no more than a 1% increase unless one earns over 100,000 Krone per annum. Since those that do are usually highly influential, I say we stick with our position of a lower income threshold, 80,000 Krone, but a lowering to 7% as the tax rate.

However, the biggest thing that can potentially come out of this for ourselves is the potential for a removal of excise on product exports to Germany. Instead of the French profiting, with the removal of excise our grain will be the cheapest on the market in Europe. It has huge potential to grow our agricultural sector and make it far more profitable. Export prices have always been much higher than domestic. Mind you, it only further empathizes the need to own and expand our railway system. The potential to use Fiume as a port for oil will also further increase of revenues.

To sum up, I would say that with some of the minor amendments we have been able to gain agreement on, that this is a deal we must accept."'

Minister President Csáky sighed. "Yes, it is a good argument. I recognise this. "However, they have virtually conceded that they wish to see Croatia independent of the Hungarian Crown 'at some later stage'. How do we combat this?"

"They are not proposing that now, so I say we do not combat it now. We go to his mother, who has always been sympathetic to our cause. Let her use her influence. These considerations are separate to this agreement. We need to do what is right for us now. This agreement will help us. If worse comes to worse giving the Honved back artillery means we will be better prepared as well."

"Yes, I can see that."

"The other issue is one of personalities. This man is not his father, that much is clear. I cannot conceive how he, and for that matter his little wife, have changed so much. With his father it was all about duty and constitutional precedents. I sense that this man would step well over any line to get what he wants and his wife may seem innocuous but is very much the power behind the throne. He is not wrong on one point. Whilst we harbour no interests in the Russians, Italians or German, the Romanians, given a solid ally, would love to take the Transylvanian lands from us. In any war with Vienna, I am quite sure they will attempt to take such a chance.

In regards to Croatia, we need a strategy, one that no matter what at least guarantees us the port of Fiume, as we need an outlet to the sea for Hungary's sake. In any case, that is where 4,000 of the 30,000 Hungarians in Croatia-Slavonia live, the largest single concentration."

April 1892- Trouble in China?

1 April 1892, Admiral Ding Ruchang, Weihaiwei, Imperial China

So, the three vessels from the Austrians had arrived. In two days their crews would leave aboard the American chartered liner Philadelphian to cross the Pacific and crew two new cruisers that had been American built for them.

It was all to the well that such ships had arrived. It would allow him to detach two current cruisers he had to the Nanyang Fleet, itself decimated by the 1884 confrontation with the French, yet still leave him with a solid core of four battleships and these eight cruisers, six gunboats and 12 torpedo boats.

They may be needed all too soon as tensions with Japan over Korea were high. The Japanese had demanded compensation for Korea not exporting soybeans after last year's harvest failure. They had demanded compensation for their importers, compensation that Korea had so far refused to pay, turning to their former overlords, the Qing, for support.

April 1892- Ethiopian adventures

24 April 1892, Old harbour, Dubrovnik, Triple Monarchy

The 350 ton tramp steamer was well past her prime, but looked very much like the sort of vessel that plied her trade in the more sheltered waters of the Red Sea. Major August von Spiess looked at her again as the 16 man crew made her ready. They were all naval ratings, hard to believe that they were under the command of such a youthful look man. 24 year old Frigate Lieutenant Miklos Horthy had been selected for much the same reason that he had, fluency in English.

For after journeying to Berbera, they would pose as English traders before making there way to Addis Ababba to meet Menelik II to discuss mutual military ties and co-operation. It was simply feeling the water at this stage.

Now all they had to do was wait for the Russians. Exactly how or why they were involved he had no idea, but his orders had "come from the top" and indicated that he was to give them every courtesy.

He was to wait only an extra hour before three figures were to move down the wharf, eventually making there way to their little cafe table sheltered from the Spring sun. The older man stepped forward and offered his hand "Hello, my name is Bronislav Grombchevsky" he said in perfect German.

"A pleasure to meet you" said von Spiess in English. "Likewise", was the Russian's reply, a crinkle of amusement in his voice. "This is Oleg, Oleg Planov, he indicated to a 195cm giant of a man. He does not speak English. Or indeed anything but Russian. However, he does have some useful skills, trust me."

"I thought there were only going to be two of you?"

"Well yes, I picked this young man up in Odessa when he saved me from a gang of dockyard thugs when Oleg was away. He was unemployed and at a low ebb and can speak English so I brought him along as my batman. Come forward and say hello Sigmund. This is Sigmund Rosenblum."

May 1892-Balkan machinations, edging to a Russian agreement

1 May 1892, Hofburg, Vienna, Triple Monarchy

His eyed the telegram again. Discussions with ex King Milan of Serbia had been fruitful and that he was in favour of the Balkans proposal. To that end, he was attempting to reconcile with his wife and return to Serbia to assist his son in the running of the country and dismiss the Regency Council put in place after his departure. When this occurred, hopefully within the next few months, everything would be in place for the implementation of such a strategy when the time was ripe, although no doubt more discussions would be needed.

It seemed only a matter of time with Ottoman Hamidiye cavalry essentially given free reign in Eastern Anatolia. With Bulgaria and Serbia on side, the involvement of Greece would eventually be a fait accompli if the Greeks wished to obtain any of their own objectives. Alexander III was coming to Vienna in August, supposedly on an official State Visit, but in reality to sign the secret Straits Treaty as an official precursor to a proposal for the renewal of the League of the Three Emperors, the carrot that would hopefully mollify Germany, who remained in the dark as to the extent of his Russian alliance and it's effects and target.

He had not been idle in regards the ambitions of the Italians in Tripoli, either, placing a man as a journalist at La Nazione in Florence, who had started dribbling out stories in regards to rapes of Italian women in Tripoli among the small Italian population there and anti-Ottoman propaganda in general. The Navy picking up four Italian smugglers out of Tripoli on their way to Sicily near the Galite Islands had also been a useful boon. They would serve their own purpose when the time came to do so.

That was in place, as was the Hungarian agreement to his funding model for military budgets and tax reform, all set to take effect very soon. There had been some minor changes, but nothing he could not live with. It was important that budgets returned to surplus, as this would enable the State to spend money on re-purchase and expansion of the railway network, so necessary in the event of any war. It would also be needed to potentially assist Russia in the event of a full scale alliance and France withdrawing funding from Russia, although one would question whether France were in too deep to do so without causing their own financial crisis. That remained to be seen.

He looked over his other telegrams. One from von Spiess in Dubrovnik to indicate imminent departure. Russia were keen to assist their fellow Orthodox Christians in Ethiopia and as a gesture of goodwill they had jumped at the chance to assist to help cement the relationship.

Another telegram was from from Rear Admiral Krauss to indicate he would soon leave San Fransisco to take possession of the two large cruisers in Philadelphia. A fourth from Nicholas and Nina to celebrate the birth of a daughter, Maria, on the 29th April. If only his own wife was so fecund, although he bore much of the blame there. To that end, he would announce the changes to the Laws of the House of Hapsburg within the week so that the fallout did not effect any later changes that may occur in regards to the Russian relationship in case something happened in Anatolia and the timeline of events needed to be moved up. The changes would propel Erszi to Heir.

May 1892- Profitable Congo

3 May 1892, Hofburg, Vienna, Triple Monarchy

Oil was making a huge difference, there was little doubt in that regard and with not only petroleum but oil fired devices on the upsurge, it was a product in demand. She looked over the reports from, Johann Salvator. He had done an incredible job as Governor and was now asking for reassignment back to Vienna before his fortieth birthday. It was far from an unreasonable request and she now had to find another replacement. It would be a difficult task. The revenue report from March made startling reading, especially with rubber prices also rising.

Figures were:

Crude Oil 172,800
Ivory 94,100
Diamonds 79,100
Rubber 58,400
Palm Oil 16,300
Palm Nuts 14,100
Port Fees 890
Philatelic and Numismatic Sales 380
Company Taxes 4,616
Miscellaneous 1,810

TOTAL 442,500 Krone approximately

Expenditure was 388,000 Krone per month and in each month of so far in 1892 a surplus of some 60,000 Krone or greater had been created. Her own personal bank account had swelled to over 350,000 Krone. With the Matadi to Marienburg railways 226 kilometers into it's 380km journey the next big question was what to spend such a sum on. Already the expenditure figures in the Congo were four to five times what they had been under her father's administration in 1887, spent on salaries rather than slavery, infrastructure, education, healthcare and food, as well as a military presence and the raising of the first native regiment, consisting of five battalions, mainly armed with the old M1867 Werndl–Holub, for which substantial ammunition stock remained. After railway expenditures dropped, the production of ivory could be scaled back as well.

May 1892- Affirmation of the heir

18 May 1892, Throne Room, Hofburg, Triple Monarchy

It was a short and brief ceremony that was to last no more than 30 minutes from start to finish. In all Triple Monarchy lands there was no formal requirement for children under the age of 16 to swear an oath of allegiance to the Kaiser unless they joined the Armed Forces or Civil Service before such time.

Rudolf had made quite sure that it was a ceremony watched by all three Minister-Presidents in the presence of both Karl Franz and Franz Ferdinand. He had felt proud as the eight year old girl, obviously nervous and overawed yet taking pains not to show it, had come forward before her parents, fully dressed in the imperial regalia and seated on the thrones before some 150 people, dressed in a specially tailored uniform denoting her as Colonel in Chief of the Trabantenleibgarde.

She had in turn knelt before her parents and recited the oath that she had practiced with her mother for some time before. "I swear by Holy God that I will be faithful and bear true allegiance to His Imperial Majesty the Emperor of Austria, the Apostolic King of Hungary and Serene King of Czechia Rudolf III, His Heirs and Successors of body, and that I will, as my duty, honestly and faithfully defend His Majesty, His Heirs and Successors against all enemies, and will observe and obey all orders of His Majesty, His Heirs and Successors, and of those that may be able to give me lawful orders as per his direction.”

Ten minutes later she was to reappear to make a similar pledge yet again, her parents, she had noted, having shifted seats and her mother now wearing a much less elaborate crown than before. Again she knelt.

"I swear by Holy God that I will be faithful and bear true allegiance to Her Majesty the Queen of Congo Stephanie, Her Heirs and Successors of body, and that I will, as my duty, honestly and faithfully defend Her Majesty, Her Heirs and Successors and her loyal subjects against all enemies, and will observe and obey all orders of Her Majesty, Her Heirs and Successors, and of those that may be able to give me lawful orders as per her direction."

When it was all over she had broken into a large grin and ran to her father.

"Excellent my girl. Very well done. All that practicing with mama worked well eh?"

"Yes papa." She lowered her head and whispered in her father's ear. "So.....if anything happened to you I would be Empress?"

"Errr....yes."

"Well be careful then. I would surely do my best you see, but I really don't want to spend all day with all these old men."

Rudolf laughed and ruffled her chocolate hair. Hazard of the job, he thought. "I will be here for many years yet liebchen."

May 1892-Army funding agendas, uniforms, conscription lengths, machine guns, artillery

19 May 1892, Hofburg Palace, Vienna, Austro-Hungarian Empire

Friedrich von Beck-Rzikowsky sat across from the Kaiser.

Rudolf spoke first. "Well, it is done, the budget approved from the 1893 calendar year and increases pegged with population growth for the next ten years. The only stipulation is that is we wish to get increases above and beyond those figures we need to go back through the process again."

"I really don't know how you did this."

"It does not matter now Friedrich. Now all that matters is how we are going to spend it. New uniforms over a five year period, I would suggest the new machine gun and lastly we need to do a power of work on artillery. The move to a two year conscription period will also eat up some of the funds, as will the creation of what is effectively an extra Corps. Draw up some of the plans we have discussed, mainly in regards to the former two items. I will come back to you with some ideas I have had passed on to me in regards to avenues we may explore in regards to modern artillery. I have a young man coming that has some interesting patented ideas that we may wish to follow up and fund."

"Very well."

"How is your son getting along?"

"Still can't believe he joined the Navy Sire."

Rudolf laughed. "Surely a bit of inter service rivalry is good in any household. My wife invited me to tour the Congo with her later this year, saying that I would be more than welcome as long as I walked one step behind her. I am fairly sure she was joking."

Beck-Rzikowsky was not quite sure what to say, whether to be shocked, scandalised or amused. The Kaiser seemed amused so perhaps a simple change of subject would work best.

"Yes, he is going well Your Majesty. A full Lieutenant now. He telegraphed a message just two days ago to say that they are now in Philadelphia and that both ships had been commissioned and are currently undergoing final trails and that he should be home early July. He indicated that all have the most modern features, full electrical power, flushing toilets and that the speed is quite remarkable."

"Excellent. Well, shall we say a month and then we shall reconvene?"

May 1892- Preparing for a return to the Congo

26 May 1892, Villa Hapsburg, Brijuni Islands, Triple Monarchy

"Herr Schwarz, it is lovely to see you yet again, how is your work at the orphanage going?"

"It goes very well indeed Your Majesty. There is a quiet contentment here on the island that can easily be filled by the voluminous library that we have present and working with the girls gives me great satisfaction. There is great joy to be found in assisting those that life has not been kind to."

"I am very glad to hear you say so. Now, one of the things that has been at the forefront of my mind is what do do with such girls when the reach an age when they are no longer able to reside in the orphanage at age 18."

"What to do with them Your Highness?"

"Yes. At some stage we must all take our place in society, after all. I had envisaged that many would go back to the Congo to use their language skills to work as translators, officials and the like. However, recently my husband has been keeping me up at night rigorously pouring over plans to make reforms to the Army. I felt I had little to contribute, aside from the fact that he was also planning reforms to our own private bodyguard unit that he wished to amalgamate with some units already in place. I am getting to the point, I promise."

Awax Schwarz laughed.

"Well, on with the story. Now because of Maria here's position" she indicated her companion, "that would possibly involve a military commission, and I thought to myself, why could women, some of whom are doctors and nurses, why could women not serve in administrative function and medical ones?"

"Well, I suppose, they could serve perhaps in those areas."

"Huh, do not overwhelm me with your enthusiasm Awax. I was thinking that perhaps for the girls that do not wish to go back to the Congo there would be an opportunity to join the Army as nurses to learn an occupation that may equip them for civilian life. I am under no illusions that for those that wish to stay in Austria, if indeed there are many, life will not be easy and security of occupation may at least assist in some way. For many of these girls life will be hard. They are neither black nor white and in many cases have no home and in all cases no ties. Some may be adopted, but most will not and will therefore have to make their own way in this world."

"True indeed."

"Now, on a brighter note, are you ready to accompany me to London, Cabinda and Marienburg in June?"

"I am looking forward to it immensely."

"That is good, as I have another task for you."

"Another task?"

"Yes, not all of my ladies will accompany me on the trip, therefore, I will need extras. I wish for you to pick a suitable young lady with an adequate level of fluency in German to accompany me on said trip. She is to come to Vienna two weeks prior with you where she will receive a full wardrobe and we will ready to depart. Afterwards, she can stay with me permanently if desired."

"I...well of course." Awax Schwarz smiled.

"Lunch will be fine. I will be having it down near the beach."

"Today?"

"Short notice I know, but I am sure you will manage. I have every confidence in you."

It was later that afternoon that he returned, a young girl in a simple green cotton dress accompanying him.

"Your Majesty, this is Laura." The girl sunk to her knees in the sand in front of Stephanie.

"My dear girl, there is no bowing and scraping here. That is purely for formal occasions." She went over and looked at the girl, raising her to her feet. She looked into her face, a light caramel colour with pleasing, regular features and a riotous mass of dark curly hair.

"My goodness you have beautiful green eyes. You have the same name as my friend's sister. You know German well?"

"Yes Your Majesty, I have worked hard to become fluent. I also know Portuguese and a small amount of Latin plus some English. Plus my mother's tongue."

"Excellent. What of your parents, your home?"

"I lived with my mother, but she died some years ago. We lived with my father at Cabinda, he was Scottish but worked for the Portuguese as the harbour master. When my mother died two months later we heard the territory was to be sold to Austria. Two weeks later he told me he had sold the house and left to go back to Portugal. Or England. Back to Europe. He just...left me. I....had a difficult time of it after he left as I had no place to go, no income....no real friends. No relations. I ran away."

The girl looked ready to cry, her eyes shimmering with unshed tears. She looked over the petite girl's head at Awax Schwarz, who shook his head. It was all too obvious how the poor girl had likely earned her living for the six months before she was brought into care, sadly not surprising with her pretty features. "Well then, we must become your family must we not. Sit, Maria and I have cake. Have some, tell me of your studies and in two months time we will depart on a small adventure. Later, we will go swimming. Do you know how to swim?"

"No, Your Majesty."

"Well, wading then in your case. There is always time to learn. Anything. Don't worry my dear, no one is going to hurt you again. We will give you the tools to make sure such a thing does not happen again. You have my word on that."

June 1892- Ship trials in America

8 June 1892, off Avalon Beach, mouth of Delaware Bay, United Status of America

The ship bucked and shook as she plowed through waves. Captain Schmidt looked again at the dial. 23.1 knots, a respectable speed in the conditions. He went again to the port wing of the bridge. Her sister ship, Wien, was perhaps 500 meters astern as the two ships raced parallel to the beach that was some 1-2 nautical miles away. His own ship, Budapest, had proven herself the master on trials, hitting 24.8 knots on full power trials as opposed to her sister's 24.5. Both ships were now fully ready and would formally commission within days.

It had been an interesting visit and illuminating to talk to other naval officers. Schmidt had never been to America, likely would not go again, so he had been at pains to learn as much as possible. The United States Navy was larger, but still nowhere near the power or size of the Royal Navy and in between readying the ship he had been pleased at the social engagements that had allowed much 'shop talk'. The crews of both ships had been well behaved and no incidents had thankfully occurred.

Both ships were now ready to depart within days. They would cross the Atlantic along with the new built collier Arpad and then dock at Gibraltar. Budapest would then embark the Kaiserin and go on to London and eventually the Congo, her two companions instead proceeding on to Pola.

Captain Schmidt wondered if whilst in London he could see Admiral Fisher whilst the Kaiserin attempted to reverse last years loss in the tennis tournament at Wimbledon to Lottie Dodd, described in the newspapers as "one of the greatest matches ever played." Schmidt owed Fisher for his time in the Triple Monarchy Navy. Schmidt himself had come up through the Navy and had risen to Engineering officer but would likely have never gone further in the old Navy, where birth played such a large role in appointments and the son of a simple school headmaster would be unlikely to progress to the top of the commissioned ranks. With the changes initiated by the Kaiser and Fisher, now such things were possible.

June 1892-Army reforms(part 1 of 2)

12 June 1892, Hofburg Palace, Triple Monarchy

Rudolf looked at Friedrich von Beck-Rzikowsky before he slid the voluminous pile of papers over. "I tried to be as concise as possible, but I afraid it is still 162 pages."

Beck-Rzikowsky looked at the papers again. "Any extra surprises?"

Rudolf gave a tight lipped smile. "Well, I suppose there are recommendations across the board."

"Firstly, there are the changes to the Military dDstricts to reflect the changes made with Czechia. This will effect Military Districts I, II, VIII and IX. IX's headquarters will move from Josefstadt to Olmutz. The maps of the various changes are fully attached.

In regards to the uniforms all parties are now agreed and we can commence orders from next year's budget to gradually reequip units commencing next year and spread over a five year procurement. Branches of service have been finalised as well. These will be:

Infantry Red
Cavalry Dark Green
Field Artillery China blue
Coastal Artillery Navy blue
Fortress Artillery/Trains Light blue
Signals Brown
Military Police Lime Green
Jagers/Mountain Troops Crimson
Engineers Pink
Supply, Transport and Ordinance Buff
Medical Yellow
Veterinary Lemon
Judicial Orange
Chaplains White
Intelligence Lilac
Finance and Administrative Grey
Musical Tan
General Staff Officers Royal Purple

As I have already indicated, I wish to abolish the current system of seniority altogether. The idea that out of two Colonels, one is senior due to his branch of service is frankly ridiculous. Under the proposed new system, seniority will be based purely on length of service in the current rank, no more no less.

In regards to conscription, we keep the same system as we currently have in place, in that from 1st January of the year in which a conscript's 19th birthday falls until 31st December of the year in which he becomes 42, he can be liable for military service. Men found fit and suitable from each Erganzungsbezirk are to be selected for full time service to begin on the 1st January of the year in which their 21st birthday falls. With the exception of those who go to the cavalry or artillery (who will still do three years), all others will have two years full time service with one part or another of the Army. Once a man has completed his full time service, he will be placed on the reserve for 10 years (7 in the case of the cavalry and artillery). This is no different except for our greater call up numbers. At the end of the period on the reserve the man will placed on the Landsturm rolls of his district and there do no further training but will be available up to the age of 42. I have looked into the current system of one years volunteers but these seems to work well enough in practice. For those who are not called(currently 80% but likely to drop 65-70% under the new arrangements for recruitment numbers, they will instead do a standard military skills course consisting of only 13 weeks, in other words three weeks longer than current practice, and then drop down to the Landsturm roles until 42.

This is not where we are failing. Where we are failing is that we are not retaining or attracting lower ranks and non commissioned ranks to the Army as a career. We are losing our experts and those we have identified as having what we require. We have officers drawing a salary, which may or may not be adequate in some cases, yet for others the situation is much worse. Officer Cadets, Ensigns, NCO's and men draw only a daily wage. In these circumstances it is hardly surprising that the Army is desperately short of experienced NCO's. Even taking into account the recent expansion of promotion possibilities for senior NCO's, we are still well short of where we need to be. The same applies to Officer Cadets, who receive only the status of NCO's, are only on a daily wage, and worse still are treated like conscripts.

We need new avenues for the recruitment, attraction and retention of Officer Aspirants. We also need to identify good men during their conscription service and fill NCO billets in the army above Zugsfuhrer with men who wish to make a career in the Army, not merely cycle through it. For that reason, after their two year conscription, those that wish to remain in the service should be moved onto designed salaries. I have outlined what I believe are appropriate pay rates in the folio, but it would need to be run past the accountants.

Currently non-commissioned officers can not marry without the permission of their Commanding Officer. This permission is often not granted unless the marriage will improve the material situation of the individual in question. If we wish experienced people to remain these restrictive provisions must be removed.

Look over some of the pertinent points, must of these are covered in Pages 1 to, umm 78, as well as Appendix 1-17. I have to travel to Pola and then see my wife off in the next week. If we can reconvene in ten days time and I will go over the balance, namely, ranks, regimental organisation, officer promotion and selection, nco promotion and selection, military academy's, medical and support services, the bodyguard formations and the like, as well as some thoughts not contained in here in relation to equipment and doctrine.

Beck-Rzikowsky looked at the tome. Judging from the conversation so far it was not only wide ranging but significant changes. It looked like he had much reading to do, then likely much work.

June 1892-Drabbles

14 June 1892, 155 kilometres Northeast of Addis Ababa, Ethiopian Kingdom

Miklos Horthy aimed and cursed as his shot went wild. To his left Sigmund Rosenblum squeezed off a shot and yet again a man fell from his saddle. His was proving to be a useful man to have on the expedition, thought Horthy. They had travelled into the interior of the country but had been pursued by, of all things, Arab slavers. Some had been shot but eventually a larger group had arrived. A couple had made it into the camp but had been killed by the huge Russian, Oleg Planov. Others had been shot, young Sigmund proving himself quite adept with the Lee-Metford rifle, killing at least eight personally.

"Excellent shot Sigi."

The intense young man smiled. "I think they have called it a day."

Horthy smiled. "Thank God for that. I did not fancy clanking around in chains."

It was only two hours later that they were to meet regular Ethiopian Army soldiers.
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14 June 1892, Schonbrunn Palace, Vienna, Triple Monarchy

Laura Paton gasped as Maria Mosconi placed her elbow in her back and used her hands to tighten the corset around her still more. Finally she tied it off and Laura proceeded to slip on the gold silk dress. When it was all in place there was little doubt it looked magnificent she thought as she gazed into the mirror, far more so than she ever thought she could look. But God, was it tight. It was then that the Kaiserin came into the room.

"How do you think she looks Your Majesty?" asked Maria Mosconi.

"Beautiful, the duckling is now a swan. I thought she may like this one. I have not worn it for some time."

"This.. is your dress?"

"Altered. It was, now it is yours. You will need it for the ball when we return."

"A ball?"

Stephanie laughed. "This is Austria. There is always music and a ball."

Now it is time to take off this dress and put on something rather less restrictive. Maria will be teaching you how to defend yourself."

"With what Your Majesty?"

"Show her Maria."

Maria Mosconi picked up the lady's walking cane and touched the side of the wood. It allowed a thin rapier like blade to be drawn free of the outer casing.

June 1892- Army reforms part 2 of 2

22 June 1892, Hofburg Palace, Triple Monarchy

Rudolf thought back on his visit to Trieste. It would be hard not seeing Stephanie for over two months and much like last time, the parting was bittersweet as they lay in bed together until the last possible moment. She had taken the normal Austro-Lloyd service to Barcelona and then the new cruiser Budapest to London, where she would no doubt be preparing for the tennis tournament that commenced in some five days.

"This may be the last time and, if it is, I want to win once as a incumbent Empress. I cannot see myself having the time in future, although, who knows?"

His thoughts drifted back to the present and Friedrich von Beck-Rzikowsky. "Have you had a look at what is proposed so far Marshal? "What are your thoughts?"

"I am in broad agreement Your Majesty. There will be those who are not in agreement with the changes to the seniority system, but in general terms I agree and they will just have to live with it. In regards to the changes in payment to NCO's to a salaried arrangement rather than at daily rate, extra expense will no doubt be incurred."

"This is part of the reason why we have obtained a larger budget, it is not all based on new hardware and the like. Now, should we address the remainder?"

"Please go on."

"Very well. Let us look at ranks. Firstly commissioned officers. The first thing that strikes me as incongruous is that in wartime a Division will consist of likely two Brigades, yet we have no rank equivalent for Brigade commanders. I think we need to differentiate between these functions and command of a Regiment, therefore I would like to introduce the rank of Ranghöher Colonel as the senior field grade position. Secondly, we also face the problem of Cadets from the military schools and also one year volunteers passing into military units as Fahnrich yet not receiving the status of commissioned officers or access to the mess, which helps to retard their development by learning off senior officers. For that reason, I think we need to introduce the rank of Oberfahnrich, which will be a proper commissioned rank much like Ensign.

Secondly, non-commissioned officers and soldiers. I believe our current structure is generally adequate. However, at the Battalion level I would like to see a position as a senior non commissioned officer and I think we could do with introducing the rank of Stabsfeldwebel directly above Feldwebel. Again, this will hopefully help retain long term NCO's. Likewise the rank of Stabsgefreiter for much the same reason, although also to do with proposed changes at small unit levels.

In regards to Regimental organisation, I would like to see the current four Platoons per Company, four Companies per Battalion, four Battalions per Regiment structure to change. At the Platoon level, I would like to see the numbers of men increased from the current 30 to 36, each Platoon divided into three teams of 11 men, each team of 11 led by a Corporal and also containing a Stabsgefreiter.

At the Company level, I would like each Company to be equipped with two machine guns. This is I believe the way of the future. Here we have the brand new design by Karl Salvador and George von Dormus, a design that will require some changes for field service but which should be ready for orders next year. Plus the Maxim. We are going to have to make these investments to have a modern Army. At the Regimental level, I would also like to add an one Assault Technical Company equipped with not only the light trench mortars but flamethrowers as well, possibly also a searchlight for night operations.

It will be expensive and this part of the changes will have to be delayed at least two years until some of the hardware is purchased, training delivered and the like, as well as more senior NCO's being in the ranks. But I think it feasible to start such moves by 1895.

In regards promotion of officers, currently, promotion goes by seniority up to and including the rank of Major; by selection and seniority for higher ranks up to the rank of Generalmajor; and by selection entirely above that rank. Before an officer can be promoted to the rank of captain he must first pass satisfactorily through a course at a Korpsoffiziersschule. Before promotion to Major an officer must pass successfully a test in tactical fitness (Stabsoffizierprufing), of course if he belongs to the K.K. Landwehr or the Honvéd, he must have passed a similar course held at Wien or Budapest. I am not unhappy with the current system, although we need to make doubly sure that the required promotion courses for Captain and Major are as rigorous as they need to be. Currently there is no upper limit in regard retirement age. I propose we enact one. 60 for officers below General, 65 for Generals, 70 for Marshals.

For NCO's, promotion to Corporal shall be at the discretion of the Company commander, to Stabsfeldwebel of the Battalion commander and to Offiziersstellvertreter by the Regimental commander.

In regards the military academies, I have no real problem with our current system, aside from the fact that currently there is no academy for training officers for the Armada. This would be smaller than the other four and for this reason I wish to establish a joint facility, one which can prepare officers for the Armada but also a location where identified suitable NCO's from the KuK army can go to complete a one year course to train as officers. This is something we lack to present. We need to identify suitable men from the ranks and make use of their talents and not be blinded entirely by birth. The Czechia government have already offered the former Hradisko Monastery as a site for such a joint facility.

In regards to medical and support services, I see no reason why women could not join the Army to work in such areas, not by conscription but by volunteering."

"Women", spluttered Beck-Rzikowsky, "in the Army?"

"Well, yes" said Rudolf. Currently in the War Ministry, we recruit men and train them from scratch to be typists. Why not just recruit women typists if they wish to join and be paid a daily wage? Surely that would be easier, cheaper and more cost efficient? The areas I would be looking at are administrative tasks in the Central Army and Regional Headquarters and the Medical and Nursing corps, where such tasks are in some cases already provided external to the Army at cost."

"Well, it is radical, but I suppose if it is restricted to these two areas it may be feasible."

"Lastly, I wish to create a further small unit, namely a Schließenleibgarde, or close life guard of individuals that will directly protect as bodyguards the immediate family of the Kaiser. It will number less than 50 I would think.

Marshall, that is all I have. What are your thoughts?"

"Well Sire, there is nothing there that is out of the question, as you say, the Regimental structure changes will take time, as will what you mentioned in regards to women volunteers, however, yes, all these things can be done and I can see how many would be improvements. Let me look at things further and we can meet again next week."

"Excellent."

June 1892- Grenades for grenadiers

29 June 1892, Hirtenburg, Triple Monarchy

Rudolf stepped into the office of Dr Ludwig Mandl. He was young to be the Chairman and part owner of an armaments concern, but HPF were a strictly small time company. What had first attracted his attention was a letter written to the War Ministry talking about the manufacture of rockets. The design was too cumbersome to be of any use but Rudolf had noted that the owner had a Doctorate in Chemistry, as did his brother whilst the third brother was also an engineer. The family originally hailed from Transylvania but had pooled their funds to purchase the Hirtenburg facility some years before.

"So, Dr Mandel, can you show me what you have so far?"

"Yes, of course Your Majesty." He led Rudolf over to a work bench that contained three devices, all showing a shape similar to a large egg. "These are the three basic designs."

"How is it going with them?"

"Well, our original projections have proven incorrect. It is the basic explosive version we have had the most problem with. The issue is, of course, to be able to throw the device far enough away that when it detonates, you are out of the blast radius. It had proven challenging to create a fuse that can reliably burn for the correct amount of time before detonation. Fragmentation of the body and blast are as desired and we have mastered the mechanics of igniting the fuse, all we need now is a reliable burn time. Unfortunately, trying to obtain such a result has seen some...unfortunate accidents. However, we are preparing to try some new ideas and I believe, in time, this can be solved."

"I appreciate your efforts, but we must have a perfectly reliable product otherwise there is no chance soldiers will use such a weapon in the field if there is even the slightest hint that they themselves may be the ones blown up."

"Of course, of course."

"What about the other two?"

"These have proven to be less difficult to perfect, against my earlier judgement. This fellow's contents are freed by the removal of the pin and clip followed by the lever, which falls free in the throwing action. Thick, white smoke can then be generated from the solution of potassium chlorate, sodium bicarbonate and milk sugar. It is possible to colour these for signalling as you suggested, by the application of derivatives of simple fabric dyes. The second unit is filled with white phosphorus that is ignited on a short fuse after removal of the lever. There is no explosive component so it is not a direct weapon as such, however, it can burn at 2800 degrees centigrade and can therefore easily be used to destroy ammunition stores, burn through gun breeches and barrels and the like."

"Well Dr Mandel, some excellent progress indeed. Why the different colours?"

"Just so we know what is what in case of mistakes, which would be disastrous. The grey of the basic device is the same colour as you specified. The dull blue is the smoke device. If they are flavored with dye, a green or red strip will show this. The green devices are the phosphorus ones."

"Contact me as soon as you have perfected the explosive device and I can assure you of substantial Army contracts. I must caution you again of the need for complete secrecy. This is why such a small town and your organization was selected to pursue this research."

"I am aware and thank you Your Majesty."

July 1892- Three out of four ain't bad

6 July 1892, Wimbledon Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, London, Great Britain

She had been flown through the tournament, getting a dream run really. Winning both in the First Round and Quarter Finals to love. The Semi Final against Annabelle Martin she also won easily 6-2, 6-2, yet so had her opponent in destroying Blanche Hillyard 6-1, 6-1. The kerfuffle at the gate this very morning had only served to fire her anger and she had taken that out on court. She remembered the words again.

"I am sorry madam but your...lady cannot go in with you."

"And why not?"

"Well, she is....black."

"Oh my God, ...........I have just noticed! You are aware that I am here to play the ladies final and that these women are my ladies in waiting?" She turned to Karl Hartmann, one of her bodyguards. "Karl, this man.."

Thankfully at that time William Renshaw the President appeared. "Is there a problem Your Majesty?"

"It seems your man here won't let my ladies into the arena Billy. I would hate not to be able to play when you have 7000 expecting a rematch of last year."

"Smith you fool, let the Empress and her ladies into the arena now man."

"But..."

"Get out of my sight man!"

Now it had all come to the final set. Dodd had been slow to get going and she had breezed through the first set fueled by anger and adrenalin 6-1 before her opponent had started to come back, finding a rhythm of her own in taking the second 6-4. Now it was an arm wrestle and she had finally manged to coax the advantage, serving at nine games to eight. Her opponent was far more skilled with the older racket, likely played games far more regularly as well. Yet she had greater power and greater reach and she could sense her opponent tiring. A drop shot caught Lottie Dodd short and tired her further, only to be offset by a double fault. An excellent return that caused her to net her shot left her down 15-30 before a forehand winner saw it even. Finally a baseline exchange saw an unforced error by Dodd and herself up 40-30. She mustered up all her anger, at the gateman, at her opponent, even at Rudolf for not coming with her and channeled it into power and focus. The serve was a thing of perfection, cutting the line and taking the championship for the third time in four years.

She looked up at Maria Mosoni, Laura Paton, her other ladies. She had won it, reversed last years result. It was likely the last time. Massively increased duties would preclude participation in such frivolities in future as it was time to place away whom she had been and embrace who she was, a Sovereign and a mother. It was a pleasant way to round out such activities, however.

July 1892-Royal marriages, changes of governor

8 July 1892, Hofburg, Vienna, Triple Monarchy

Rudolf was gratified to receive the telegram from his wife to indicate not only that she has won, but that her departure for the Congo was near. Very near, since the point of origin was Sheerness, where the ship was docked. It was early morning and it would be a busy day. Firstly he would receive Franz Ferdinand who would be present as his wife was elevated to the status of Duchess of Langau, clearing the way for a marriage later in the year.

Earlier this same year he had performed a similar service for Milli Stubel, elevating her to Baroness Lavant and legitimising the secret marriage that had occurred in 1890. With his wife pregnant and nigh on 40, Johann Salvador was concerned and desired a return as soon as possible, therefore Rudolf had recommended his old friend Count Sámuel Teleki de Szék, a man of sound financial mind and an old African hand to his wife. Rudolf was to meet him today and he would sail from Pola two days hence for Marienburg to take up his new post as Governor. He would be accompanied by his former friend and companion Lieutenant Ludwig von Höhnel who would take charge of what would be a permanent naval base at Cabinda, consisting of four torpedo boats and the gunboat/minelayer Dromedar. The value of the oil in the area, as well as other items more than warranted a small naval presence.

August 1892- Popper and the sisters

20 August 1892, STT Yards, Trieste, Austro-Hungarian Empire

Captain Siegfried Popper was deep in the bowels of what would be the large armoured cruiser Viribus Unitis, as he had been in her sister Prinz Eugen a few days before. The ship's building was proceeding at a sedate pace, slowed by the newness of the systems that were being put in place, however, the shipyards was buzzing with activity and there was no reason to suspect that both ships would not be launched in the first quarter of 1893, when fit out would then commence.

There were large numbers of new systems, electric generators were not new, neither was the unusual fact that neither ship was equipped with torpedo tubes. However, electric pumps were, as was the combination coal and sprayed oil power plant, as was the all 9.2 inch gun main armament, the new design bulkheads, even the new external cuprous oxide paint that had been developed for her hull.

The Kaiser had been most involved every step of the way in terms of much of the new innovation, firing off notes to his office at least once per week. At 11,600 tons, they were very large ships, more than 50% bigger than anything built before. Fast as well as 25 knots. The fitting out process should take less time with the turrets and also the hoist and other gunnery technical equipment already on site and awaiting launch. That should see the ships commission in mid 1894, their third sister that had commenced seven months ago at Ganz in Fiume would of course take longer.

August 1892-Preparing to catch a Tsar and a mouse

25 August 1892, Schonbrunn Place, Vienna, Triple Monarchy

It had been a most satisfying trip to the Congo. She had only visited Cabinda and Marienburg, but it was enough to gain the sense that for the colony and indeed the people at large, things were turning around. Cabinda in particular was growing rapidly in size, as was the refuelling station and port at Kap Weiss. Johann Salvator had performed an excellent job and she had high hopes for the new Governor, who seemed a sensible man who would not be overawed. He was not indifferent to the fates of the native inhabitants on one had, yet was aware of the need for development for the good of all from the other. One thing seemed clear and that was that the affection that some of the native peoples showed her was not feigned.

To that end she had pledged 160,000 Krone for a modern hospital at Cabinda, a second 120,000 for a smaller facility in Katanga, which lacked any real infrastructure at all. The railway construction was still ongoing, now 237 kilometres into it’s 366 kilometre journey. The project was now at a stage where it’s likely completion would be towards the end of 1893. It made little sense to then break up the skilled railway constructions crews that had been assembled and she was already planning a second portage railway between Kisankani and Ubundu. At half the distance of the current construction, it should be a 30 month or more project but would allow yet further penetration into the interior of the country and bridge the block that the Stanley Falls provided.

There had been little in the way of a break, back less than a day and already preparations were well underway for the visit of Alexander III in six days’ time. Her eyesight was taken yet again by the small distraction of movement. That was the second one she had seen today. Honestly. The hot weather seemed to be bringing the animals into the palace.
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It was later that night that the Kaiser had come back to the palace after a day of full discussions at the War Ministry to see his wife busy at an old sewing table with a hammer and some bits of metal, as well as a wooden block.

“What on earth are you doing Steffi?”

“Can you believe they do not have any bloody mousetraps in this day and age? I had fancied I could make one myself, however, I don’t think my metalworking skills are quite up to snuff, even though I did get a spring manufactured. You get the general idea though?”

“Yes, of course I get the general idea, should have thought of it myself really.”

“Don’t worry my sweet, not everyone can be as brilliant as your wife. Rudi, how about we patent this one? We can use the money for a couple of charitable causes, it is not like we need it after all.”

“Yes, of course. I hope you are well into the swing of things, we have the Tsar here in six days and he is a very prickly customer in terms of protocol and the like. You know you are better at that stuff than I am.”

“Yes, I am on it, don’t worry.”

“On it? I gather that is another one of your charming little ‘modernities’?”

“Indeed it is. I am tired and am longing for bed. I have missed you while I have been away. How about you get on something else? Like me.”

August 1892-A very secret treaty

31 August 1892, Schonbrunn Palace, Vienna, Triple Monarchy

Every effort had been made to fete the Tsar as his train steamed into Vienna early that Wednesday morning. Golubtsy for lunch, afterwards they had broken into a small group and played a few games of boules to help lighten the mood. She had partnered with Alexander III and had kept up a solid stream of chatter in Russian to both flatter and hopefully charm the gruff Russian monarch whist Rudolf partnered his wife. She had asked about Nicholas and seemingly Alexander III was coming around towards giving his son some duties in relation to the Empire and he seemed charmed by his new daughter-in-law.

They had gone over last night together the tack to take with Alexander III, who was still smarting from the termination of the Reinsurance Treaty, was an Anglophobe and also had a virulent personal hatred of Wilhelm II. The Tsar was gruff and direct and it was easy to see why Queen Victoria classified him as a "monarch who is not a gentleman." Yet for all those features, Alexander III was exactly that, direct. He said exactly what he meant, no diplomatic double talk. The current Russian ambassador, Anton Graf von Wolkenstein-Trostburg, had once suggested in 1885 when eating with the Tsar that Austria may move up two Army Corps to the frontier in response to some of the uncertainties of the Panjdeh Incident. Alexander III's response had been quick and decisive. He had actually used his enormous strength to quickly tie a silver fork in a knot, flinging it in front of Von Wolkenstein-Trostburg with the words "that is what I will do to your two Army Corps." His very directness meant that you could at least be sure of his intentions. He liked Russian things, family and the simple life, yet was sensitive to slights none the less.

It was later that night that they settled to discuss the secret treaty that Alexander III had come to sign. He was typically straight to the point. "So, Serbia, Bosnia and Albania in your sphere of influence, in return Tsargrad to Russia, Romania and Bulgaria in our sphere of influence?"

Rudolf replied. "Yes, in return you assist in restraining Romania's Transylvanian aspirations, whilst we solidly support your possession of Tsargrad. You support the creation of an Albania and the elevation of a Hapsburg King and confirm the current Galician border."

"Do you have such a candidate for King?"

"Yes, indeed I do. Young Peter Ferdinand, more sensible than his older brothers and as a third son in line for nothing at all. He will need a wife, of course."

"That can be arranged. I have someone tucked away in France when the time comes."

"What about Germany and Wilhelm II?"

"Well dear Willy will no doubt be furious, however, it will eventually come down to who he and the German Foreign Ministry see as the most viable ally, ourselves or the Ottomans. I think we both know the answer to that. They cannot move against us militarily as it would mean fighting us, you and the French. What of the French?"

"They want and indeed need this alliance more than we in Russia do. There are advantages but not so many that they cancel out gaining the Straits. What I fear is a Franco-British alliance or a Franco-German one to oppose us as I do not want war to spread beyond where we desire it."

"The biggest threat to peace is a Franco-Russian alliance. The French desire an ally, to end the diplomatic isolation enforced by Bismarck. The reason for this is quite clear. They crave a rematch of 1870 and see themselves this time as the victors whilst they hold their ground and the great Russian steamroller crushes Prussia and takes Berlin. This would be a war that would draw in other powers, indeed, we could hardly refuse a request for assistance from Germany against a totally unprovoked attack. It is a recipe for disaster for all sides."

"Yet the French provide badly needed loans for development within Russia."

"There is little to say that we could not finance such loans here and of course the very taking of the Straits would provide an a huge wealth boost to Russia itself, not to mention the fact it will be the crowing achievement of your reign to retake Constantinople for Christianity."

"And if we are opposed by a Franco-British or Franco-German alliance?"

"Germany will not come against us militarily, nor against you without our support. That they will not have. As for a Franco-English alliance, if all Balkans states are with us, who are they to assist? Plus to go against all the small powers will remove any influence of both France and Britain from the region for years to come. No, I think not. Diplomatic maneuvering, protests, yes. War, no. The French will see they still need you, perhaps more than ever if you assume a more powerful position. The English may be inclined to war, but not by themselves, never by themselves. They like others to fight their wars for them. With Gladstone now in power that will be doubly true. They have already come to us and asked us to assist them in the Sudan, where they have been evicted post haste.

There in the Sudan I say we can assist in conjunction with helping Abyssinia both to mollify the British for what may come later and to gain influence within Abyssinia itself."

"Should we take steps to move this timetable up?"

"I think not, best to let things take their course naturally. Things in Eastern Anatolia will splutter into flame sooner rather than later and in the meantime, I have commenced some work to encourage Italian ambitions in relation to Tripoli. The flame may burn for sometime but eventually a power keg will be found."

"Well then, we wait. I will consult and maybe tomorrow we sign what must, of course, be a secret treaty."

"Naturally, naturally."

"Of course, for the implementation of such a strategy both of us must be in agreement that it is the right time."

"Naturally."

"The Greeks?"

"I think we let them know only at the time that there is a portion of the cake waiting and that all they need to do is avail themselves of it."

"Very well."

September 1892- Rearming an old lady

12 September 1892, Pola, Triple Monarchy

The old battleship, now renamed Hapsburg, was finally docked and ready to begin her transformation. The ship itself was not in bad condition, having been refitted in 1890 and for that reason Rudolf had decided to keep her, as well as the diplomatic aspects of scrapping a gift too soon. The primary change would be quite drastic, the removal of the huge 750 ton 16 inch turrets that took a minute to train and up to four minutes to load and fire. The range on the short barrelled 16 inch guns was nothing to write home about either, some 7000 meters only.

No, the Navy had supplies already of the 9.2 inch gun and so five would be fitted in the old battleship, all five able to fire on the broadside and all of which had a range superior to the old 16 inch guns. the two torpedo carriages would also be removed. It was a light armament for such a large ship but would serve to drop her displacement a full thousand tons or more and her crew numbers to just over 400, leaving her with good accommodations and capacity to maintain a speed of between 15 and 16 knots, as well as increased stability. Her incredible armour would be maintained.

It would require ordering two more twin 9.2 inch turrets from Britain but that could be arranged easily enough. She would likely come out of refit and reconstruction in mid 1893, which would be on the cusp of when the new battlecruisers arrived as well. At that time the old Tegettoff would be retired or likely sold to Spain.

At best the old ex Royal Navy vessel would be a second line ship, yet her huge armour made her suitable for coastal bombardment as well as shore protection duties.

September 1892-Reluctant change in Transleithania

18 September 1892, Budapest, Triple Monarchy

The five men sat around the table, an attitude of sombre reflection spreading over the room, somewhat reinforced by the chill wind of an unseasonably cold day. It was Gyula Szapáry who spoke first. "What do we do? We have had the police crack down on the protestors, even last week the Honved. Yet this week they are back again with even bigger crowds and the mood has become ugly rather than peaceful."

"Worse still we have lost the newspapers" Minister-President Albin Csáky interjected. "They have openly denounced the handling of the demonstrators and unless we change tack in some way there is no question at all worse is to come. I agree, where do we go from here? That is the question."

Most eyes traveled to Kálmán Tisza. "With regret Albin I think it is time that I briefly took the reigns as Minister-President yet again. There are no other options. I fear we were not thinking clearly when we received news of the changes in Cisleithania. The reality of the matter is that in the recent elections every person voted. Oh, it sounds like a virtual paradise of earth for the uneducated masses and these hysterical women that demand the vote, however, Rudolf has actually been very clever. Yes, they vote in all cases where they can prove their literacy to do so, but by manipulating the Curia system real power stays in responsible hands.

Much as we may dislike the situation, compromises will need to be made. For that reason, we need to announce a giving of what the masses think they want here as well. Universal voting, women as well. However, I think we can draw some lessons from what has occurred in Cisleithania. First, concede but delay. We announce these changes will take effect. From the next election. Since we have just had such an election, that means no change until 1896. Secondly, we remove the current allocation of 24 seats from Hungary and three from Croatia allocated to some of the poorer classes and combine them with a new allocation of say 45 seats, making 72 as a whole that will be elected by in this case a second Curia from those that do not meet the normal income requirements for voting. 72 seats out of 501 will still allow us to control 429 of the parliamentary seats and even though we will announce 72, it's really only those 45 or so. It is far from as generous as arrangements in Cisleithania and I don't think it needs to be. We simply need to make some concessions, not give away the main part of the cake.

This may also stave off some of the more uncomfortable questions regarding the future of Croatia-Slavonia, at least I hope so. Make no mistake, this may well split the party and will be wildly unpopular in some quarters, therefore, I feel it should be me that shoulders the responsibility and no doubt blame. Since there will be a need to get suitable numbers to pass such an action, I can use my influence to do so. This could fracture the party although I am hoping to keep it together, plus such a measure will likely be a career killer, therefore better done by a man at the end of his career than one at the start. It all sounds unpleasant I know, yet we have no choice. Not really. What are your thoughts?"

Reluctantly among those present, there was a general consensus.

October 1892-Pimps, prostitutes and promotions

14 October 1892, Nusswaldgasse 18, Dobling, Vienna, Triple Monarchy

Yes, he had finally done what was required and was now well set up and funded. How rapidly things had changed from the disgraceful circumstances that he had fled Russia in. First the chance meeting in Odessa, then the mission to Africa that had brought him to the attention of Major August von Spiess. They had negotiated a trade and friendship treaty with the Emperor of Ethiopia Menelik II that involved both Russia and Austria providing assistance with the supply of more modern military hardware and future military advisors in exchange possible future assistance in the Sudan.

He had no desire to go back to Russia, at least for the foreseeable future and Von Spiess, impressed with the fact that he had saved his life by shooting several Arab slavers, had introduced him as a useful man to Arthur von Gieslingen, the head of the Evidenzbureau. There he had been able to demonstrate his complete command of not only Russian but English, French, German, Polish and Trasiankan. Thus he had gained employment and adopted the name Sigwalt Roos, putting away Sigmund Rosenblum for good.

He had been given a simple enough task, to work within the working class areas of the city and monitor chatter as to the general feelings of the public in regards the performance of the Government and indeed the Royal couple that now ran this vast Empire and feed this chatter back to the Evidenzbureau. Naturally, he was also to keep his eye out for direct threats as well. This was seemingly all part of the large general expansion of the Evidenzbureau at large. It was a small assignment, as was his appointment to the pay grade of a Zugsfuhrer. However, this was wholly inadequate for his ambitions and he had thought long and hard as to a way to not only increase his income but increase his effectiveness so that he did not need to spend long hours at dingy public houses gathering information. Sigwalt Roos would be better employed gathering secrets in rather more rarefied air, if only he could convince others of the desirability of such an outcome.

It was then that he had met Paula, who worked at the brothel at Nusswaldgasse 18, just along from the bizarre Zacherlfabrik, newly rebuilt to resemble a Turkish Mosque, even though it was an insecticide factory. The building was a Vienna landmark. It had taken only a week to learn all about the brothel run by Ludwig Stukel just along from the factory and very popular to. When Stukel was gone one Sunday, as he was every week to dine with his aged and infirm mother, Paula brought Sigwalt to the establishment, explaining that he was Ludwig Stukel's nephew.

When Stukel never made it back to his establishment and was found floating in the canal, his nephew naturally took over his functions. In the last two weeks Roos's information flow back to Arthur von Gieslingen had tripled and the girls were only beginning to understand what questions to ask. Soon he could cease his own nocturnal activities and then use his new found wealth to get invited to the "right" circles where gossip of rather more significance could then be gleaned and Sigwalt Roos, the imagined third son of a German merchant banker from Kolomea, could then enter society at large and perhaps eventually, an advantageous match could be found.

October 1892- Machine guns, mothers and Olympics

16 October 1892, Hofburg, Vienna, Triple Monarchy

"I thank you for your summons Your Majesty, your letter was most interesting."

"Thank you for making the trip Basil. It appears that the wheel has come full circle. The gun you discredited in Vienna in 1887 is now about to be ordered from you. All that remains to be discussed now is licensing and unit price."

"Well with the tripod mount you have specified, we could quote a price of 220 pounds or 1200 Krone per unit."

"Well Basil, you are not tempting me with a price at that amount. What about a discount for a bulk buy, say 100 units?"

"I suppose for a large order, say the 100, I could agree on a price of 200 pounds per unit."

Rudolf laughed. "Basil, Basil, I am sure you can do better than that. You are already quite famous. The man who forced Nordenfelt out, the Young Turk of armaments, some even call you the Merchant of Death. A huge deal would seal your position and I am thinking a huge deal. What say a deal for 800 units and a a license to manufacture 2000 more over five years? What would the price be in these circumstances?

Basil Zaharoff's head swum. Such an order was enormous, at a time when the British Army had purchased a mere 180 guns. Such an order could place him onto the board of Maxim-Nordenfelt Guns and Ammunition Company and for that he could forgo most, if not all of his normal commission arrangements. In the finish he was able to retain some and a price of 175 pounds per unit still left a worthwhile profit margin. The license would cost a further 8000 pounds and 5 pounds per unit produced.
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16 October 1892, Achilleion Palace, Gastouri, Corfu, Kingdom of Greece

They had been hacking the horses and had finally brought them to the beach to swim before doing so themselves.

"That is a remarkable swimming action" said Sissi as she splashed in the shallows.

"Yes, I find it much more effective than breaststroke."

"I am amazed at your transformation these last four years. It is like you are a different person."

"I think I just discovered both my niche and my self confidence. Mother, I have a task I wish you to help me with."

"What would that be?"

"I have talked to Rudolf about women being allowed into the Army in Medical and Nursing areas. I would like to call these ladies the Empress Elizabeth's Medical Corps. Just like the ladies in Army Headquarters Administration would be called the Empress Stephanie Clerical Corps. I think for the Medical Corps that this will give it suitable prestige, indicate you are behind such a move and make it more attractive for Hungarian girls as well."

"I think...yes, that would be an excellent idea. You really have a lot of influence with my son, don't you?"

"I love him and I am quite certain he loves me."

"Ah yes, love. If only it was so easy. They say love can be the death of duty yet in my marriage it was the other way around. Yet I feel regret. I miss him, or at least a part of him, all the same. I wish I was closer to Rudolf, even MV."

"Well, there is still time and am not blocking such a chance, although you would need to spend more time in Vienna as we are largely anchored there now. When I think back four years I saw no chance for us to be here, now, given our previous antipathy."

Sissi laughed. "Yes, that is true. I know Erszi will be keen to ride her pony again. She shows some real promise." She looked at the other ladies splashing in the waist deep water. "You really need to do something about that girl. She cannot ride at all. Looks like a sack of potatoes in the saddle."

"Mother, she has had a hard life. Harder than any of us can possibly imagine I wager. If I am going to be Queen of the Congo I need to assist those who require it and have a constant reminder of just how hard life can be there. She needs structure, a home, friendship, love. Noblesse oblige. In return she will provide loyalty. Laura is a very pleasant girl, if a bit skittish. Why don't you help her? It is not like I can teach her anything meaningful on a horse, after all. You are reputedly the best horsewomen in the world, perhaps even the best horse person since there is nothing a man can do that a women can not do equally well."

"Piss standing up."

Stephanie laughed. "You may have me there." before continuing on.

"That brings me to another point. I noticed the success of the of the 1889 Paris World Exhibition. I thought that we might repeat the efforts of 1873 and have a World Exhibition in Budapest in 1896 to mark the 1000th anniversary of the Hungarian state. Since the Parliament building will be near exterior completion at the time, as well as the first stage of the underground, we can use the city as a showcase. I was thinking of a dual theme, firstly the Treasures of Africa, secondly International fraternal co-operation via Sport. To that end a series of sporting contests from different nations similar to the ancient Olympics here in Greece. With your status in Hungary, Rudolf and I were hoping you may assist."

"That is a very interesting idea. Yes, I will help. Send the girl to me. I will help with that to, also with that hair of hers, it looks almost untameable when wet but I do have some ideas."

"Thank you mother."

June 1893- Hungarian-American

24 June 1893, Fiume, Triple Monarchy

Gottfried Schenker was happy with the arrangements. In conjunction with Scottish shipping merchant William Burrell they had negotiated the final purchase of the financially troubled Turnbull, Scott and Co shipping line that had fallen on hard time by losing two ships in three years, one lost at sea and another seized by the Russians as compensation after a collision.

Burrell was a master at buying up ships at periods of low prices, such as now when the American market had fallen during the recent financial crisis. That left him the joint owner of five ships, all between 1675 tons and 2750 tons, mostly banana boats that plied the South American trade.

Schenker had not been idle whilst all this had occurred. Negotiations with the Hungarian Government had enabled a promise of the provision of port facilities at Fiume free of charge and the waiver of customs duties for eight years if he would base himself at Fiume rather than Trieste.

He had also met with the Kaiser as well as his wife and Rudolf had been more than happy to to grant him his request, a Royal Warrant to carry mail much as Austro-Lloyd already had, however, this was exclusively to ports South of 30 degrees North in the Americas, South Africa and Australia, routes ignored by Austro-Lloyd.

It had been an intriguing conversations, with the Kaiserin asking if he planned to transport cargoes in containers. He was unsure what 'containers' actually were but he had another meeting next week to confirm and receive such warrants and planned to ask more.

With the five ships acquired, as well as two 750 tons sister ships and a 3200 ton steel four masted barque contributed by Burrell they would comprise the start of Hungarian-American lines, with routes to Charleston, Caracas, Rio and the River Plate, as well as Luanda and Cape Town.

It was an interesting morning, the papers full of news of the American financial crash, the sinking of the British Mediterranean Fleet flagship Victoria in a collision on exercises and the drowning of her Admiral. It was somewhat ironic that as he was taking his tea, the former British but now Austrian battleship Hapsburg was steaming away from the Cadet School, having recently been refitted with 9.2 inch guns and commissioned into the Navy.

Schenker had introduced groupage consignments by train. He had also purchased six of Daimler's new 'trucks' for local Vienna deliveries. His motto was "house to house transport with one single forwarder" and the next logical step was sea transport, especially to the poorly served Dalamtian ports not properly connected to the Empire's rail networks. The real dream was, of course, Trans Atlantic forwarding.

July 1893- Pallets and parenthood

1 July 1893, Hofburg, Vienna, Triple Monarchy

“Sweetheart?” Rudolf heard the groaning, and poked his head round the corner to find Stephanie bent over the washbasin, pressing a wet flannel to the back of her neck. She seemed a bit green, and a bit angry looking with her narrowed blue eyes and furrowed brows. “Again?”

“I swear it was the lamb” she said, glowering at him as though he had personally gone into the palace kitchen and requested the chef serve her the offending dish.

Rudolf pressed a hand to his heart. “Should I cancel?”

Stephanie stood up, swayed a little on her feet, then shook her head. “No. I just…need…” She glanced at the counter and huffed at the sight of her. “Send me my ladies. Give me twenty minutes to not look like I just vomited up an organ. Besides he wants to talk to me not you.”

Rudolf opened his mouth to argue, to tell her to get in bed after two days of keeping nothing much down, of her bent over at the waist, him asking, “Are you okay?” and her hissing, “Do you think I’m okay?” But he also saw the determined look in her eye and knew she would not be swayed.

Stephanie managed to get herself together. Ginger seemed to be the best at present. After 30 minutes she was ready to see Schenker.

“Stephanie,” he said carefully, only slightly afraid of her increased wrath “it might be time to get seen.”

He winced, expecting a harsh glare, but instead he got a tiny sigh and a thump as she let her head drop. “I know,” she said. “I’ll call in the doctor after this. I mean, it’s probably nothing more than food poisoning but I need something to still my stomach.”

He reached over and brushed a lock of hair away from her ear, and let his fingers trail down the side of her neck. She let out a soft hum and leaned into the touch, her eyes fluttering shut. “That feels nice.”

Rudolf did less during the Schenker meeting than Stephanie, who was busy explaining something she called containerised freight after he had awarded Schenker the Imperial and Royal Mail contracts. He kept mentally wandering off, distracted by his wife's illness and the banality of the subject. Schenker did not seem to mind and in fact seemed entranced by the concept of standardised metal containers and wooden rectangles to sit freight on, as well as thoughts on how to move the rectangles around on hand trolleys. He waited until after the meeting was over before coming back to his wife. Schenker seemed beside himself with enthusiastic energy and departed with a grin.

"You know I have the Army meeting now. Lie down and I will have the doctor summoned."

"Yes, you may be right."

He stopped by their bedroom door and the noise was clear. She was crying. The sobs were muffled, but they were distinct, and Rudolf’s heart plummeted into his stomach. He should have skipped that meeting, stayed with her.

Breathing for a second, he pushed the door open and stepped inside. The curtains were drawn, and the lights were off, but he could see her crouched at the foot of the bed, clutching a pillow to her middle, her face buried in it. The sobs stopped when he entered, but she didn’t look up, not even as he crouched down and put a hand on her shoulder.

“Darling” he said, carefully easing his arms round her waist. She softened against him, but still didn’t move, so he pressed up against her back and buried his face in her neck. “Whatever it is, it’s okay. We can…we’ll get through it together.”

“Rudolf,” she said, her voice thick with tears. She cleared her throat and turned her head to the side. In the dim light coming from just under the curtains, he could see her cheeks and eyes puffy, stained with tear tracks. She licked her lips and tried again. “Rudolf I…”

“Tell me,” he pressed, holding her even closer. “It’ll be alright,” he said aloud.

“Rudolf,” she said, raising her voice just slightly “I’m pregnant.”

He tried to keep himself together, tried to formulate something, anything, that could be considered a response to what she had said. He had thought it would not happen again. Pregnant. Oh. God.

“I…” he said. And cleared his throat. “I.”

“Yeah,” she said with a strained laugh.

“Thank God. You know I am a poor Catholic, but thank God.”

He was dizzy with the realization, and a little terrified, yes. But he’d never been so sure of something in his entire life.

“A baby” he murmured.

Her cheeks went instantly pink, and she laughed, the sound high and tight. “It’s not a baby yet. It’s just an idea, Rudolf. We don’t even know if it’ll last. But one must hope.”

He brushed his hand through her hair, and kissed her temple, and closed his eyes without letting himself imagine what a child they created would look like. Not yet. It wasn’t time to get attached now. Maybe when she was less scared, and finished crying. “We’re going to be parents again, if we’re meant to be” he said. “Stephanie…I love you.”

Tears were spilling down her cheeks now, and she wiped them away with the back of her hand. “This is the pregnancy” she insisted through a sobbing laugh. “I don’t…I don’t cry.”

He laughed with her, his own eyes stinging, and he clutched the box hard enough to hurt. “I know. I know you don’t. Of course it’s the baby.”

Rudolf looked her. She looked back. They both promptly burst into laughter.

July 1893- The commencment of KuK common army changes

12 July 1893, Mauerbach, Triple Monarchy

The attack by both Infanterieregiment Hoch-und Deutschmeister Nr.4 and it's supporting Calvary Battalion had faltered and then been deemed to have been a total failure, despite the fact that the 4th's Corp's mate Infanterieregiment Freiherr von Giesl Nr.16 was not in that strong a position defensively. However, they were able to occupy a small wooded hillock and had used this wisely to set up a position offering good fields of fire to the 32 Maxim guns that they possessed. Things had been bad enough for the Infantry but when Major General Oberst Johann Ritter von Streeruwitz had thrown in his cavalry in an attempt to assist his infantry things had gotten much worse. Raked by both machine gun fire and mortar bombs, his troops had been quickly dispersed for the purposes of the exercise.

It was a most impressive demonstration of the new weapons that were now reaching the Common Army. Already over 550 Maxim guns had been delivered, 400 in one batch from Nordenfelt two months ago along with a note from Basil Zaharoff and a case of Krug. Production was also speeding up at Styer, with a contract also given to FEG that would commence soon. Skoda were producing the small mortars, G Roth the more specialised flamethrowers. Already 12 Regiments had been so equipped and within 12 months it was hoped that 30 would be so equipped.

All twelve that had received the new equipment had been reorganised on the new model, with three larger Platoons per Company and an Assault Company per Regiment. They had also received priority for the first of the new uniforms which most of the rank and file praised as being far more comfortable than the old. It would be a gradual process likely taking until the turn of the century, but gradually the Army was undergoing a process of transformation that involved very modest increases in manpower, yes, but at the same time a large transformation in terms of weaponry and tactics that went with such weaponry.

There was still much to be done, notably with field artillery, communications and co-operation with the three national Army's, but things were starting to change. Despite the Army stalling, within a couple of months some women would also undergo basic training and be deployed to operational units in medical and clerical areas, freeing up some men for deployment elsewhere.

July 1893- Naval musings

20 July 1893, STT Shipyards, Trieste

Siegfried Popper watched as the last of the 9.2 inch dual turrets was lowered into place on Prinz Eugen. Both her and her sister now had all of their main armament aboard and were perhaps twelve months away from commissioning. He himself had been surprised at the lack of interest from foreign powers in the ships, however, cruisers, even large armoured cruisers, did not attract the level of attention that battleships did, at least by powers other than the commerce raider conscious British, and as of yet little attention seemed to have been paid by foreign powers to the somewhat revolutionary layout of the main armament.

He had received a request from Thomas Brassey asking for specifications of the new class for publication in his Naval Annual, however, after discussions with the Kaiser he had understated the planned speed quite dramatically. The classes basic details would no doubt see the light in the 1894 Annual but by that stage the first two would be almost complete and the third hopefully launched and fitting out.

What would attract attention was the construction of an all big gun capital ship. The Kaiser had indicated that once the Prinz Eugen Class ships were completed and tested fully, likely towards the end of 1896, he would make funds available for construction of just such a ship, which he had also indicated that he wished to be oil fired, itself a major innovation, although oil was a quantity in plentiful supply in Austria. To Popper's knowledge Kaiser Rudolf had already asked Skoda the feasibility of building guns and double turrets for 305mm guns for such a ship.

The Kaiser had some interesting ideas in regards to ship design, many of them surprisingly innovative, others flights of fancy like the possibility of using aerial balloons to scout for ships, but there was little doubting his enthusiasm and the Navy, whilst perhaps even smaller than five years ago, was now a sharp fighting force rather than harbour bound and largely moribund. This was all to the good for what had increased dramatically was the amount of shipping that Trieste, in particular, was now handling. With trade on the upswing and increased overseas commitments, there was an increasing need for a naval presence outside the Adriatic and possible naval rivals outside of Italy were now in the picture.

July 1893- Skoda and artillery

29 July 1893, Skoda Works, Triple Monarchy

"It is going to take the engineers some time I think Your Majesty, before they can fully solve the issues in relation to fluid leakage in relation to Haussner's patent and this proposed 7cm gun. However, we are working on it and have made progress, just not enough for any sort of prototype. I feel we are at least 12 months or possibly more away from that. However, the implications are all too obvious. Without the need to relay the gun, the rate of fire can be increased dramatically."

"You have an adequate number of engineers and funding?"

"Yes, thank you. It is more an issue of solving the actual technical problems."

"Well that is good. That being the case I have something else for you to investigate."

Emil Škoda inwardly groaned. Whilst it was good to have attracted the Kaiser's attention and order such as the new mortars and machine guns had helped his business, the Kaiser seemed inordinately interested in new innovations and much of the research team's time was tied up with little to recommend itself for in the way of profits, at least in the short term.

Kaiser Rudolf unrolled a large technical drawing from a map case before placing it one the table. "This is a new design for an artillery carriage I have been thinking about and have gotten drawn up by a draftsman. Now, as you can see, the trail consists of two hinged legs. This should allow for greater stability, although some degree of articulation would have to be used on very uneven ground.

It should allow the gun to have a much greater arc of traverse than a conventional set up, in addition it should also allow the gun crew to work within the legs close to the breech without having to lean across the trail to load. Now, if the gun was also manufactured with a shield, the gun crew should be offered a measure of protection from small arms fire on three sides. Finally, this type of arrangement should make it much easier to elevate the gun when required."

Škoda was intrigued and waved a man over. "Vaclav, this is the Kaiser."

"Oh, hello Your Majesty."

"Hello."

"Can you look over His Majesty's drawings of a new type of carriage for the Děvka and let me know your thoughts whilst we greet some of the employees."

Rudolf walked off to meet some of the production floor employees. "You named the new gun after a prostitute?"

"Not my idea. The men came up with it as they said the problems associated with this had them, well, fucked."

Rudolf roared with laughter. "Quite, well quite."

"If anyone's opinion is worthwhile having it's Vaclav. Man is a genius at problem solving."

It was 40 minutes later when the dapper mid 30's engineer came back. "Your thoughts?" asked Škoda.

"You designed this yourself Your Majesty?"

Rudolf nodded whist Skoda looked displeased. The younger man looked again at the Kaiser.

"Well it is really quite interesting work. Very interesting. I can see that access to the breech would be much improved for the crew which will increase rate of fire no doubt. It should also be much easier to traverse so a much more flexible weapon in terms of where it fires.

On the downside, unless the hydraulic recoil system upon which we are working is solved, this gun will be more difficult to re-position after firing. The seemingly difficulty of towing could be solved by having hinged arms that allow fold back into the cavity, allowing for a single towing point I would think, however, there is no doubt the arms will need to be longer than a conventional carriage which will increase the weight of the gun and the problems with re-positioning.

I would say that if we can solve the hydraulic recoil on Děvka then a design that used this carriage would be a small problem indeed to create compared to our current one and that overall the advantages are large indeed."

"Well then", said Rudolf "keep working on it. The Army had a complete renewal of their artillery in 1880. If we can get these new features in designs, then orders will no doubt follow that exceed those of 1880."

Škoda sighed. The problems needed to be solved first but the Kaiser was right, this could provoke a frenzy of new orders, not only from inside the Empire. Distantly he tuned back into the Kaiser's voice "and the 305mm naval guns?"

"Possible Sir, although we would need at least two years notice to commence production on such large pieces."

"I see no problem there. I do not anticipate that such guns will need to be started in the next three years at the earliest."

August 1893-Diplomacy and the death of the Franco-Russian alliance

6 August 1893, Schonbrunn Palace, Vienna, Triple Monarchy

International diplomacy could be a tiresome business. Currently the state had a secret agreement in concert with Serbia involving Russia and Bulgaria. He had established personal friendships with the man that would likely be the future Russian Tsar.

At the same time it was also part of the Triple Alliance of Germany, itself and Italy. Relations with Germany were cordial as well, marred only by his personal dislike of Wilhelm and the German nationalist movements inside his own country. Rudolf had also made overtures to the British in an attempt to establish cordial relations and he had friends inside the English establishment, most notably Fisher and the likely future Edward VII. With the Americans relations were congenial as well, boosted by new trade ties and the fruits of his Caribbean adventures. Spain and China were two powers Austria had also grown closer to.

Relations were no so rosy in other areas. He viewed the French with some suspicion, concerned that they would woo Russia away when he had performed most of what was required to win her over to his side. It was hard not to draw the conclusion that France's ultimate aim was a war that led to a recovery of what was lost in 1870 and that was very much against Austria's interests as she would be dragged into a conflict she did not want and could not possibly benefit from. Much as the events of 1866 galled him, Germany was an ally that the Triple Monarchy could not afford to forego. Much like Siamese twins, both powers need each other more than any other power and German nationalism went both ways as well-it would now be politically unacceptable to make war on a fellow German speaking power.

Italy was a power that would always be hostile unless she was ceded Istria and this was something that could never happen as it would spell the death blow of the Triple Monarchy as a major power. Trentino could perhaps be lost, but never Istria. These areas would always be a constant cause of friction between Austria and Italy and for that reason alone Italy's membership of the Triple Alliance would always be conditional. Italy's fear was that in the case of a war that it would not get what it wanted in the event of a Triple Alliance victory. For that reason he had been doing all he could via Yellow journalism to encourage her ambitions in other directions, especially towards Tripoli, something Italy felt denied ten years earlier.

It was the Ottoman Empire, at least the European part of which, he had essentially committed himself to the destruction of. The Russians would accept no less than Tsargrad and the smaller Balkan powers all wanted their part of the carcass as well. How could they not? Most territory that they would claim fell broadly within their own ethnic areas after all. Whilst the Armenians would no doubt be the catalyst for such a war, he had left that question in the hands of Russia herself. It was heartless, true, to use them as a means to an end, but at the end of the day what could Austria do in any case to influence events in a region so far away?

Earlier this same year the French tried a scheme where they pressured the Paris House of Rothschild to refuse a Russian loan, hoping to have it financed directly by the Bank of France, ostensibly based on Russia's recent mistreatment of the Jews. In 1893 Russia faced a disastrous harvest and they had to have the money on any terms. He had arranged the loan via Albert von Rothschild in Vienna as a personal favour and also guaranteeing that Southern Railway which Rothschild owned would not be nationalized for at least 20 years. This has done a great deal to cement the alliance with Russia. Russia's move towards much closer relations had not been opposed by her weak Foreign Minister Giers, who could never stand against the will of Alexander III in any case and sent his deputy Lamsdorff off to pray before he made a decision on anything. The French were largely rebuffed by the Tsar, although he did agree to "consult" if either power was threatened, a suitably vague proclamation. Alexander III was also unimpressed by the French alliance demands, which called for an immediate Russian offensive against Germany. He was certainly not opposed to Germany being destroyed, as he felt it would give him true independence, but he was well aware that German plans in case of war called for an offensive against Russia and his own plans a withdrawal into the interior much like 1812. It was not like the French would be in any immediate danger. The Austrian offer was much more attractive and did not involve another power controlling the movement of his troops. Yet strangely enough by 1893 the rise of Schlieffen to Chief of the General Staff had seen a reversal of such a German policy and a new military bill was in front of the Reichstag to give Schlieffen the men required for just such Western strategy if required.

Yet in France the desire for war or even foreign policy has sputtered and died at the end of 1892 for some time. The Panama scandal broke across Paris and France remained distracted for the first part of 1893. The detachment between France and Russia was made ever wider by Alexander III making President Carnot apologize in writing for implying Russian diplomat Arthur von Mohrenheim was involved in the scandal, heedless of the truth that he was.

The Germans, on the other hand, were not opposed to a Franco-Russian alliance. They naively supposed that this may drive the British into the arms of the Triple Alliance, an occurrence Rudolf viewed as most unlikely. There was certainly tension in Anglo-French relations, mainly in relation to the Egyptian question. However, in Egypt, much like Alsace-Lorraine, French policy and their lack of allies was condemned to sullen resentment. All they could do was demand concessions they knew the British would largely not grant.

The French hoped for better relations with the British with the arrival of Gladstone to power and indeed the man himself viewed this as a "natural course." The bulk of his cabinet had no foreign policy experience other than tried and tested isolation. Rosebery, the Foreign Secretary, stated he wished to follow a "continuity of foreign policy", a fictional policy he had himself invented. He was of the opinion that the key to the Triple Alliance was to establish a policy towards Italy and through her to the Triple Alliance. This was the policy of the previous government yet Rosebery bizarrely refused to even read the previous agreements, so as to be able to deny their existence if questioned. He simply expressed the personal view that Britain would aid Italy "if he was attacked groundlessly by France." In June he had written to Rudolf to say that the Triple Monarchy was "the natural ally of Britain", seemingly forgetting the Austrian and Italian interests rarely converged. For all Gladstone's enthusiasm, Rosebery was profoundly anti-French and so French overtures to Britain largely came to nothing, prompting President Carnot to exclaim to the explorer Monteil: "We should occupy Fashoda."

It was a sign of the poorness of such relations that on 30th July a report had reached London that the French had ordered British warships to leave Siam. Rosebery believed war was imminent and lost his nerve, appealing to Wilhelm and Rudolf for backing. The reports had already been deemed to be false but it did raise the possibility of whether Britain could be tied to the Triple Alliance in Wilhelm's mind, even if Rudolf thought such a possibility very unlikely.

The proof of the death of the Franco-Russian alliance lay in Rudolf's hand-an invitation for the KuK Fleet to visit St Petersburg and be inspected personally by the Tsar in summer 1894. It would raise questions from the Germans and the British and mightily piss of the French, but such was the way of things.

August 1893-Railways and frontiers

16 August 1893, Cape Town, Cape Colony

Cecil Rhodes looked at the telegram again. So, the railway had now reached some eight miles to the Northwest of Bulawayo, now swinging North-west on it's quest to reach the Victoria Falls and the border to Northern Zambesia. It was costing the company money, there was no question of that, yet there was also no question that progress needed to be continuously made, for more than one reason.

Firstly, whilst exploration in Southern Zambesia had been disappointing so far that was not to say that things may not change and in that case a railway across the territory would be more than useful. Secondly, there was no question that things to the North of the British South African Company Protectorate were unstable and to a large extent, far more of an extent than Cecil Rhodes would prefer, dependent on the goodwill of local potentates. If it all blew up, then the presence of a railway to train in troops to put down any likely rebellion would be invaluable.

Lastly, the Queen of the Congo had been teasing him, letting inspectors delve the copper wealth of Katanga. Getting the railroad through to the isolated area would allow for exploitation of the seemingly huge resource. Not only that, but recent reports indicated quite clearly that not all of the copper lay over the border. Much was present in Northern Zambesia as well.
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16 August 1893, Marienburg, Kingdom of the Congo

Count Sámuel Teleki de Szék looked at the telegram again just to confirm what he had read was correct. Stephanie had written to the Governor to indicate that the workers on the Matadi-Marienburg railway, now some 334 kilometers into it's 370km journey, would also receive a bonus of either two months on full pay or a lump sum of 30 Krone if they could complete the railway by the end of the year. These amounts were conditional for workers that wished to remain employed by Kongobahn and dropped to half that for those wishing to leave.

It was a generous paid offer that may well attract others to finish the project to obtain the payment. When the time came, Marienburg and Cabinda would likely be flooded by men seeking two month's time away their time drinking, gambling and whoring.

Still, whether one was white or a native, life was hard here and enjoyments hard to come by. Cabinda, in particular, had become a real frontier town with the wealth of the oil and maritime trade surging through it's veins it had swelled to a population of near 10,000, with 17 hotels, a theater and it's own small newspaper, printed Monday to Saturday in German and weekly in English, as well as a number of brothels and was now bigger than Marienburg, although not by much, and far more rougher. Yet the amount of oil exported continued to climb as Standard Oil now provided a service of three 5000 ton tankers, replacing the smaller vessels and boosting revenues.

The countryside was filled with private oil explorers looking for seeps on blocks named "African Queen", "Oil Queen", "Schwarz Kaiserin", "Sheba Queen", "Diamond Oil" and the like and dotted with camps, many with their own sly grog shops.

Once the portage railway was built, there were plans to build a second between Stanleyville and Ulundu and also Marienburg and Cabinda itself, although that would involve a substantial rail bridge over the Congo itself at Matadi of at least 600 meters, a technical challenge in such a frontier.

August 1893-Family business

22 August 1893, Schonbrunn Place, Vienna, Triple Monarchy

Oh there was no doubt the girl had the look, no doubt at all. At just 17 she had a head of chestnut hair and the characteristic Hapsburg proboscis. She was also as nervous as a rabbit.

"Come and sit down my dear. So you are my Rudolf's sister?"

"I um...would not say that. I do not know my father Your Majesty."

"Do not worry my dear, it is only us two. No matter what you mother has schooled you in, I am well aware of who's daughter you are and so is Rudolf. You can be at ease. In private you can be my husband's sister, if you wish to do so. It is only in public we must keep up the fiction."

"If you say so Your Majesty."

"Do you know why I have called you here today, without your mother, into my presence?"

Now young Maria Katarina looked really worried. "No, Your Majesty." she whispered.

"Rudolf and I have kept an eye on you and we want to know what are your ambitions in life?"

"I am not sure what I can do Your Majesty. There was a time when I thought I knew but now I do not have the means to effect such a change, my father...."

"Your stepfather burns through what little money your mother has accumulated and is now largely concerned with his mistress and due to oversights on our own part you no longer receive money from us here at the place, yet your mother can not bring herself to leave him, yes?"

"Yes" the girl whispered.

"Well then, what was your ambition?"

"To become a doctor Your Majesty. I am aware that the universities do not take women doctors, I had thought Zurich, but...."

"Well, you still have 12 months of school left as yet before University is a possibility. You are aware that this year, for the first time girls will be granted their Matura, which, if the results are good enough and I am assured yours are excellent, is this correct?"

"Yes."

"Well possession of such results should now allow your access to University. Currently Wien have only opened Philosophy to women but I believe I know the Rector, Leo Reinisch and can likely convince them to open Medicine seeing as such degrees have been granted in Switzerland for some years. How would you feel about such a thing? Or there is even the Army under the new program that admits women to nursing."

"Oh Your Majesty, I could not thank you enough, although I fear it cannot be the Army. My step father...."

"Quite. Well, you would need to work hard and pay part of your own way. I have an idea how that could be accomplished. I have friends, Colonel Arthur Freiherr Giesl von Gieslingen and his wife Laura. They have a busy life and a young child and are looking for a nurse, later perhaps a Governess. There are too many loafers in this family already, but if you work hard for them and study hard, I will pull some strings to make things happen for you."

Maria Katarina looked back at Stephanie. "I would be forever in your debt."

"Well then, I will arrange for Laura von Gieslingen to meet with you. We could meet again next week with Rudolf and if you are happy proceed from there. All you are lacking now is a name. You cannot take you mother's at Vienna University and not expect derision, being a women in medicine will be hard enough as it is, you will need a cloak of protection. How about we make your last name Berg, that seems to be quite a common appellation for the members of this family that have a somewhat..chequered past."

It was then that the door was thrown open and a ten year old girl came into the study. "Mama!"

"Erszi, what have I told you about interrupting my meetings?"

" I am sorry mama."

"Maria Katarina, this is the Crown Princess. Erszi, this young lady is your Aunt."

The girl looked confused, then accusatory. "My Aunt? I have never seen her. Where have you been? In the Congo in Africa, mother goes there? Or Siam? Both have elephants you know."

For the first time Maria Katarina smiled. "No, I have just been ...fulminating."

"Well I hardly ever see my other Aunts so you will have to do. Stay, and I can show you some pictures of elephants if you like, plus I like birds like Papa..."

September 1893- Bullets and barbarism

11 September 1893, Schwechat, Austro-Hungarian Empire

Marshal Friedrich von Beck-Rzikowsky wondered what on earth was going on and why he was in the middle of a field near Schwechat at two o'clock in the morning with the Kaiser, Ferdinand Mannlicher, a chemist he did not know called Dr Carl Auer and various hangers on. The Kaiser had insisted on taking the controls of one of Daimler's driver-less carriages for the ride from the Arsenal to Schwechat and by the time it was realized by those awaiting them they had broken down after only 30 minutes of lurching and jarring progress, they were late arriving. Indeed, it was past midnight before they were picked up walking along the road.

Then followed a trip to the paddock where he had duly stepped in the recent production of a horse before finally coming to the seeming object of their trip, another of Daimler's inventions, a truck he was told it was called. The flat cargo space had a Maxim gun mounted on a tripod and seemingly bolted to the floor and various enlisted men were in the process of conversation. Finally, he was ushered up onto a second truck. In the distance he could just make out a large pile of barrels in the gloomy, moonless night.

It was the Kaiser who spoke. "Now, Doctor Auer has been helping the Austrian Arms Factory and Mannlicher here with a new type of bullet that is more than effective in the new Maxim guns. In addition, I thought it may be an interesting diversion to see what the gun can do at night in terms of sheer destructive power and why obtaining it in bulk was so important.

He looked over at the contraption next to him, where two men carrying riles waited at the back, three more at the machine gun. Rudolf said, "Stabsfeldwebel if you please." The gun went to rapid fire, shredding much of the barrels and crates set up. The destruction was almost total as the gun fell silent. Rudolf hopped down, turning to the NCO. "If you could fit the new belt when we return please." Beck-Rzikowsky wandered over and looked at the destruction that had been wrought. It was extensive.

"Now, as you can see, some of the bullets went wide and of course we could not see what was being fired upon and whether the bullets were hitting the target or not and, of course, neither could the gun detachment. However, let us go back and see the gun fired again with Dr Auer's projectiles. They followed a circuitous route back to the trucks and Beck-Rzikowsky was prompted to ask "Your Majesty, why are two dead horses propped against the fence line?", only to get a vague "Ah yes, we will get to that."

Finally, after five minutes preparation the Maxim was ready to fire again. This time, much like the first, the target was shredded, however, what was strange was that where the guns was firing there was an eerie blue line that marked what was presumably the passing of the bullets.

The Kaiser spoke after the gun fell silent. "Doctor Auer?"

"Yes Your Majesty. Marshal, it was a very interesting idea that the Kaiser came to me with and he put me in touch with Herr Mannlicher. Not that great a technical challenge really. Just some fine magnesium, an oxidiser and and Cuprous Chloride for the colour.

Beck-Rzikowsky thought. "So, you could mark your fire using the rounds. They could be fired out of rifles?"

"Yes" said Rudolf, "there should be no issue there. The rounds," he turned to the NCO, "Stabsfeldwebel, can you please show us the belt of rounds." Rudolf took the link and shone a small torch on the bullets. "As you can see every eighth bullet has a blue tip. These are the new rounds, we have called them tracer."

Beck-Rzikowsky thought hard. Maybe this was worth a trip to a forlorn paddock in the middle of nowhere and an hour's walk after a bone jarring ride after all. "What about your horse carcasses?"

Rudolf gave a thin lipped smile. "I am glad you asked." The machine gun was quickly disassembled, leaving only the tripod and two Feldwebels came forward, both bearing the M1891, placing a six bullet clip into both. Finally Rudolf said "You may fire gentleman." A bullet hit each horse carcass, each producing a notable yellow white flash where it had hit. Again a round was fired by each sniper with the same result.

Again they climbed down to inspect the horse carcasses. It was carnage. Where the bullet had hit it was like part of the skin and sinew had exploded outwards, cauterized by some burns. Beck-Rzikowsky rounded on the chemist. "What are these? We cannot use these, it's murder, not war."

As Auer shrank back it was Rudolf who spoke. "We will not be using them Marshal, do not fear, at least on general issue. What I am proposing is to manufacture a limited run, say 50,000 units and store them, their existence to remain a secret. We can never be sure in any major conflict what method, no matter how barbaric, our enemies may use against us. In the game of war, you win or you die. Therefore, we endeavor to fight an honorable war and do not mass produce such weapons, but if something should happen, something horrific that may be used against our troops, we know that we too, have a means of response that will deter such opponents from using barbaric methods of warfare. Then they will know it to." The Kaisers face was stony, inanimate.

Beck-Rzikowsky brushed his hands over his face and hair. "Very well. What is in the hellish things in any case?"

"Herr Doctor?"

"Again, not a difficult problem as such once the Kaiser suggested it." Rudolf shot him a withering glare. "Errrr, umm, well Pictric Acid which is armed by firing, Herr Mannlicher worked out the technical details there and...err that then activates the white phosphorous on impact."

The Kaiser again spoke. "Again, I propose as small run of 50,000 units or even 20,000 so we can do enough for quality control and then we simply maintain that stock, the project to be classified as secret. The bullets do have other uses, the flash allows them to be used for range finding but to be honest I think they and the secrets of manufacture are best kept well in the dark. Hence why we have accounted for every round."

That was an understatement thought Beck-Rzikowsky. He looked at the devilish dull orange tips on the bullets and hoped they would never be used.

September 1893-Olympic kernals

18 September 1893, Hofburg, Triple Monarchy

Yes, it would do. Who knows, she might even come out of retirement if a tennis tournament was featured for women. Stephanie looked over the letter again.

Pierre Coubertin,

Monsieur, I hope this letter finds you well after your recent tour of the United States. I regret that I have not written to you sooner, however, I have had some domestic issues to resolve in relation to the proposal contained herein that required my full attention before I could bring this matter before you.

I am aware that your tour overseas has not engendered the level of interest that you may have hoped for in relation to your noble aim to revive the spirit of the ancient Greek Olympics in terms of international participation for both the aims of friendship, inter country co-operation and the glory of sport for it's own sake. To that end, we here in the oft named Triple Monarchy have resolved to hold an International Exhibition in Budapest to commemorate the 1000 years of the Magyar Kingdom. It's intended themes will be the Treasures of Africa and International Sporting Co-operation.

To that end, to honor the second theme of our exhibition, we wish to hold a revived Summer Olympics in Budapest in 1896 if you are willing to continue your sterling work in relation to trying to form an Olympic Committee at an international level to administer such games. The committee would, of course, have to decide what sports were to be contested for both men and women and the details of administration, promoting and liaison with international sporting bodies.

Here, of course, we would undertake to provide the facilities required and manufacture medals for the first 2-4 place getters. If sailing events are required, because of Budapest's location, I would suggest these be conducted at Zengg, a sheltered spot on the coast.

This would give us the chance to showcase Hungary and the city of Budapest and we will be undertaking a number of civic works to make the city as habitable as possible, including completion of the exterior of the fabulous Parliament Building and the first part of the underground railway as well as extensions to the modern electric tramways. It will also allow us to showcase both the exhibition and hence the Olympic revival of International sport to the fullest extent.

In this you would have both myself and my husband's full support, as well as that of the Kingdom of Hungary's Government and the City of Budapest. I would perhaps even come out of retirement to play in such a tennis event. If this venture is a success, then we will offer further support in terms of the provision of medals and some financial support for the next games, perhaps in 1900 at Athens, the turn of the century ushering in a return to Olympus.

Naturally such subjects as revenues to be spent and receipts to be shared must be part of further discussions. At this stage I merely wish to engage this idea with you and henceforth attract your attention. I await your response.

Stephanie

Empress of Austria, Queen of Hungary, Czechia and Congo, et all

September 1893-Lado enclave

27 September 1893, Hofburg, Vienna, Triple Monarchy

Two telegrams, two vastly different subjects. Firstly a very quick response from Pierre Coubertin requesting a meeting at earliest convenience.

Secondly, a missive from the Marquess of Ripon in the Colonial Office. It proposed an exchange of territory "for the good of stabilizing boundaries" between the Congo and Egyptian Sudan. The British, seemingly ignoring the fact that whilst they had the mandate in Egypt that it was arguably nominally Ottoman territory, wished to grant the Congo an enclave of around 15,000 square miles centered around the town of Lado in what would now be South Sudan. In exchange, she only needed to cede 804 square miles in the Far East of the country, a section West of the Ruwenzori Range. It seemed Rhodes and the BSAC's dreams of running a Cape to Cairo route on mostly British land was still in full swing and that their influence with the Colonial Office was still all pervasive. The enclave at Lado would in theory gain access to the lower reaches of the navigable Nile through it's final terminus, Rejaf. However, with five white water sections of the river in between, the reality was that the Nile was only navigable to such a point with very small and unstable barges unless it was in flood, a hard thing to predict.

It seemed like a great deal, but there were large drawbacks in the current offer. Firstly, and bizarrely, the Foreign Office had offered it to her as a personal possession, the ownership of which would expire and revert to Britain upon her death. Secondly, it was largely a wilderness with little to recommend it. The largest issue, however, was that she would be required to take possession of it from her limited troop resources in the Congo and that would mean a battle to occupy it as it was currently in possession of not the British at all but the Mahadist Khalifate under Abdullah al-Khalifa, who's army had crushed Gordon at Khartoum in 1885 and held the territory since against two Anglo-Egyptian Expeditions. The Khalifa still held Austrian officer Rudolf von Slatin from that time, despite protests from Vienna.

October 1893-Unusual new recruits

17 October 1893, Grinzing Women's Army Training Centre, Vienna, Triple Monarchy

Alois Roth sighed. What had he done to deserve this? Sixteen years in the Army, which had been good to him, recently posting him back to Vienna and even providing accommodation of a small cottage for his wife and sons. Seemingly it was a swings and roundabouts world as he was now nursemaid to a group of girls. Girls! In the Army! Oh well, he drew a deep breath and walked out stiff backed onto the cobblestone courtyard at the old mansion that had been re-purposed for the task.

At least they came to some level of stiffness at attention in what could only charitably be called two straight lines.

"Attention! Ladies, I will call you ladies although the title may not be earned, all 62 of you have chosen to volunteer for this new Army Nursing Corps that bears the name of our Dowager Empress. In that time you will be trained to become nurses to function in selected Army hospitals across this Empire. You will be trained in the latest medical techniques and how to assist injured or sick soldiers in these hospitals and how to assist doctors in their duties. Hell, I have even been told some of you may later become doctors in which case myself, poor Stabsfeldwebel Alois Roth, will have to salute you and call you Sir, or whatever women Army officers are or will be called. Yes, you will being doing all of that. In January.

Between now and your Christmas discharge on the 14th of December you are mine and we will not be teaching any of those things. Instead we will be teaching you how to be soldiers instead. Soldiers that can perform a drill, look after these strange uniforms you have been issued, obey orders, recognize ranks, salute your superiors and maintain the basic level of fitness and discipline a soldier requires. Oh yes, they came to me and said 'Alois, my friend, this is a new thing, we need to make sure it is a success, go easy on these young ladies'. However, I have had a look at these new regulations for female soldiers and they are already going easy, so I say we will not go easy at all, we will stick with the regulations in the Army Training Manual as though it is written by the Lord God himself, as well it might be. Alright, let us look at you group of misfits."

He proceeded to go up the first of two ranks, stopping before a nervous looking girl with mousy brown hair. "Where are you from?"

"Brasso."

"Good God! A Romanian pig farmer. Do you speak German or just grunt?"

"Yes, I speak German sir..."

"Stabsfeldwebel."

"Stabsfeldwebel."

"Alright girl."

He walked along further and noticed another with ruby earrings. "Well look what we have here. Nurse princess. We don't wear ruby earrings in the Army nurse princess, just like we do not have feather beds and ladies maids. Do you think you can manage to deal with that my lady?"

"Yes, err of course err Stabsfeldwebel."

"Do you think you could help a doctor cut a man's leg off?"

"I don't know Stabsfeldwebel."

"Well maybe you should have thought of that before coming here nurse princess. We shall see."

Finally he walked up the middle of the second row and stopped in front of a mulatto girl, of all things. "Where are you from?"

"Brijuni."

"The sun is not that strong there, where are you really from?"

"Cabinda in Africa Stabsfeldwebel."

"Africa? Well you will be hard to spot if we do any work at night I suppose."

Finally he stopped aside the second last girl in the back row, a more rotund moon faced blonde. "Holy God, you look like the only thing you have ever run to is the cake shop." The girl flushed.

"Right, usually we would start this course with drill for the first week, along with basic classes about Army discipline, uniform care and maintenance, interpreting orders and military courtesies, however, since most of you have shown themselves to be incapable of presenting yourselves in a manner befitting the instructions mailed out to you, even though I have been assured you can all read, we will skip straight to the part where you train to attain the ultimate physical goal of this course, the ability to run three kilometers in 20 minutes. Disperse, change into your physical exercise clothes and join me back here in 15 minutes. Those not back here in 15 minutes can run for five kilometers instead. Move!"

October 1893- A counter proposal

28 October 1893, Ballspielplatz, Vienna, Triple Monarchy

Stephanie sat and watched Maria Mosconi and Laura Paton circle one another. "How is it that you learned to fight Maria?"

"Seven compliant brothers and an indulgent father with no mother Your Majesty."

"Quite."

Stephanie thought again about the last fortnight. Her meeting with Pierre de Coubertin had gone well-the man was fired with enthusiasm and seemingly determined to pursue an Olympic revival so that was on track.

In relation to the Colonial Office she had replied early this same day. She thought about the contents of the letter.

Dear Lord Dalmeny,

I thank you for your most interesting proposal and the suggestion of a lifetime lease over the Lado Enclave in exchange for permanent territorial transfers in the Eastern Congo. Whilst I cannot in all good conscience approve such an arrangement in it's current format, I can suggest a raft of changes to such an agreement that would make such an arrangement acceptable. In broad terms these would include the following:

1) The exchange of territory occurring as per your suggestion, but not as a lifetime lease, instead a permanent border change

2) Since the occupation on our behalf of the enclave would entail a military campaign against the Mahadist rebels, it stands to reason in mine own eyes that all efforts should be brought to bear in that effect, hence I would wish for any British relief campaign to be co-ordinated with our own to crush these bandits at the earliest available opportunity. To that end, it would formally request British assistance to help us support militarily the Ethiopian ruler Menelik II and assist in defining a fair common boundary between his own realms and British Somali territory as he is engaged in his own struggle with the Mahadists and would make a useful ally

3) As you are aware, maritime commerce has increased greatly out of the port of Trieste and Austro-Lloyd are now running shipping services not only to Bombay, but also Canton. The newly established Hungarian American line are planning a route to Australia in addition to the River Plate. To that end and in recognition of Austria's former involvement in the islands, I request that Her Majesty's government consider the sale of the Coco Islands, the small and uninhabited island group North of the Andamans, to the Austrian government for a sum of 20,000 pounds. This would be used as coaling station and no military infrastructure would be developed beyond what was required for piloting, navigation and the administration of customs.

These are the three conditions that would be acceptable to our government and I thank you for your initial kind offer.

I await your reply,

Stephanie et all

That would give the British something to think about. In addition, the islands could serve another use, being a useful location to remove difficult prisoners too sensitive to hold within the Triple Monarchy, such as the man recently picked up in Graz, Josef Peukert and those criminals too violent or dangerous to hold in normal jails.

November 1893- A letter to Hitler

2 November 1893, Kapuzinerstr. 31, Linz, Austro-Hungarian Empire

Alois Hitler looked over the extraordinary letter yet again. It had come directly from the Finance Minister himself, not even the head of customs.

"Herr Hitler, in view of your sterling service, which has been recommended to me, I would like to offer you this opportunity to further your career in the Customs Service of his Imperial and Royal Majesty by undertaking a detachment to the Kingdom of the Congo's Customs Office as Second in Charge in of said Customs Service for the Kingdom. This will, of course, be accompanied by a salary and position as Deputy Inspector General and in the Congo service the required school degrees for such a promotion are not mandatory.

I am aware that you will obtain 40 years of service in 1895, however, if you were to accept this two year contract to commence 1 February 1894 your retirement pension would, of course, be much greater in sustenance.

I await your reply,

Eugen von Bohn
Finance Minister

It was an offer so completely out of the blue it was a shock. It was just as well someone noticed him toiling away without fanfare all these years as his inferiors were promoted above him. Yes, he felt that this may be his crowning glory before retiring.

November 1893- Congo revenues, Budapest expanses

24 November 1893, Hofburg, Vienna, Triple Monarchy

She looked over the figures from the Congo. Standard Oil had moved their larger tankers onto the trans Atlantic route and despite losing one to a storm the increased volume of traffic was very significant for revenues. It now looked like the railway would be completed by the end of the year and this would assist in opening up the interior of the country in a meaningful way. Past Marienburg all the way to Stanleyville would now be open to transport links, as would the Eastern facing tributaries of the great river.

The revenue report from October again showed excellent results. Demand for petroleum was steadily increasing but rubber was booming, bicycles and pneumatic tyres the main cause, although Maybach proposed using such things on his existing truck design so there may be demand there as well.

Figures were:

Crude Oil 305,700
Ivory 82,050
Diamonds 79,100
Rubber 79,400
Palm Oil 19,600
Palm Nuts 16,200
Port Fees 1,430
Philatelic and Numismatic Sales 380
Company Taxes 5,915
Miscellaneous 4,208

TOTAL 680,000+ Krone approximately

Even with vastly increased expenditure per month in track cutting, health, education and infrastructure to almost 550,000 Krone per month her own personal bank account had swelled to over 2 million Krone and the question now was what to do with it. A second and perhaps a third Native Regiment would be required if the British agreed with her Lado proposal. They would be needed to remove the Mahadists as well as keep order in the soon to be newly opened up interior.

Stephanie would have liked to have traveled to see the changes that were being wrought, to open the new railways, even see the sewer system under construction at Marienburg, but that was out of the question now at six and a half months pregnant. She placed her hand on her belly contentedly. Rudolf was working long hours, spending much time with the naval architect Siegfried Popper going over ship designs and mumbling about super-firing turrets and oil fired boilers, all quite boring stuff.

She had corresponded regularly with Károly Kamermayer, the Mayor of Budapest, about the many civic projects that were coming to a head in the city for completion in 1896, the Parliament Building, the Underground, a new tram route, the Grand Boulevard, the Great Market Pavilion, as well as what would be required for the Exhibition and Olympics. The later would require money from the KuK central reserve. A visit to the city in the early New Year would of necessity be her last engagement before she confined herself for the birth, supposedly in early to mid February. The baby was active, especially of a night.

November 1893-New cruiser, Rudolf thoughts

29 November 1893, STT, Trieste, Triple Monarchy

Rudolf was a happy man. He had personally placed the design in the hands of STT design office and participated as Popper talked their way through the required features. The ship would serve it's purpose well. With the large armoured cruisers due for completion in early January and starting alongside trials, construction of this ship would allow certain new technologies to be tested, namely oil fired propulsion and super-firing turrets, even a modern glassed in bridge. Size wise she would be as large as the Prinz Eugen Class ships and shared some of the hull features, but would be lacking the heavy armour and with a main battery of 16 5.9 inch guns, instead her main purpose would be to lead units of light cruisers and destroyers, hence her high speed. It was a risky proposition to use so many new technologies, but if he was going to build a turbine powered dreadnought to follow the Prinz Eugen Class ships, these and likely other concepts needed to be tested.

In addition, it would keep the skilled workforce at STT, due to be downgraded within weeks, in work, no small consideration in itself since some had even come from England and would likely not return if placed out of work. At Ganz in Fiume, progress was much slower as they struggled with the realities of building heavy ships with no previous experience and the third Prinz Eugen ship, Svent Istvan, was not as yet even launched and likely would not be for another 4-6 months.

His thoughts drifted back to his wife, now some seven months pregnant. Soon. He had received a letter from Nicholas in St Petersburg indicating his pleasure with his daughter, his wife due with a second child in February as well. Nicholas was seemingly busy with duties and mentioned his father was ill. Rudolf wondered if this was the start of what killed Alexander III in his memory, he knew he died in 1894 from something.

So, Hitler had accepted his appointment to the Congo. Children died all the time there. Or perhaps two years on a native post would influence the boy away from his previous path. Stalin was the next one to think about there. He would be older. Would it be best to just have him murdered? It was hard being away from his wife, she was the only one he could talk to about such things, and some things, such as this, he could not even talk to her about.

December 1893- Preview of the Treaty of Trieste

10 December 1893, Hofburg, Vienna, Triple Monarchy

It had taken some negotiation but she had eventually gotten what she wished for and the British would be sending a representative of Her Majesty's government, a Sydney Buxton, to sign the Treaty in Trieste on the 22nd December to take effect from the 1st January 1894.

The amount of territory in the offered Lado Enclave had shrunk from 15,456 square miles to 7,216 square miles, but that was no matter. Now it was a permanent transfer and the only part of the territory she had truly been interested in was the strip that abutted the Nile in any case. The remainder was simply more wilderness and she had a surfeit of that. Of course, possession was nine tenths of the law and currently she was unable to establish control of any of it. However, there was the difficult but possible prospect of limited Nile transport if she could establish it, which may help one of the most remote corners of the Congo. In fact, the North-east corner of the country was very different ethnically and so remote she often wondered if it would be better administered separately. Congo was so large and communications so poor that the capital was months remote from many areas.

The English had agreed to allow transport in an out of British Somaliland and to negotiate a good faith border with Ethiopia, but, more importantly, to allow shipments of military advisors and arms through their own ports. She had no doubt that this would not please either the Italians or the French, but that was of small concern

Lastly, they had agreed to sell the Coco Island for a lump sum of 30,000 pounds, claiming the extra 10,000 pounds would be required to defray the current lease arrangements. These were all conditions she could live with. Customs and coaling revenues would abate the cost over time, even if it took 20 years.

December 1893-A Treaty signed, naval thoughts

22 December 1893, STT Shipping Offices, Trieste, Triple Monarchy

It had been a long and tiring day she thought, especially for a woman 32 weeks pregnant. Sydney Buxton had duly arrived on board the Blue Ensign flagged White Star Line liner Coptic. Rudolf had apparently purchased the ship to be refitted as a repair and stores ship ship for the Navy. It had been the Master of the ship that had given her the greatest shock. Captain Edward Smith. He did not look too much like the James Cameron Titanic character but then again what could one expect? It had taken all her willpower to avoid mentioning icebergs and even Rudolf seemed surprised in what he termed "a red letter day for him."

The Treaty was signed and she now owned land she did not possess plus the Triple Monarchy itself now owned 20 square kilometers of uninhabited islands off the coast of Burma. Rudolf had been haring about like a mad thing all day, like a boy hyped on red cordial, as he watched the battlecruiser, she thought he called it, Prinz Eugen, gently pull away from the pier on a short trip into the bay. It was hard to tell what the excitement was about and she still had men on board painting the teak deck with a clear layer of paint that seemed infused with sand or something similar. She was glad to be off the thing as soon as possible.

For herself, she would be glad to just go home and spend Christmas with her daughter and husband. A brief trip to Budapest in the New Year and then much like Rudolf's ships, she would be laid up for some time.
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What a day, thought Rudolf. He had been on board when the battlecruiser had taken her first small trip away from the pier as she commenced sea trials. Her sister Viribus Unitis would join her within a fortnight. On the same day the first steel had been cut for what would be the new large schnellkruiser, to be called Tegettoff. The name was now available as the old battleship of the same name had been purchased by Spain as the flagship of their Philippines squadron. She would depart in January, the last of the center battery ships and had given him enough in sale proceeds to lay down 70% of the purchase price of the older Coptic. Refitted and with work on her engines, she would perform a valuable role and would be followed in refit by Stephanie's namesake ship, which would have her old brown powder 12 inch guns removed and single 5.9 deck guns mounted in their place.

The transformation was largely complete. In place of the eight center battery ships with 3,750 crew the navy had in July 1889, they had(or would have when the last battlecruiser was completed at Ganz) three battlecruisers, two large protected cruisers and the battleship Hapsburg, as well as a fleet train of three large and two coastal colliers, with combined crews of 3,380, in fact less men than before. In cruisers as well he had replaced four obsolete ships with four modern(one still building) and banked over 200 manpower as well. This was good, as the manpower savings could be put into small craft and he was already thinking of a new, larger, destroyer.

Christmas would hopefully bring a welcome family respite and then he could face the New Year and fatherhood again.

December 1893-Railway completion

30 December 1893, Tiefel's Speiseröhre Settlement, Kingdom of the Congo

The little shunting engine engine that had earlier delivered crates of both beer and the harsh, local mixture of the fermented fruit of the Elephant Tree and goat's milk had been waiting, her firebox glowing in the half dark, the driver and the Congolese stoker both waiting with barely concealed impatience. Finally a man had run along the track, jumping up into the cab for a few brief words.

As the engine departed down the track, leaving behind groups of men who sank down onto the ground, what had been nigh on 2800 now down to some 800 these last four days. It was done. With steam aplenty from the start the little engine flew up into the hills, whistle periodically cleaving into the stillness of the night sky. As they passed small sidings inhabited by the daub huts of the woodcutters, settlements that had sprung up to feed Marienburg with firewood as the town had grown, increased access to the forest granted by the railway, the cutters and their families came to stare as the small engine thundered past. The journey that would have normally taken four hours was accomplished in two and a half.

The driver, heedless of the need to shunt the train, had let his stoker do it as he sprinted to the Telegraph Office, banging on the door loud and long to wake the clerk. When sent, the telegram was a simple affair.

From the workforce of the Congobahn: Line complete

The 2800 construction workers had earned their promised bonus pay with part of a day to spare and when Stephanie ate lunch on New Year's Eve she was able to look at the telegram and smile and return a congratulatory telegram authorizing payment in cash already shipped in anticipation. Over the following day men poured into the company offices of Marienburg, Cabinda and Matadi to receive their bonuses, moving on to boarding house, hotel and brothels in some cases, families in others. It had cost 487 lives but the Matadi-Marienburg railway was completed, the second in the Congo and after the Cabinda Line and the most important.

January 1894- Coco Islands expedition

12 January 1894, Fiume, Triple Monarchy

Captain Petkovic looked over his men assembling some of the final cargoes for the voyage. It would comprise a three ship convoy, the large cruiser Wien, the collier Jupiter and his own ship, normally a cadet training ship, the Lissa. Their purpose was simple enough; to carry enough people and equipment to establish a settlement and coaling station, a Meteorological Station, a Post Office, a lighthouse keeper and some interested scientists to the Coco islands, all of the above to be established on Great Coco, except the lighthouse, already built on Table Island to the North. There were also builders and technicians to construct a penal colony as well as survey the small former coal scrape on the Southern Island, Little Coco.

In fact, that would entail a second return voyage for his ship, as a prison boat, not the most glamorous of occupations. It would be the third small colony so far acquired, not counting the Congo which was a separate Kingdom and he did not envy poor Captain Franz Schwimmer who had been selected for the post of Military Governor on what would largely be a wilderness that had never been permanently settled.

As for those eventually settled on the penal colony, he wondered at what fate awaited them half way around the world. Did it have anything to do with the Austrian criminal code's announced amendments on New Year's Day, the death penalty now only applying to treason, regicide and a new class of murder, Grausamer Mord, or murder with both cruel element and pre meditated intent? It had not taken a week and an announcement from Czechia had mirrored that of Austria. He speculated that for those not given the death sentence, this form of exile may be worse.

January 1894-Olympic discussions and thoughts on conflicts

15 January 1894, Royal Palace, Budapest, Triple Monarchy

She had levered herself to her feet to meet for a final time the new Prime Minister of Hungary, Dezső Bánffy, Tisza's administration having fallen as expected after the parliamentary changes had been announced. It had been a series of productive meetings with both Dezső Bánffy and Budapest's mayor Károly Kamermayer.

It was hard not to be when one came with the promise of 1.2 million Krone for civic projects. Because of the uncertain nature of the Olympic movement, it had been hard to be specific in terms of what facilities would be needed, however, since athletics and swimming seemed a must and likely football as well, it was decided to make a start on these projects immediately and await further developments on further issues.

She passed by the honor guard of a Honved Regiment afterwards, the troops lined up in their newer style uniforms that now seemed to have been issued to some 30% or more of units. Whilst she had been away Rudolf was engaged in a series of meetings on the progression of Army reform as well. Even in the National Army's things had began to change, first the Czech Armada also submitting an order for 50 Maxims, followed by the Honved with 120 and the Landwehr with 90.

As for herself, it was time to head back to Vienna and rest until the baby, now at 36 weeks, was born. She noted the British had agreed a permanent border with Ethiopia and this had prompted some discussions with the French.

It seemed like peaceful time ahead, despite rising tensions between China and Japan in the Far East and tribal wars in Northern Zambesia. Yet there was a full scale war between Spain and the Rif in Morocco, hopefully one that would not draw in other powers. In addition the Mahadi needed to be dealt with. In Tripoli tensions were also high, the Italian press having taken up a battle cry against the Ottoman administration of the city and it's surrounds. She wondered if the British committed fully to a Sudan expedition whether it would be the distraction the Italians would use to pursue their ambitions in North Africa. The Italians were also not making themselves popular in Ethiopia, crossing the border regularly with "scouting parties."

February 1894- Fruits and not far off labour

1 February 1894, Hofburg, Vienna, Triple Monarchy

At 38 weeks pregnant she felt like a beached whale and wondered not for the first time whether there was actually two babies in there. She was also bored and had lost the ability some time ago to concentrate on matters for long periods of time. After wanting a baby for a long time now she just wanted it to get it over. It was winter outside and she was shut up in the palace and unable to exercise and had become increasing waspish as her favourite forms of distraction were denied her. Even Rudolf was denied her, afraid things "may hurt the baby". Like he would know anything about it in any case. It was mid afternoon when the footman arrived.

"Your Majesty, I am so sorry to disturb you, but there is a man that has come to the palace every day for the last 15 days, saying he knows you and has an appointment to see you."

"Well if he has had an appointment why has he not been sent in?"

"That is just it he is not on the list and I know you are not taking appointments. Also, he is a native, from Africa."

"Well, do the normal checks and send him in. I am denied even coffee so it's is not like I have anything better to do."

"But Your Majesty, the Kaiser..."

"Is not here so that makes me in charge. Send him in!"

Eventually a late 20's or so year old African man with an ill fitting coat and clean but old trousers was shown in by her two bodyguards, who remained with herself and her three ladies. Stephanie looked at her cards and sighed. She had not been able to obtain a decent hand all day and her lady in waiting, Anna von Ratetsky, had sat and croaked "no bid" for most of the game.

"You wished to see me sir and you claim we have an appointment?"

"Yes, Your Majesty I did wish to see you. I am sorry for the deception, I did not have an appointment, however, I have something I wished for you to see....or perhaps taste." The man's German was heavily accented and halting, but clear enough. "I am Kurt, Kurt Kazadi."

The way he pronounced Kurt made her think it was not the name he was born with. "It's a dangerous thing to lie to me sir, but I find myself in need of distraction. What is it you wish to show me?"

It took 30 minutes before he returned, carrying a box. Inside was a jar of powdered red grain, around 20 small red berries the size of an ellipsoid strawberry, a yellowish looking fruit similar to a lemon, some actual lemons, some nuts and a bottle of liquid. "Your Majesty, I wanted to show you these fruits and their properties and beg your assistance in helping show others their benefits. Can I?"

She nodded, noticing his eyes widen in surprise at taking in Laura Paton's face for the first time. He placed the yellow fruits, the nuts and the bottle of liquid on the table. "There are all from the Marula tree. The nuts are the seeds of the tree. The yellow fruits are from the tree and the bottle is the fermented fruit of the tree mixed with sugar and cream, instead of the goat's milk normally used. Taste?"

Stephanie looked across at Hans, one of her bodyguards, who nodded.

Stephanie tasted the fruit, which was pleasant and tart, but not spectacular in taste. The nuts were very flavorsome, however. Maria Mosconi tasted the brownish, creamy liquid, slowly sipping it after an initial splutter. "Alcoholic Maria?"

"Yes, very much so Your Majesty" she smiled. Good, could be much smoother I wager, but very pleasant and an..unusual taste for sure."

"And the remainder Herr Kazadi?"

He carefully put away what he had gotten out and produced lemons, the red crystals and the berries. "The crystals are dried from these berries Your Majesty. To properly demonstrate one must taste from the lemon."

It so happened lemons were among her bizarre food cravings so she cut a quarter had no great hesitation in biting the fruit to gain the characteristic tart flavour.

"Now Your Majesty try the crystals or the berries, chewing rather than swallowing, then the lemon again." She did so, the berries having a not unpleasant flavour. It was when she bit into the lemon again that everything changed. It still had the flavour but it was sweet, deliciously sweet. It was quite remarkable. Quite remarkable.

"What on earth are these berries?"

"They call them Asaa, although an officer at Marienburg called then sweetberries. I think this is a good name."

"Well thank you for bringing them such a long way to show me. May I ask why?"

"I wanted to see the great city, but I also wanted to bring and sell the fruits and berries here. I thought you as our Queen may help me do so."

Well there were no doubt commercial possibilities she thought. "These fruits are abundant in the Congo and can be harvested?"

"Yes Your Majesty."

"What do you want for bringing me this idea and sample?"

"Half."

Stephanie eyebrows climbed. "Half? You will be putting in no money Herr Kazadi, none at all. These fruits and nuts will have to be gathered and paid for, stored, shipped in refrigerated ships, distributed and sold. I do know a man I believe will be interested and has the money to make this work. How about 2.5% for you, that is one part in 40, the same for me and the remainder goes to the man who will be putting money forward?"

Kurt Kazadi's face broke into a smile yet his eyes remained inscrutable. This one is not silly at all thought Stephanie. "Agreed, as long as I also obtain a good job, better than the railway."

"I believe that can be arranged."

It was later that night that Rudolf returned. "You look tired, I hope you have not been overtaxing yourself with the baby my love."

"No, nothing like that."

"What have you been doing?"

"Oh, I just started an import and export business for fruits from the Congo."

"What?"

February 1894- Baby time

16 February 1894, Hofburg, Vienna, Triple Monarchy

He sat at his desk in his study, idly going over thoughts on the Army. His daughter was across the room having her English lesson. She was already fluent in five languages, German, French, Czech, Hungarian and English. Written fluency was of course more difficult to obtain.

Much like the Navy, it was not like he had made major expansions of the Army either, just trying to sharpen what was already available. The common army still consisted of the same 102 Infantry Regiments, 4 Jager Regiments, 4 Bosnian Regiments, 44 Cavalry Regiments, 57 Artillery Regiments and 7 Fortress Artillery Regiments. No new Regiments had been created, unless one counted the Royal Congolese Regiment, but that came out of a different budget. However, he had created a few smaller, specialized formations, namely a specialized Engineering Battalion and Medical Battalion for every military district, as well as an experimental armoured train battalion.

His musings were interrupted as the door flew open unceremoniously, his wife's face appearing flushed as she wore a simple robe.

"Rudolf, it's time."

"For what sweetheart?"

"The baby Rudolf, in case you had forgotten."

Oh God, he thought.

February 1894-It's a girl

17 February 1894, Hofburg, Vienna, Triple Monarchy

Rudolf was finally allowed into the room after Stephanie had washed and cleaned up, placing her hair up in a messy bun. He kissed his wife and looked at the small, perfectly formed baby asleep in the bassinet.

"Do you feel terribly disappointed that she is a girl?"

"You know I did when first told but now-well I think I really don't care. This Empire's greatest ruler was a women and you know, I did not think that this would ever happen. You know, when I arrived...well here, I suppose I became the dominant personality of the highly intelligent, beautifully emotional yet weak and frail man who's body I shared. Yet I inherited all his emotions and memories, all his loves. Yet the sense of loss, the sense of loneliness was immediate and there were a number of times I felt great pathos early on as this Rudolf, he had cut himself off from people in the same way I had in my former life, him by self abuse and pathetic self introspection, myself with hardness and arrogance so my core could not be effected by jibes and ridicule.

It was you that changed that by making yourself so very easy to love. Much like a lifeline to a drowning man, how could I not cling to you, for despite the self control I prided myself on, I felt lost and alone. Then Erszi made it so easy to love her and I do love her, never doubt that. Yet for all that she is something that will always be part of that other man, that weak, flawed, yet for all that good man, perhaps a better man than I ever was in many ways. Erszi is something inherited and treasured, yet for all that not made, at least not by some part of me.

Yet this baby, well, this baby is something that we have struggled for, something I often thought impossible by my own stupid actions, something achieved against the odds and for that and the fact that you, yourself, came through the birth without trauma, how could I not only love this little girl but be thankful she is here, her sex be damned."

"Well there was some trauma Rudi, it was a 18 hour birth, but you know you are quite the poet. Perhaps both parts of you are, underneath it all, more sensitive souls than you give yourself credit for.

I have spent my whole life adapting to new things so I suppose I found this situation bizarre, but not impossible to deal with, right from the start. Stephanie still loved this Rudolf and I suppose I to was looking for love without knowing where to start. Now we need to protect ourselves, our reforms and the people that may benefit from them, but most of all our girls and their legacy. Two girls." Stephanie laughed. "Did you see the telegram from St Petersburg?"

"No."

"Nichols and Nina had another girl, named Tatiana this time."

Rudolf looked at the baby again. "I think I prefer Helena Maria Theresa Sophia Lola."

March 1894- Ganz works developments

8 March 1894, Ganz Works, Budapest, Triple Monarchy

András Mechwart was happy with the way things were going at Ganz and the laying down of money on the company's shipbuilding facilities in Fiume was now bearing fruits with contracts. The battlecruiser Szent Istvan had been launched yesterday and a week ago the three private railway companies had been nationalized, including the large Imperial Royal Privileged Austrian State Railway Company. Ganz had already been awarded a contract for the provision of 28 new 2-8-2 locomotives, as well as two more in an armoured train configuration for the Army, the order large enough to invigorate the rail network. It was a considerable investment when one considered the purchase price of the private railways as well. It was nice for a Hungarian company to win a contract to supply to the railways.

That was not all. The Navy had issued contracts for the construction of eight new destroyers, a fast and large design that would be a radical change from the 280 ton vessels recently constructed, since these ships were clearly designed for long range operations and would displace nigh on 1000 tons. He hoped that Ganz would win at least 2-3 of the contracts for those as well.

In addition, he would have to send a team to the Congo to support those few Ganz employees already there. The company had already provided technical support for bridge building within the Congo but this would involve the construction of a 520 meter suspension bridge across the Congo River itself at a narrow point, allowing the railway to continue on the Northern Bank for a 68 kilometer run that would allow a full connection to Cabinda.

Yes, for Ganz, business was as busy as it had ever been and the announcement of the public works program for the 1896 International Exhibition and the hastening of the underground opening and the expansion of the tram network meant only more work. Employee numbers had surged from 1250 in 1884 to 2400 currently and were still on the rise.

March 1894- The thoughts of Pasteur

20 March 1894, Pasteur Institute, Paris, French Republic

As per her instructions, he had burned all letters from Kaiserin Stephanie but had made detailed notes in regards to the lengthy 18 month treatment using the penicillin concentrate and how it had seemingly cured the patients concerned. He had been trialing such an approach with sufferers of both syphilis and gonorrhea over the last twelve month and had some success with the later, those on the treatments for twelve month solid had a 31% cure rate, perhaps higher since he had come to suspect that quite a number had not followed the arduous every day routine. With syphilis he had had less success, except in some cases of early onset where a few had fully recovered.

The question was why was it so fully effective and if the active element could be concentrated to the level where it would fully effect the patient. Was the foul tasting mixture too weak in content to effect a full cure in more advanced case?

It was as Pasteur was contemplating these very facts that he felt a blinding flash of pain near his right temple and two seconds later toppled to the floor. He would not be found until three hours later and would never recover from the stroke to a level that would allow him to return to work.

April 1894- New large destroyer contracts

20 April 1894, Navy Ministry, Vienna, Triple Monarchy

Rudolf signed off on the contracts for the new destroyers, eight in total to be built over two years budgets. Three to Ganz, four to STT and one to be built at the Naval Arsenal at Pola. These were a large departure from previous small craft, all of which were sub 80 ton torpedo boats or small destroyers with a tonnage of less than 300. These ships were designed to stay at sea for longer periods, to be able to fight and maintain their designed speed in a seaway. They would also be oil burning, mount four of the new Skoda 100mm guns and carry two twin torpedo tubes and displace on 1000 tons, making them the largest destroyers so far built by any Navy, indeed the size of small cruisers but less alarming to others if called destroyers. With the weight of his responsibilities he would have to take a step back from direct involvement in ship design from now on, although he would involve himself when the first dreadnought class which was to be built in a few year's time.

The new ships would have a raised forecastle and a small bridge and have a squared off, transom stern, also new. The new guns now meant the Navy had standardized on, in order of caliber, 9.2 inches or 233mm, 5.9 inch or 150mm, 3.9 inch or 100mm and 2.6 inch or 66mm and finally 37mm or 1.45 inch.

The new ships, when completed, would allow the retirement of more than 20 small torpedo boats of limited speed, range and seaworthiness, all vessels of under 100 tons. They were just not useful ships and indeed he doubted if such small boats would again become useful until such time as the internal combustion engine allowed them to gain the precious advantage of speed. Some of the smaller craft could be used in the Congo, others shifted to customs lighters, yet others scrapped.

May 1894-Italian African ambitions

16 May 1894, Rome, Kingdom of Italy

Francesco Crispi looked again at the newspapers. During the events of the Fasci Siciliani revolt the noise from the newspapers in regards to Ottoman activities in Tripoli had been pushed further back in the papers but with events in Sicily now under control, the trials at Palermo now completed, Tripolitania had again again became centre stage and had graduated back to the front pages of some newspapers. Crispi realised that his reputation was not all that he would desire it to be, the Sicilian campaign developing all too quickly into a bloody mess that resorted to summary executions in an attempt to resolve the crisis and unburden themselves of the worst of the agitators.

In truth he needed good news and wondered if what was required to reunite the country was to actually give into such agitation via the press, which seemingly had public appeal and therefore act on what should have occurred in 1878 when both Britain and France had tacitly expressed their support for just such an annexation by Italy. By the end of the day he had summoned Alberto Blanc and encouraged him to "sound out" both Britain and France with a view to them reasserting their tacit support of some 15 years before. As for Russia, they would not care a fig and he would not even consult Austria. The Germans may not like it but with British and French support and Italy's ties via the Triple Alliance, they would soon buckle under. By the following day he had also consulted with the Army and Navy as to the feasibility of just such an operation.

The newspapers were full of stories at to how Italian women were being subjected to outrages. The barren land was depicted as rich in minerals, well-watered and defended by only 4,000 Ottoman troops. The population was described in the newspapers as hostile to the Ottomans and friendly to the Italians. He did not believe the later for a moment, however, it was quite clear that with the British occupying Egypt the only way the Ottoman garrison could be reinforced was by sea and there was no chance their Navy could stand off the Regia Marina to ship troops to Tripoli.

There was nothing like decisive victory in a quick and easy war to restore a politician's sagging popularity and nothing at all like and external enemy to unite a country wracked by internal issues. Yes, Crispi could make a short campaign in North Africa work for Italy. With Ethiopia having seemingly Austrian and Russian support and British complicity, there were no other areas Italy could look to to asset her authority.

Perhaps the Greeks could also be enlisted, as the Ottomans had violated the Pact of Halepa numerous times since 1889 and relations between the two powers were at an all time low.

June 1894- Big trouble in little Korea

21 June 1894, Gyeongbokgung Palace, Seoul, Kingdom of Korea

The situation was developing at a more rapid rate than he could possibly have thought two weeks ago and King Gojong felt he had little choice. Gobu had already fallen to the peasant rebellion and when a number of his officials were put to the sword the King was badly alarmed, both for the safety of the country as a whole and for his own person.

The natural place to turn to for assistant was Korea's old suzerains, The Qing and by the 24th of June had received a reply in the affirmative. On the following day, the 25th, Qing forces some 3500 strong under Yuan Shikai crossed into Korea without notifying even King Gojong of their intention to do so.

Japan had not been notified, clearly a violation of the Tientsin Convention signed only some nine years before. Perhaps the Chinese court felt the matter trivial or that Japan would not act on a such a matter, however, these thoughts were erroneous and Japan was not only fully prepared to act, but to do so very swiftly. Whilst their Navy was not seen as being equal to the battleship heavy Qing fleet, they remained confident that their well trained force of 15 plus cruisers could put up a good showing if it was to come to a fight.

By the 30th June 3,200 Japanese troops had landed at Incheon. A Qing demand for a Japanese withdrawal on the 15th June was refused and by mid June all out war looked to be a possibility.

June 1894-Italy gets a green light

14 July 1894, Rome, Kingdom of Italy

Francesco Crispi had his answer from both France and Britain. Britain, distracted by events in the Far East and concerned always about Hong Kong, were also alarmed at the growing unrest on Crete where recent anti-Ottoman riots had been put down quite brutally. They harboured concerns that the island may yet become another Cyprus that drained resources and garrison troops away from England when greater and better prizes awaited elsewhere. They had no interest in the barren desert sands of Tripolitania and in truth simply welcomed stability in the region, something the Ottomans had been in short supply of in recent times. So Rosebery indicated that whilst he could not endorse such a move, he would not actually oppose it either.

The French reply had been quicker to arrive and much more to the point. They were not in principle against Italy acting "to safeguard her interests", but wished a redraw "a more natural border" with Tunisia. Most of what the French asked for was trackless desert sand so Crispi had no objection to such an arrangement.

By the end June he was set on war and a Regia Marina squadron, consisting of a core of fully eight battleships was to weight anchor on the 8th July with instructions to bombard Tripoli and Benghazi, to be followed a few days later by transports bearing troops.

During July war was to break out in both in Europe and Asia, yet these were only the opening moves of a larger conflict.

July 1894-War thoughts, vacation ends

30 July 1894, Schonbrunn Palace, Vienna Triple Monarchy

Well it appeared that Rudolf's largely self imposed exile from overwork, where he had taken almost four months doing only the minimum of duties would be coming to an end. Events were moving much faster than he had ever anticipated. He had no idea what or why events had taken the course they had in the Far East but they were accelerating rapidly. Reports indicated that the Korean King had been taken into the custody of the Japanese, been returned to the capital and forced to appoint a pro Japanese administration on the 28th. It was an act sure to infuriate China and he wondered about the implications of not only European hegemony in China but also how the former Austrian ships that had reinforced China's fleet would perform in a fleet engagement.

In Italy things were also seemingly on the move. The Yellow journalism he had used to stir up trouble in relation to Tripoli had been taken up full blast, becoming a swathe of anti-Ottoman propaganda in the last week. That was not all. He had received reports that the battleship Enrico Dandolo rushed been out of refit and her crew recalled. It looked on the surface of things that the Italians had decided to make a move in North Africa and to that end he had made the decision to call a meeting of the three Prime Ministers, the Foreign Minister, the Army Minister and the Navy Minister for the 2nd of August. The topic was clearly what measures they should take themselves. The fleet was due to depart in a week for Kronstadt to be reviewed by Tsarevich Nicholas, Alexander III having retreated to the Crimea in his illness. The visit may well have to be cancelled in the light of the new circumstances. In Athens the newspapers had taken up the anti-Ottoman propaganda as well, although they had directed their fury at the events in Crete. Was there a possibility the Greeks were going to throw in their lot with the Italians, which may create some difficulty for his carefully crafted plans.

He wondered how close it was to Operation Icarus as he had also had reports from the Russian ambassador of disturbances in Eastern Anatolia, disturbances that had, as yet, not turned to outright violence. If the Greeks intervened there would likely be retaliatory campaigns not only against the many Greeks in Istanbul and along the Black Sea coast, but likely Armenians as well. If so, then the wheels would be in motion for the commencement of such a campaign. That would involve the Navy bottling the Ottoman fleet in the Sea of Marmara whilst the Army pushed forward into the Sanjak of Novi Pasar and the Navy escorted transports to make a landing at Durres.

August 1894-War clouds gather

2 August 1894, Schonbrunn Palace, Vienna, Triple Monarchy

Events were moving at a pace indeed. In the Far East, a British peace offer had failed to break the deadlock between the Chinese and Japanese, talks breaking up on the morning of the 27th. A day later two Chinese cruisers of the Beiyang Fleet had attempted to leave their anchorage and had been fired upon by a Japanese squadron, forcing one to beach herself to avoid sinking whilst the other made her escape. A day later Japanese and Chinese troops had fought a pitched battle in Northern Korea and today a telegram had arrived confirming a state of war had been declared. That was not all.

Further massacres of Greek civilians had occurred on Crete and on the 30th the Greek government had issued the Ottomans an ultimatum to punish those responsible immediately or face "action to safeguard the lives of peoples of Greek descent living in fear and oppression." There had been, as yet, no response but this morning reports were of mass protests of not only Greeks but Armenians in Istanbul and by both groups in Smyrnia as well. Events appeared to be rapidly moving along, far faster than he had ever anticipated and the response from the Ottomans to such protests would likely be ugly.

Then he also held the telegram in his hand, delivered by hand from the Russian Embassy this morning. It was from the ailing Alexander III, still situated at Livadia. "The weather here is not the best with storm clouds gathering. Walked on the beach and gathered some periwinkles yesterday. Hope all is well."

The use of the word periwinkle was pre arranged and indicated that the Russians had moved to a war footing and would have alerted the Bulgarians to mobilize as well. There had as yet not been Armenian risings in Anatolia but they were seemingly moving towards a war in any case. The Russians would take at least two weeks to be able to mobilise effectively to the South and now it was his own turn to make a decision in today's meeting. He had already on his own initiative ordered the KuK Army and Navy to alert status late on the 31st July, a condition that would remove leave and bring all naval vessels to a 24 hour readiness to sail. Much more would be required in the Sanjak of Novi Pasar than the current garrison of one infantry division and he now had the decision in his hands of whether to move forward up to five to seven more divisions of troops. In Pola the 87th Infantry was already garrisoned and could be sea-lifted to Durres to secure the city and hopefully provoke an Albanian national uprising. Serbia would also have to be informed, although he would await the outcome of today's meeting before doing so.

There was already a provisional plan in place for just such a war that involved his own forces exploding out of Novi Pasar and wheeling South to overrun the remainder of Kosovo and then the Vilayet of Uskup, then following the coast to meet the Greeks advancing from the South. The Russians would land troops at Varna to assist the Bulgarians and move into Eastern Anatolia.

August 1894-Rosebery's musings

2 August 1894, Whitehall, London, Great Britain

Archibald Philip Primrose, 5th Earl of Rosebery and Prime Minister of Great Britain for some five months was in a quandary. Events seemed to be moving at a rapid pace and war loomed between the Greeks and the Ottomans as well as in the Far East, where fighting had already broken out and British diplomacy had been so foolishly rejected. Worse still, Russia loomed as the seeming protector of the Orthodox Greeks and spies, of which Britain had many in Russia, were warning of action in regards to troop movements.

How this could all be stopped was the question. Certainly the French had a strong interest in Istanbul, however, the last thirty years had been a policy of unswerving "splendid isolation" for Britain. Rosebery had always thought himself that he could fall back on the old "Liberal alliance" with France if, indeed, he needed to do so. Yet Anglo-French relations were at a relative nadir. Rosebery's own scheme in relation to Stephanie Hapsburg's Congo had ensured that France was even less inclined to treat. His grant of the Lado enclave to the Congo was designed to hem in any French ambitions in relation to connecting their own territories to the Nile delta and foiling their long held Egyptian ambitions. This was indeed why Rosebery had conceived such a plan. The French regarded the Sudan as ownerless or under Ottoman sovereignty. If the later, then what right did the British have to cede part of it away?

For these reasons the French had been dismissive of his approach, still more desirous of a Russian alliance that they had spend much time cultivating than a rapprochement with Britain. He also tried to get German backing via a rather half hearted approach to the Triple Monarchy, yet had not been rewarded with a reply as yet. Britain now needed allies, yet was finding them thin on the ground, reaping the harvest of a policy that dictated that she would strengthen her Navy to protect her Imperial interests these last 5-10 years rather than seek an ally and the entanglements that this entailed. Yet he was wondering in regards to his wisdom in selecting the Triple Monarchy as a conduit to Germany. The KuK Navy was due to visit St Petersburg later this very month and relations between the two powers, always unsteady, was now seemingly much more cordial. Were both banking on an Ottoman collapse, unlikely in a war fighting only the Greeks surely?

The Russian's ambitions at the Straits were ever a problem and her 1878 humiliation would no doubt still rancor, even though they had now absorbed Bulgaria back into their orbit. Rosebery had hoped to encourage Russian Far Eastern ambitions at the expense of their interest in the Straits, hoping to form a coalition of other powers to oppose Russia but at a later stage.

The French could not be part of such a coalition as they would never abandon their Russian ambitions without an adequate prize and the only prize that mattered to them was Egypt. Britain could not afford a concession there after the humiliations so recently dealt out by the Mahadists. That left only the Germans. He had told Deym, the Triple Monarchy ambassador back in January that in the event of a crisis Britain was prepared to fight for the Straits. Yet this assumed an ally. Italy was quite hostile to the Ottomans so she was out.

Again it left only Germany. The left coalition that supported Caprivi was breaking up and many Liberals were regretting their colonial rivalry with Britain. Yet many in heavy industry favoured a co-operative relationship with Russia, where enormous markets lay. Even Wilhelm II had recently remarked "I have no desire for a war with Russia on account of a hundred crazy Junkers." Plus an alliance with Britain in the face of both the Triple Monarchy, Italy and likely Russia would serve to fracture the Triple Alliance and give France what she had desired, a return from the wilderness of isolation and she would no doubt attach herself to an anti-German alliance at the earliest available opportunity.

No, there were no easy answers, except in the Far East where Britain would attempt to bolster China as much as possible to protect her interests in Hong Kong. The Chinese had the superior fleet in any case and would likely make short work of the smaller power in Japan.

August 1894-Navy summary

Triple Monarchy Navy as of 1.8.1894

Capital Ships
2+1 building 11,350 ton Prinz Eugen Class battlecruisers 6x9.2 inch, 10x5.9 inch, 24 knots(Prinz Eugen, Veribus Unitus)
1 9,750 ton Hapsburg battleship 5x9.2 inch, 8x5.9 inch, 16 knots
1 5,080 ton Kronprinzcesson Erzherzogen Stephanie centre battery ship 2x9.2 inch, 6x5.9 inch, 17 knots

Cruisers
0+1 building 9,700 ton Lissa cruiser 16x5.9 inch, 26-27 knots
2 6180 ton Budapest Class cruisers, 2x9.2 inch, 6x5.9 inch, 25 knots(Budapest, Wien)
2 3970 ton Kaiser Franz Joseph I protected cruisers 10x5.9 inch, 19 knots(Kaiser Franz Jospeh I, Kaiserin Elizabeth)
1 2660 ton Saida colonial corvette 3x5.9 inch, 12 knots(*Congo)
4 2580 ton Pula Class light cruisers 2x5.9 inch, 9x3.9 inch, 27 knots(Pula, Fiume, Zagreb, Prague)
3 1600 ton Panther Class protected cruiser 3-4 4.7 inch guns, 19 knots(Panther, Tiger, Leopard)

Destroyers
0+5 building 1020 ton Kaiser Class destroyers 4x3.9 inch, 27 knots
3 480 ton Planet Class, 22 knots, 2x2.6 inch, 8x1.8 inch
3 350 ton Blitz Class, 21 knots, 8-9 1.8 inch
1 350 ton Destruktor, 23 knots, 1x3.4 inch, 6x1.8 inch
12 260 ton Tatra Class, 25 knots 1x3.9 inch , 2x2.6 inch

Torpedo Boats
53 various boats, all 47 tons to 100 tons capable of 19-21 knots(*4 in the Congo)

Various:
1 400 ton sail training ship Mowe
2 600 ton minelayers 2x5.9inch, 150 mines, 10 knots
1 3500 ton Custoza cadet training ship/transport 2x5.9 inch, 18 knots
1 4560 ton Dandalo repair ship/transport 1x5.9 inch, 13 knots
3 980 ton Jupiter Class colliers 1x5.9 inch, 12 knots
2 310 ton colliers(*one in the Congo), 12 knots
4 river monitors

The Navy has been improved by the fact that it now gets regular sea time and many(although of course not all) of the more incompetent members of it's officer corps has been retired. All guns aside from the 9.2 inch are domestic designs. Torpedo wise the Triple Monarchy navy has a slightly better equipment in terms of both range and speed than any other navy. Bases are at Pola, Fiume and Cattaro.

August 1894-KuK Army summary

Triple Monarchy KuK and associated army's as at 1.8.1894

The Common Army is right in the middle of the "great reorganisation" started two years ago that dropped the number of Platoons per Company to three and changed the Regimental structure. Since these changes were also linked to the provision of new equipment as of August 1894 40 of the 102 Infantry Regiments of the Common Army have passed through these changes and were fully equipped with the new equipment, namely machine guns at 32 per Regiment and a fully equipped Assault Company, with two more under conversion. 60 Regiments maintained the old structure, making a KuK combined total of 102 Infantry Regiments. There are, in addition four Regiments of Jagers, 4 of Bosnian Infantry, 44 of Cavalry, 52 Regiments of Artillery, 5 of Heavy artillery, 7 of Fortress Artillery, 12 Battalions of Engineers, 1 Regiment of Railway Artillery and 1 Regiment of Signals and telegraph troops.

The Army had conducted competency tests for officers over the last three years that has led to a number of forced retirements and has commenced pathways for competent NCO's to advance to officer status, but this is very much in it's infancy.

It had been the Infantry Regiments and Jagers that had new weapons lavished upon them, although all have moved to the new uniform at least. The cavalry were essentially unchanged, the artillery regiments still equipped with largely outdated designs, although it must be said the KuK army was quite well endowed with heavy artillery, even if it was far from the latest in design. Specialist Engineer Battalions are an invention of the last two years, likewise armoured train troops, telegraph and communications troops and specialist Heavy Artillery Regiments. Other specialist units to spring into existence have been Company size or Battalion size Field-hospital units, some equipped with motorised ambulances and company sized Field kitchens, some also with motorised transport.

There is also the three "national" Army's. Firstly, the Honved, which has 28 Infantry, 10 Cavalry and 2 Artillery Regiments. There has been little in the way of change here, aside from the recent raising of two Artillery Regiments with relatively modern guns, the purchase of 80 machine guns of which they have been scattered among units and the fact that nine Regiments have moved to the new uniforms.

The Landwehr had 20 Infantry Regiments, 7 Cavalry and 7 Artillery. All had been reequipped with new uniforms but only two Infantry Regiments had moved to the new structure and been fully reequipped.

The Czech Armada was the newest army yet had rapidly reequipped most of it's 6 Infantry Regiments, 1 Cavalry and 1 Artillery.

Most of the Common Army had the Mannlichter 1891 as the standard weapon, although a few retained the older Mannlichter M1886 or M1888. The Landwehr and Honved maintained more of the older weapons, some second line Regiments still have the even older 1867 Werndl-Holub. For the M1891 ammunition, tracer rounds are now available.

One thing that has been adopted in the KuK Common Army in the last two years was the standard issue to each soldier of a portable tent, a steel helmet, an infantrymen knife and a shovel, as well as a waist kit for the carrying of a water bottle and pouches for rifle clips.

The Army is in a process of change, a change that will likely take some ten years or more to complete but has made some solid steps, focusing not on increasing size but quality, much like the Navy.

August 1894-Coco Islands

2 August 1894, Cocoselo, Great Coco Island

Captain Franz Schwimmer was satisfied with the state of affairs, or at least as satisfied as a man can be when located in a wilderness half way around the world from his home. The Coco Islands had little in the way of native inhabitants and most of the island's inhabitants were now working at the coaling station, the new scientific research station or directly for himself as the governor. That was on Great Coco. The transport Lissa had come and gone last month, bringing a cadre of the worst criminals who now inhabited the prison island of Little Coco some 16km to the South.

He had acquired a barque in Rangoon that was used to transport the men onto Great Coco for works projects and back again for bunking at a night and the colony was starting to make some progress due to the hard work of the men that made it. Women were scarce, although a ship full of natives had arrived from Rangoon some two months ago.

The island itself was well resourced, fish aplenty, a sort of wild boar also inhabited the island and lastly there were large stocks of Green Turtles, although he had made promises to limit their catch numbers to the scientists on the island. There were birds aplenty, including pigeons. Fruits were common, including a yellow native grape, jack-fruit and mangoes plus a type of native nut. Of course the islands derived their names from coconuts and fresh water was more than plentiful and the beaches serene.

So far the two islands housed 650, 200 of those prisoners on Little Coco and only last week the first Austro-Lloyd ship coaled at the islands using the new jetty, releasing it's 80 passengers onto the island itself for half a day where many scurried to the tiny Post Office to use the new stamps to post letters back to Europe.

August 1894-Plans revealed

2 August 1894, Schonbrunn Place, Triple Monarchy

It had been an acrimonious meeting with Hungarian Minister-President Dezső Bánffy, no real surprise he supposed considering the nature of the topic. Considering how quickly events had moved, much faster than he had ever anticipated, there was little point in trying to hide what his ultimate plans were so he had duly released this thoughts to the Hungarian leader.

Banffy had quickly accused him of trying to break the 1867 compromise, an argument that was quite hard to refute considering his ultimate objectives in regards to the Croats and Serbs, none the less he had to get the man on side in one way or another. One thing that had helped was the state of relations within Transleithania. Relations between Zagreb and Budapest had reached an all time low and many Croatian members of the Hungarian Diet had refused to sit in the last twelve months, demonstrations against Hungarian rule were still widespread and at time violent and the revenues that Budapest received from the so called combined incomes had dropped dramatically as figures were obviously falsified from Zagreb, a situation Hungary could not correct by appointing a replacement Ban without tipping off riots. Since the formation of Czechia the Hungarian government had been under the kosh, unable to gain the benefits of the separate Kingdom of Croatia and Slavonia being part of the Lands of the Crown of St Stephens and yet at the same time not being in a politically strong enough position to intervene militarily, an event that he know Rudolf would immediately veto in any case.

Hungary was not in a position to challenge like she had in 1848, the detente between St Petersburg and Vienna only making the crushing of such an event even more of a formality. No, there could be no going back to the events of some 45 years ago.

Rudolf sighed. "I know you think that agreement to such a scheme means political suicide and to be honest it probably does. However, there are greater things in life than one's own political future. Country, duty. You are the Minister-President of Hungary. Your first responsibility is to Hungarians, of which there are only 14,000 in the lands of Croatia-Slavonia. That is 14,000 out of more than 2 million, more than 3 million if we go with the borders as proposed. Hungarian have no business interests there, unlike Transylvania let's say, no lands held there either. This is matter only of prestige, not of practicality or economics at all. Meanwhile, you escape the burden of contributing a large percentage of common payments by creating another entity that will bear much of the burden for them, for I have no doubt that the Croatians would accept a more difficult deal to achieve their aims. Let us face it, in the 1892 elections for Croatia-Slavonia, one seat was won by a candidate sympathetic to Budapest's continuing control of the province. One. These street demonstrations will likely only worsen, putting you in an impossible situation at some stage or another.

At some stage this will happen. The Hungarians themselves rose in 1848. It is foolish in the extreme to assume that at some stage other nationalities will not also desire their independence. It is not if, it is when. If we make a move to tie the Croats to us now by giving them what they want, we can do this on our terms, not on theirs or at the point of a gun. It went seamlessly in Prague, so it also can in Zagreb."

Dezső Bánffy sighed. They had been talking back and forth for 90 minutes and already the other members of the Crown Council meeting had passed into a waiting stance. It was not like Tisza had not warned him of this likelihood or indeed discussed what may be done to ameliorate the situation. "This is something I cannot agree to yet I also realise I likely cannot stop it either so that being the case, what can you offer by way of compensation? Firstly, we cannot lose Fiume."

Rudolf replied. "I quite agree. I propose the following: Fiume stays part of the Kingdom of Hungary as a Free City, Austria releases Dalmatia to assist in forming the new Croatian-Slavonian Kingdom.

If the Croatians and Serbians within the Empire achieve their national objectives, that satisfies 68% of the Empire in regards a national homeland, leaving only the Poles, the Ruthenians and the Romanians in large numbers. The most dangerous of these are the Romanians since neither of the other two have any expectation of a national homeland. Since I regard the retention of Transylvania as pivotal to our interests it is best that the national interests of Romanians be dealt with under the one administration, hence I propose the transfer of the Romanian majority areas of Southern Bukovina below the Siret River to Transleithania, the remainder to stay in Cisleithania.

Croatia would, of course, stop sending delegates to the Diet in Budapest and funding for the Croatian Parliament would, of course, devolve to the new administration."

This would be the end for his political career thought Dezső Bánffy. Logically, it meant little to Hungary. There was little in the way of Hungarian money, investments or lands in Croatia-Slavonia. However, for the pride of the Hungarian nation it was an insult, even with the proposed compensations. Yet sometimes the alternatives were even worse, no matter the problems presented. All that could happen now was to obtain the best possible deal before he slipped into vilified obscurity. "We would of course, require more favorable terms in relation to common revenue expenditures. Say a 6% reduction."

In the finish Rudolf was able to reduce this to 5%, more than the 3.5% that it should have been, but possible none the less.

His meeting later with the three Minister-Presidents and the Armed Forces Chief of Staff's was also controversial. Some feared such a plan would induce a general war, others could not see the advantage of a war that would involve not only no territorial gains but in fact a net loss of territory that the Triple Monarchy actually administered.

To answer these he patiently went over how such an accommodation would hopefully produce to not only friendly relations with Russia and Serbia, as well as Bulgaria, but would also reduce the number of restive minorities within the Empire by removing many Bosniaks and Serbs from within it's borders whilst at the same time creating two buffers states, the later of which, Albania, would hopefully become a compliant client state of the Triple Monarchy, allowing the undeveloped country to be opened up for economic opportunities for Austrian and Hungarian companies. Austria would also annex Sazan Island, which, after fortification, could be used to break any attempt to create a Otranto Barrage type blockade. There was no need to go over how it may hopefully produce a modicum of stability to the Balkans, although he hoped against hope that this would be the ultimate outcome.

August 1894- War is imminent

12 August 1894, Schonbrunn Place, Triple Monarchy

Things had again advanced rapidly. On the 8th August the Italians had bombarded Tripoli, the following day Benghazi. On that same day(the 9th), the Greek Navy had bombarded Chania on Crete and landed troops that very day. By the 10th both powers had declared war on the Ottomans formally and on that same day, two days after a massacre of hundreds of not only Greek but Armenian civilians in Istanbul, killings of Armenians by Hamadian cavalry had began in Sasun in the hundreds in response to protests not only about taxes but events in Crete, where a number of reports of atrocities, true or not, had also began to emerge.

Rudolf had mobilized the army on the 9th, having already moved two Divisions into the Sanjak of Novi Pasar five days before, as well as two Divisions into Bosnia in addition to the forces normally there. The Navy had been placed on full alert and it was that very night that he received a telegram from Alexander III. "My situation is much improved and I anticipate I may move back to St Petersburg within the next eight days. Sasha is also feeling well and may holiday in Greece."

So, the Russians were committed and unless something unforeseen happened would declare war by the 20th August at the latest. They had also committed themselves to bringing the Greeks into full knowledge of the plans as they existed and at the same time had fired off a protest to the Ottomans as to the massacres, the later of which was receiving play in both the French and British newspapers. Both the British and the Germans had appealed for an International Conference to mediate the situation but neither Italy nor Greece, the later emboldened by Italian support, were willing to come to the negotiating table, at least at this stage.

It was later that night that he received news that Italian troops had already landed in Tripoli and subdued most of the resistance from scattered local forces. That night he called in both the Army and Navy chiefs and indicated war was likely within a week's time. This would be the first test of his half completed reforms in both services.

August 1894-Ottoman naval thoughts

14 August 1894, Gold Horn, Istanbul, Ottoman Empire

Technically thought Admiral Hasan Rami Pasha, it should be a strong fleet. Fully sixteen "battleships", although some of those were as little as 2000 tons to as much as almost 9000 tons. However, the sad reality was that Abdul Hamid was afraid of an uprising by naval personnel, hence his crazy decision to relocate to Yildiz Palace from Dolmabahce to avoid a seaborne assault. Hence, since the 1878 Russo-Turkish war the fleet had duly swung at anchor with reduced crews awaiting a call to action that had never come for over 15 years.

He was a week into trying to get it's various components seaworthy and crewed and had only managed the later by stripping the 25 or so wooden hulled corvettes and gunboats. His main battle line was capable of 10 knots at the most and for escorts all he had were 17 small torpedo boats, all under 150 tons, most under 100.

He could probably accomplish his first objective, to clear the Greek Fleet away from Crete. Any confrontation with the Italians would be fraught with the utmost danger and there were disturbing rumours about the Russian Black Sea Fleet as well. No matter what the situation, he must at least clear the Dardanelles by the end of August to hopefully clear the Greeks from Crete and at the same time escort transports carrying troops to reinforce the island's garrison.

August 1894-Departures from Pola

14 August 1894, Pola, Triple Monarchy

Fregattenleutnant Miklos Horthy was in a state of high excitement. He was a junior gunnery officer on the old battleship Hapsburg, which was seemingly preparing to be the centerpiece and flagship of a Task Force that involved Kronprinzcesson Erzherzogen Stephanie, five protected cruisers, 12 large torpedo boats and the transport ships Lissa and Dandalo under Rear Admiral Julius von Payer.

The main body of the fleet, the two big Prinz Eugen Class battlecruisers, two big Budapest Class cruisers and four light cruisers as well as 7 destroyers had already departed earlier that same day. Horthy had no idea as regards their destination, an unusual thing in itself as usually naval gossip was paramount.

August 1894-Demographics and doubts

15 August 1894, Schonbrunn, Vienna, Triple Monarchy

So, if the proposed war went as he hoped and expected the Empire would consist of the following:

The Empire of Austria(Cisleithania): 18.82 million. 51.1% German, 23.3% Poles, 17.2% Ruthenians, 3.6% Slovenes and 2.4% Italians
The Kingdom of Hungary(Transleithania) and Free City of Fiume: 16.65 million. 52.8% Hungarians, 19.1% Romanians, 10.1% Germans, 10% Slovaks, 3.4% Ruthenians, 2.3% Serbians
Kingdom of Czechia: 5.72 million. 92.1% Czechs, 6.4% Germans
Kingdom of Croatia, Slavonia and Dalmatia. 3.88 million. 60.9% Croats, 29.1% Serbs, 4% Germans, 3.5% Bosniaks, 1.8% Hungarians

It did give each entity a national majority, although of course large national minorities were encased within each structure. Either way, it was all pie in the sky at this stage as they were not at war, although it seemed to be looming ever closer with the passing of each hour. He looked at the missive from Salisbury as his wife came in wearing only a green silk robe. She looked at him before finally speaking.

"Rudolf?"

"Yes?"

"What are you doing?"

"To be honest I don't know. Looking at things I already know, trying to think about anything other than what is really worrying me."

Stephanie looked at him again. "Are we doing the right thing? Tell me we are doing the right thing as it seems to me that we are condemning many men to die before their time. I suppose I can live with that if, well...if it's worth it I suppose."

Rudolf sat down with a sigh. "No one can ever be certain, but I think we must do this. We cannot let things drift toward what happened before, we must try and diverge things and theoretically this should work, it's only...."

"The British and French?"

"Yes. I am confident the Germans will sit tight, annoyed though they may be. We cannot have another Great War, how can what we do now be worse?"

"I am just worried, about us, the girls, what we have, what we have built, this country, the Congo. Just the whole thing really."

"We are committed now. There is no turning back and we have the tiger by the tail. I am convinced that we are doing the right thing and the Croatian experiment is necessary to. We are so far down the track that even Princess Olga is coming from France to meet our future King of Albania."

"So be it. We can talk about what I may be able to do in terms of selling this war when it arrives. In the meantime come to bed. Make love to me hard and fast like you have no doubts at all as I need my own doubts to fade."

August 1894-Albanian thoughts

16 August 1894, Durres, Ottoman Empire

Sami Frashëri listened again to the visitor, a Sigwalt Roos from Vienna. The intense young man was certainly earnest enough yet that did not account for the fact that the revolts in 1889 and 1893 had both been not only unsuccessful but bloody to boot. Yet this was something else again. It would go too far for many, a completely independent Albania, yet for many, the chance to throw off the Ottoman yoke and chart their own course was a tempting one indeed. If what this Roos was saying was true, this envisaged Albanian state would encompass large parts of Kosovo as well.

There was little real chance that Albanian irregulars could overthrow the Ottomans and clear their own lands, however, with Austrian support that would be another matter altogether. It was really now or never. Tomorrow night he would introduce Roos to his friends and they would make plans for a possible rising here in Durres. In addition, he had friends within the harbourmasters office and would be able to obtain plans as to the locations of the small Ottoman battery as well as the layout of the harbour itself.

August 1894-It's war!

19 August 1894, Camden, London, Great Britain

"Father, father"

Archibald Primrose focused on his daughter Sybil, as she shook him awake.

"What is it Sybi?

"It's the Foreign Secretary."

Rosebery walked to the telephone and picked it up. "Yes?"

John Wodehouse, the Foreign Minister was quite animated. "It is the Ottomans."

"Yes John, what about them?"

"Both the Russian and the Austrians have declared war on them, citing the atrocities in Eastern Anatolia and Crete, as well as recent events that we are unaware of in Albania. They say that both of them are moving "To protect the Christian population under Ottoman control from recent atrocities" in the Russian statement. The Austrian one states they are moving to protect the subject populations from 'ethnic cleansing', whatever that means."

Rosebery's mind whirled. "Those fucking bastards. They have been blocking us. We have been hammering de Giers in St Petersburg to try and give us reassurance and in Vienna we have even approached Kálnoky to attempt to gain his influence to approach Berlin to try and negotiate a solution. Instead they have gone behind our backs and jumped in themselves. As if it's bad enough that the Italians refuse to be swayed. At least they only want a strip of worthless desert. This is far more serious and could cause the Ottomans to finally fly apart like a coiled spring."

John Wodehouse coughed. "I am afraid that is not all Prime Minister. Not only have the Russians and Austrians declared war within 30 minutes of each other, it appears that Serbia have followed suit."

"So that makes the Italians, the Serbians, the Triple Monarchy, The Russians and the Greeks?"

"At this stage yes."

Rosebery sighed. "Call a Cabinet meeting for 7.00am. We will need to formulate a response. It's all too convenient, declarations of war within half and hour of each other, the same diplomatic stalling. This has been planned. Now all we have are the French and Germans and likely only one of those. We have been lead up the garden path here, the question is what can we do about it?"

August 1894-Naval first moves

20 August 1894, Athens, Kingdom of Greece

All the talk in the morning papers was of Bulgaria's declaration of war on the Ottomans as well. In the meantime, Rudolf Montecuccoli had weighed anchor and was leading his squadron out of the harbour with orders to join the Greek Fleet, itself consisting of three center battery ships and six torpedo boats patrolling to the East of Mykonis in an attempt to block an Ottoman breakout of the Aegean.

His line consisted of a core of his two new ships, two more large cruisers, four light cruisers and escorts. All were fully coaled after their recent stop in Athens.
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20 August 1894, 2000 meters off Durres, Ottoman Empire

Fregattenleutnant Miklos Horthy gave the signal and the old battleship began it's engagement of the larger of the two forts, one armed with four Krupp C 64 8cm weapons. The smaller "round fort" had two more. Rear Admiral Julius von Payer's task force was engaged and they were at war.

August 1894-First contacts

23 August 1894, Druar, Ottoman Empire

Colonel Conrad von Hötzendorf smiled. Last night's Ottoman cavalry attack had been cut up badly by machine gun fire and today the advance had been resumed, quickly brushing aside a number of demoralized small units of scattered men. The Ottomans appeared to have lost cohesion after three days of heavy fighting and the front was beginning to become fluid, which would allow the release of the four Cavalry Divisions that backed the ten Infantry Divisions in their initial operations.

Already, three days into the campaign, a number of Ottoman troops captured today had indicated they had not been fed in two days. A captured Ottoman officer today had confessed his unit had never even practiced moving locations as a full Brigade. He also confessed that under the paranoid Sultan Abdulhamid II, the Ottoman Army as a whole had been forbidden to engage in war games or maneuvers out of the fear that this might be the cover for a coup d’etat. Some of the Redif or reserve troops had apparently only been given a rifle three days ago, never having handled one before.

He supposed the first real test would be when his Army encountered fixed fortifications, which apparently contained the better of the Ottoman troops but for the moment things were going well, with penetrations of up to 25-30 kilometers in three full days. The road to Pristina was open, after which the Army would wheel to the South and South-west with the Serbians on their left flank.

August 1894-Whitehall waits

24 August 1894, Whitehall, London, Great Britain

Archibald Primrose sat with John Wodehouse, the Foreign Secretary and Herbert Asquith, the Home Secretary. "You have received a reply from Berlin?"

"I have Prime Minister, however, I am afraid that it is not all that we had hoped."

"Go on man."

"I have received a reply from von Bieberstein to the effect that they will continue to try and influence both Russia and Austro-Hungary towards some sort of negotiated peace, however, both the Kaiser and von Bieberstein have indicated that they consider any military action 'quite impossible' and a 'breach of the Triple Alliance.'"

"Well, that has torn it. What about the French?"

"Well they have denounced the actions of course. However, they have been tardy in a response to us. Apparently they are still formulating a reply Prime Minister."

Asquith finally spoke. "That is not all Prime Minister. Newspaper reports are popping up all over the place with tales of Ottoman atrocities in Crete, in Tripoli, in Eastern Anatolia, in Albania. Yesterday "The Telegraph" ran a photograph of corpses purported to be civilian victims of Ottoman Hamidiyan cavalry. The press have taken these stories and run with them Prime Minister. Already Abdul Hamid is known as the Red Sultan. It's too perfect and seemingly stage managed in terms of where the press are obtaining their information but Ottoman cavalry slaughtering Christians in Crete and Anatolia is stirring up little of the traditional support the underdog usually occasions in these sort of circumstances and public opinion is already firmly against the Sublime Porte."

"When will we hear back from bloody French?"

"I am not sure at this stage Prime Minister. They indicated that they are formulating a reply to our request for a united position."

"What can we do? Already the Austrians have subdued the defenses at landed troops at Durres, securing the town and surroundings with the assistance apparently of Albanian irregulars. They have broken out of Novi Pazar as well and have advanced some 30 kilometers. The Greeks are well established in Crete and have commenced landings on other Aegean islands, the Bulgarians have already broken through their frontiers and Russian troops have landed at Varna in support. In Eastern Anatolia, Russian troops have crossed the frontier, I have been able to obtain no more information than that. Whatever we do, it will need to be done fast and we have received a number of increasingly urgent requests for assistance."

"Yes I am aware of that Foreign Secretary" snapped Rosebery.

Asquith was the next to speak. "Prime Minister, may I suggest another strategy?"

"By all means, anything that may assist our situation would be more than welcome."

"Well it seems to me that our main concern here is the Straits, keeping the Straits in Ottoman hands as a bulwark for stopping Russian expansion into the Mediterranean so that their attentions can be refocused into the Far East."

"Yes of course." said Rosebery.

"Well, if we are not really concerned with the events in relation to Tripolitania, Crete and Macedonia then should we not attempt to convince the Ottomans to sue for peace now whilst they still control much of this territory. If we are able to negotiate a peace right now with French and German support we may be able to preserve their possession of Istanbul and still safeguard the Straits. Otherwise, without our direct intervention, surely they will be lost. I can see no reasonable way that the Sublime Porte can prevail in a confrontation between three major and four minor powers. I am also thinking that such an offer may split this unusual alliance and restore the balance of power back into our own favour. We could also intimate to Istanbul that as a price for such a successful negotiation that Egypt should become a formal British protectorate under the Khedive."

"Hmm, it is not without it's merits. I think we wait on the French and in the meantime keep the Mediterranean Fleet on alert."

August 1894- Prepartions to a naval encounter

24 August 1894, Port of Piraeus, Kingdom of Greece

The old battleship Hapsburg nosed into the Greek harbour for coaling. She had taken five hits from 80mm shells off Durres but the old ship's enormous armour had shrugged those off contemptuously, sustaining no real damage. She had helped suppress the two forts near Durres and when both were silent the transport ships Lissa and Dandalo had then performed their secondary role, landing troops to take the small city. Both had been equipped as transports with this sort of operation in mind, being generously supplied with ship's boats for just such a purpose. The battery ship Stephanie had also been hit a number of times and had withdrawn to Pola, however, his own ship along with two protected cruisers and six small destroyers had moved on to Piraeus in Greece to coal and then join the Triple Monarchy's main fleet to allow the Greeks to use their own ships to support island landings. Rear Admiral Julius von Payer was eager for news, but so far there was no sight of the Ottoman Navy at all.
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24 August 1894, Gold Horn, Istanbul, Ottoman Empire

Admiral Hasan Rami Pasha despaired of ever getting this disparate collection of ships to sea, however, by some miracle it looked like he may be able to sail on the morrow. He had left all the wooden ships behind and due to engine problems it was likely his fleet would be held to 9-10 knots, however, they should be sufficient to disperse the Greek Fleet in any case. His other concern was lack of escorts, he had only bigger torpedo boats that had the range to cover his squadron and there were no cruisers at all that were worth attaching in terms of fighting value.

The day after his fleet his four transports would depart, escorted by four wooden hulled steam corvettes and six small torpedo boats the latter would likely be overloaded with coal to make the journey.

August 1894-An evaporation of options

24 August 1894, Whitehall, London, Great Britain

John Wodehouse, the Foreign Secretary approached the Prime Minister.

"We have a reply from Paris Prime Minister and again I must say it is not all that we had hoped."

"What are the details?" said Rosebery.

"I suspect the French have waited to see what direction the Germans would take. Hanotaux replied that the French would not consider taking an anti-Russian stance that could possibly lead to war, however, in exchange for certain considerations they could fully support a plan for a negotiated peace on less onerous terms."

"What considerations for God's sake?"

"They want access to the Nile Prime Minister, likely via Bahr el Ghazal where they have expressed an interest before. You know of their ambitions in Egypt. Of course, that would bring in a third party with an interest in removing the Mahadists, so there are or would be some slight benefits."

Rosebery placed his head in his hands. "So you are telling me we have no allies at all if we wish to intervene militarily and that all we have is Asquith's mad plan to try and convince the Ottomans to surrender as soon as possible to save what they can, allowing us to intervene with the French and Germans to try and force a more moderate peace that might otherwise be obtained. And for that minor privilege we should surrender part of the Sudan to the French."

"Yes, I agree it's not ideal Prime Minister."

"Not ideal. It is a bloody nightmare. How is it the Foreign Office knew nothing of this right from the start?"

"There were certain signs but no one put it all together and it was thought that Russia's traditionally difficult relationship with Austria would make such an accommodation unlikely Prime Minister."

"Even this Asquith scheme will be unpopular John. The public want blood and will not like it."

"The public are ignorant and stupid" snapped John Wodehouse.

"It was the general public who elected me John."

Wodehouse nodded sagely.

August 1894-First Sighting

10.08am 26 August 1894, Aegean Sea, 10 nautical miles Northwest of Mikonos

"Sir, the smoke sighted on the horizon has resolved itself into fighting tops, ten, no eleven so far."

Rudolf Montecuccoli smiled a thin lipped smile. "Very well Mr Behr, signal the other ships to assume line ahead with Hapsburg in the lead, make turns for 14 knots and keep the light units to port until we have positive identification. Bring all ships to action stations and set condition purple throughout the fleet."

"Yes Admiral."

In the next twenty minutes Montecuccoli watched the threat evolve into full 16 armoured ships, the Ottoman Fleet maintaining a straight line ahead formation with what looked like only two torpedo boats, one on each flank. His plan was simple enough, they had to fight their way past where he was blocking the 12 nautical mile channel to reach the wider expanses of the Mediterranean and it was his task to prevent that happening. That being the case, his opposite number had limited possibilities. All he could do was hold course until such time as he believed himself to be in gun range and then turn broadside on to hopefully make use of his superior numbers in regards to heavy ships.

Montecuccoli would wait until the range came down to 2000 meters and then batter the front of the Ottoman line. When they turned onto a broadside course he would speed up his fleet to not only open the range but to attempt to cross their T a second time, at the same time diverging his light forces to close the range to 1200 to 1500 meters attack with their Whitehead torpedoes, then use his main body to swing back upon the Ottoman main line, which would hopefully be disrupted and confused and use his battle cruisers to target and silence their line a ship at a time. They had practiced director firing the main armament numerous times, however, it was different story in real combat.

August 1894- Torpedo alley

10.43am 26 August 1894, Aegean Sea, 10 nautical miles Northwest of Mikonos

Admiral Hasan Rami Pasha's fleet had opened fire at 4500 meters more in hope than anything else, his fleet sailing in line abreast directly towards the Austrian fleet. His heart had sunk slightly at the sight of the two larger ships but he had his duty to at least try and carry out his orders. He should have placed his flagship Musudiye in the van as the most powerful unit but had placed it in the middle of his fleet, not being confident that in the event of it's and his loss that his fleet would not disintegrate.

One hit only had been obtained, then a second at 2400 metres. He planned to peel off at 2000 meters and engage with broadsides, but at 2150 yards the Austrian main battleline had exploded into flame. The lead ship, Osmaniye, staggered under the impact of a number of shells. By the time he began his turn his fleet was facing a storm of fire and he had only witnessed one more hit on the largest enemy ship. By the completion of his turn he faced a new threat. Whilst the Austrian main line was seemingly angling away at 45 degrees, opening up the range slightly, their light units and some larger cruisers had emerged from behind the bigger ships and were angling ever closer, the range now down to 1750 meters. He signalled the fleet to engage the lighter forces before they could close but the response was sporadic and only five of his ships flew an acknowledgment. Torpedo attack was something he greatly feared, although he was confident that he would inflict damage if the Austrians came within 1000 meters, the likely range for a torpedo attack.

His ships were much to slow, held to 9 knots by at least two of his units that had experienced severe hogging if the fleet's speed was pushed beyond that point. The enemy small units had pushed to 1350 meters, one being badly hit but most seemingly escaping great damage. More of his own ships had switched fire to the Austrian small units and he was beginning to consider a turn away before the Austrians came within a dangerous distance, even though it would expose his stern to the Austrian heavy ships fire, which had been uncomfortably accurate, the lead ship Osmaniye already burning fiercely and down to seven knots, now the fleet speed.

Admiral Hasan Rami Pasha had just ordered a turn away when the starboard side lookout shouted out "torpedoes in the water". For the Musudiye, capable of only ten knots normally and currently at less than seven, there was no time to turn to evade the tracks. He did not know that the Austrian fleet had in fact fired fully 46 torpedoes at his strung out fleet. With his main line moving at slightly less than seven knots and broadside on or at best just beginning turns, his ships were not difficult targets for the twenty knot Whitehead devices. He was not to know any of that, only that two tracks rapidly ate up the distance to his flagship, one impacting on the bow near the chain locker, the second striking near the stern, quickly opening up the over-strained engine room to the hungry sea. It was to take less than fifteen minutes for the Ottoman flagship to turn turtle, taking Hasan Rami Pasha and Ottoman hopes for victory with her.

August 1894-End of the battle of Mikonos

11.00am 26 August, Aegean Sea, 12 nautical miles Northwest of Mikonos

"Sir, there goes another one."

Rudolf Montecuccoli eyes swung astern as another Ottoman ship took it's final plunge. His own flagship Prinz Eugen had not bothered with the distraction. He had been surprised at how effective the new centralized battery fire was, his flagship and her sister's fire much more effective than the two Budapest Class cruisers. He could hear the gunnery officer "Rot 48, einstausend acht hundert meters. Gelegt. Schiessen!"

His own ship had taken two hits, one knocking out a secondary mount and killing a number of crew. One of his smaller destroyers had been lost, a light cruiser badly damaged but most ships had taken little in the way of serious damage. The same could not be said of the Ottomans. Seven torpedo hits on five ships had sunk all five, a sixth ship and a small destroyer sunk by gunfire. After the torpedo strikes the Ottoman fleet had milled around in total confusion and had only now made their way back on a northerly course, several ships of the remaining eleven burning and making a speed of only eight knots.

"Rags, signal the fleet to close to 1600 meters and hold a parallel course." He turned to his Flag Captain. "We will continue to engage until such time as our ammunition stores are at 30%, then cease fire and dispatch any cripples or board any prizes. They are beaten well and truly so we will not pursue past that point and we will let the light forces maintain their remaining torpedoes in case there is a follow up group, unlikely though that seems."

11.50am 26 August, Aegean Sea, 18 nautical miles Northnorthwest of Mikonos

"Cease fire, cease fire guns." Rudolf Montecuccoli took stock of the situation. He had lost one destroyer with a light cruiser badly damaged and with the protected cruiser Kaiser Franz Joseph I also hit by heavy shells. In return the Ottoman fleet had been annihilated. Eight heavy ships had sunk, as had a torpedo boat. A second torpedo boat and an ironclad were immobile and had struck their flag. Another ironclad was in the final throes of sinking.

Six more ironclads had escaped, one burning furiously. He had been impressed with the efficiency of his fleet and the gunnery hit percentage had been higher than he had expected under combat conditions. The fact that his opponents gunnery and indeed ship handling had been poor in the extreme had certainly helped, even if they had matched or even outnumbered his own fleet in terms of sheer tonnage before the battle.

Now it was time to gather the prizes, prisoners and count his own butcher's bill when he returned to port.

August 1894-The magnitude of defeat

0450 27 August 1894, Gold Horn, Istanbul, Ottoman Empire

The anchor chain rattled down on board the ironclad Asar-i Tevfik. She had taken four heavy hits and numerous smaller ones. The crew had reported frightful spalling from areas of the old ship's armour where she had been hit, cutting men down from inside the armoured citadel even when a penetration had not been achieved. Captain Selim Bey sighed. It was not like they had not done their best, but all that remained were the ironclads Aiziziye, Hifz-uz Rahman, her sister Lüft-ü Celil and the Avnillah. Five ships. A sixth, the Feth-i Bülend had been beached in the Dardanelles, a total loss. Five ships out of 18. Not a single surviving ship was undamaged. It was a disaster and the fact that they had tried their best would do little to appease Abdul Hamid.

August 1894-Austrian aftermath

28 August 1894, Athens, Kingdom of Greece

Rudolf Montecuccoli could hardly credit the hysteria his naval victory had created. Thousands lined the quay where his flagship pulled up, women throwing flowers and men cheering. He had marched off the 1650 poor devils they had rescued from the sea. He had scuttled one of his prizes, an old 2800 ton ironclad that had bad engine room damage and taken another, a 130 ton small destroyer in tow.

Overall he had lost a smaller destroyers and two of his cruisers were damaged. His own flagship had taken a damaging hit as well and overall he had lost 38 killed and 85 wounded. With the Greek Fleet taking over his former duties now the threat had abated, his ships would stay in port three days and then make there way back to Pola.

The newspapers were screaming the result of 11 Ottoman battleships sunk and indeed he could have probably sunk all 16 if he had continued to pursue, but so doing would have exhausted his ammunition supplies and guarding against an troopship breakout was the more important task. The five ironclads that had escaped had all been hit badly so were unlikely to reemerge in the foreseeable future. No, his crews had done well. With a gunboat sunk off Albania and the Greeks sinking two torpedo boats and a gunboat as well the Ottomans had ceased to be a threat.

No doubt his sailors would enjoy their three days in port before they departed for Pola. There had been some hiccups but the directed fire from his main battery had overall been a success although some difficultly had been experienced in spotting the splashes from the main battery as opposed to the 5.9 inch secondaries. The smaller guns had struggled to penetrate the Ottoman ironclads, although they had rendered them ineffective quite quickly. Whiteheads torpedoes had been more than effective and he had fought his instincts to order a second attack using his remaining torpedoes.

August 1894-Dispair of the Red Sultan

29 August 1894, Yildiz Palace, Istanbul, Ottoman Empire

Abdul Hamid II had received a succession of people during the course of the day. The Navy Minister had indicated that nothing was to be done. Only five of the 16 battleships had returned from the Aegean operation and one of those had subsequently floundered in the Golden Horn from accumulated flooding. The remainder were non operational and there were no other forces that could seize the initiative. He had then received the Army Minister where the news was equally bleak. To the East Bayazid had already fallen. All three of Van, Trabizond and Erzerum were under threat from Russian forces. Pristina had fallen yesterday, the Austrians had also taken Pec and Durres. His troops were battling to deny the Serbians Skopje. Edirne was in danger of being isolated and his troops were falling back under hammer blows from the surprisingly efficient and numerous Bulgarian forces, which now had Russian support. The Greeks were held in place by the garrison at Ioannina. The battle for Crete was winding down. Most of the Aegean islands that did not have strong garrisons had fallen.

That was not all. Kuwait had appealed to the British to become a formal protectorate to escape the "instability" of nearby Basra, where many of the merchants had packed up and left the Ottoman city. In the Lake Van region Armenian irregulars were of great help to the Russian invaders. Yemen was in full revolt and in Jounieh a Maronite rebellion was in progress and they had called on France as "a protector of Catholicism" to assist them. Albania had risen and irregular troops were prowling the countryside, cutting supply lines and slaughtering Ottoman sympathizers. He simply did not have the troops to respond to all of these threats.

He had placed some hope in help from the British, French and Germans, the uninvolved powers, however, the afternoon's meetings had dashed these expectations. The Germans had indicated their sympathy but had also made it plain that their sympathy would be all he was likely to receive. The British and French had provided only one option-capitulate and call on themselves to act as guarantors of a peace conference, which they indicated they would pressure the other powers to accept in conjunction with the Germans.

Even that would come at a cost. Sir Philip Currie had indicated that Britain would want it's defacto control of Egypt formalized and that Britain would support France's call for a protectorate over Maronite areas in the Levant. Yet another humiliation. Even the newspapers in Europe were against him, the "Red Sultan" they called him. He was right to be suspicious, this was clearly a conspiracy against his own rule, both externally and internally, how else could one explain the inefficiency and utter failure of all his forces on land and at sea?

Yet what options did he really have here? Perhaps a surrender would mitigate the terms, as it had done in 1878. It would mean placing himself in the hands of the faithless British and French, already busy proving themselves false friends. He would think on it a while longer.

August 1894-British and French thoughts on the matter at hand

29 August 1894, Whitehall, London, Great Britain

Rosebery received the French ambassador, Alphonse, Baron de Courcel.

"My dear Baron, please take a seat. I presume you are here to talk about the situation in Istanbul."

"Yes, Prime Minister. Our united position has been presented at this stage without reply."

"And the military situation?"

"Quite hopeless I am afraid. I am confident that even Abdul Hamid will see that soon. This has not been the best of circumstances Prime Minister but I remain confident that we can salvage something. Both the Russians and the Austrians had indicated right from the commencement of operations that this actions was in response to atrocities against minorities and not an action aimed in any way against either of our interests. They blindsided us, I had thought that we would have heard about Austrian intentions via the Boche, considering how close the two are, but nothing at all."

"Yes, well. We need to review what we need. Kuwait is already done. Egypt for us and an absolute must is for us both to guarantee that the Ottomans retain their traditional capital as part of any negotiations. I believe I can rely on Germany's support there. For yourself the Levant Protectorate."

"And the concessions by your own government in Sudan as regards access to the Nile Prime Minister for our help in this matter."

Yes, I am well aware of that you garlic eater thought Rosebery. "Of course my dear Baron, of course."

"Can Russia be mollified with the Armenian areas is the question? I think the break up of the ethnically non Muslim areas of the European Ottoman Empire to the smaller powers involved is a given."

"I don't know about Constantinople, but we need to try. If we can satisfy Austria's ambitions, if only we knew what they were, they have been quite evasive in regards them, then maybe we can split this partnership. As for the Italians, throwing them a bone in regards North Africa should be enough."

"Indeed Prime Minister."

August 1894-Prelude to the death of the Russian bear

31 August 1894, Winter Palace, St Petersburg, Russian Empire

After the collapse of her husband today, Maria Feodorovna had taken charge of matters and had ordered her husband, who had insisted in coming back to the capital at the commencement of the war and being fully involved in war discussions, be moved to Gatchina. Her son would have to take charge of matters in the capital. Alexander was exhausted and painfully weak and secretly in her own heart Maria could see that she would likely be a widow very soon. How this illness could have sapped a man with such great strength as her beloved Sasha she was uncertain.

She was to prove correct as Alexander III would never see his capital again, arriving at Gatchina on the 1st September, slipping into a coma on the 9th and passing onward the 10th. Nicholas II would be the new Tsar.

September 1894-Hopes of a miracle

5 September 1894, Yildiz Palace, Istanbul, Ottoman Empire

Abdul Hamid II's proposals for peace had been rebuffed by Russia on the 30th August where they had indicated they would only be happy with control of the Straits via possession of Istanbul. Austria had not been opposed to a negotiated peace but had indicated her other partners in aggression would need to be satisfied. Domestically things had worsened with demonstrations demanding the return of constitutional government. An entire Regiment had mutinied in Albania. Erzerum had Russian troops in it, Skopje was under threat from Serbians. Edirne was under siege by the Bulgarians, Ioannina by the Greeks. Crete had surrendered.

Yet possibly all may not be lost. Alexander III lay clearly dying and Russia would have a new Tsar. Like Frederich the Great, would there be a miracle for the House of Osman? He decided to have his favourite called. Tomorrow he would summon the French, German and British ambassadors and then do what must be done. If he cleared his foreign enemies, perhaps then he could deal with his domestic ones.

September 1894- Abdul Hamid makes an offer

10 September 1894, Yildiz Palace, Istanbul, Ottoman Empire

So, thought Abdul Hamid II, they wanted not only all of Europe but the Armenian areas around Lake Van at a minimum and in addition Tripolitania to Italy, most the islands to Greece, France's little enclave and Egypt to the British.

Tripolitania was of limited importance in terms of anything other than prestige. Egypt was already effectively lost in any case, although the religious revenues that still flowed to Istanbul would be missed. In Eastern Anatolia his troops were still falling back, but slowly and in order. There they had slowed if not stalled the Russians. The line from Enez to Kiikoy was holding at present and he had flung his best units in it's defense.

Elsewhere, the situation was hopeless. He had no Navy to contest possession of the islands, Crete was lost, he had no way to reinforce Tripolitania, his armies in Albania, Thrace and Macedonia were almost cut off and although still in the field it was now only a matter of days before the Bulgarians reached the coast and some 300,000 men were hopelessly cut off and out of supply. He could expect no support there from the local populace, less than 10% of which were Turkish.

Riots in Istanbul were worsening. A rare piece of good news had been the death of that devil Alexander III. It was no great loss to offer what was lost in any case. All he could do now was try and preserve his capital and to that end had to act. The longer he delayed the weaker his position. He would summon the ambassadors of the three Great Powers again and would agree to all terms aside from the European portion of Istanbul Vilayet. Surely the British, not to mention the Germans, would not want Russia in possession of the city. He would remind the French that the loss of his capital would hinder any possibility of their loans being repaid, likewise the Germans.

In the meantime, he could only hope his troops would stand fast and stay in the field and that he could stave off the unrest that was so widespread here. To that end, he also summoned his Grand Vizier to announce the return of constitutional Government once elections could be provided for. The delay encompassed in that would hopefully give him time to rise out this crisis and one could only hope some of his erstwhile opponents turned on each other.

September 1894- The prelude to peace

13 September 1894, Schonbrunn Palace, Triple Monarchy

It had been a clever move for sure by not only the British and French but also the beleaguered Abdul Hamid. They had proposed a ceasefire in place and an immediate Peace Conference and the granting of virtually all demands excluding Istanbul. Telegrams had been sent under cover from each of Germany, Great Britain and France under the signatures of all three Foreign Ministers urging acceptance, to do otherwise being to "fan the flames of war." Queen Victoria had written to him personally urging him to intercede to prevent an "ignoble end to the conflict that raged." Wilhelm had, of course, being firing him off telegrams daily, his position vacillating between admiration of the military victories won, especially the naval victory in the Aegean and concern at to the turn of events to pleas on Abdul Hamid's behalf. The French had also written imploring he intercede to force a peace.

It was a clever move indeed because they had also written to the smaller powers at the same time. Serbia had obtained all she had agreed upon with such a treaty, as did Bulgaria, Montenegro, plus what he hoped what would become Albania. Also Italy. Only the Greeks could perhaps be persuaded to continue on. Bulgaria only if they were the ones offered Istanbul. For that matter he himself and Austria were also satisfied. Without the support of the smaller powers and with the offer of lands containing Armenians to Russia, not only was the moral impetus for the continuation of such a war largely lost, but for Austria at least, there was the physical question of engaging the Ottomans with no common border.

Nicholas was also seemingly at a loss, telegraphing to ask his opinion and clearly adrift after the loss of his father and the distraction the war was bringing. Rudolf had gotten all he wanted, although he had an idea as to how he may be able to gain more and he did not want to be forcing the situation and thereby endanger the beatific dynastic marriages he had duly arranged for both Serbia and Albania. Yet he could not afford to simply abandon Russia after the work he had put in to cultivate her friendship. Held fast in alliance with Germany, the three powers should be able to guarantee peace in Europe. Perhaps there was another way.

For Russia it was not just a question of access through the straits for theoretical naval vessels. That was merely pride. Her real concerns were economic and with her increased exports in grain relied on the Straits to ship from the breadbasket of the Ukraine to export markets for cash. In regards military shipping, her interests were the opposite. She wished to control the Straits to deny passage into the Black Sea for an enemy fleet, mainly the Royal Navy as memories of the Crimean War still lingered. Perhaps there was a way to guarantee her own ship's safe passage by weakening the Ottomans enough that they would always be compliant yet at the same time giving Russia defensive control of the straits. Already it would be their satellite Bulgaria that controlled the Gallipoli peninsula. That left the Bosporus itself. On the European side was the town at Kilyos and it's fortress, control of which and the surrounding area would guarantee the closure of the straits if required.

Ultimately, it was not really in Austria's interests to have Russia as an extra power in the Mediterranean and to have the Ottomans still maintaining a presence in Istanbul was not without it's benefits, namely a welcome distraction in the back of the fractious smaller Balkan powers. He was of the hope that this recent war would settle Balkan nationalism and that his planned dynastic adventures would cement such a move. However, no one could ever be sure of anything, particularly in the Balkans. No, it would not hurt for the Ottomans to keep their capital, if only he could convince Nicholas and Russia that ultimately they were getting what they wanted. Of course, the Ottomans would have to agree to a counter proposal. The French to, since he would want a reward for such an intervention to save their bankers from ruin. He liked Nicholas, he really did, but one could not mix personal feelings with duty.

Later that day he was to write to Nicholas in St Petersburg, advising him that he would make all efforts to attend Alexander III's funeral and in addition that in his opinion he accept a Peace Conference, pointing out the likely withdrawal of the smaller powers. He suggested that if Russia's ambitions at the Straits were defensive then perhaps control of the top of the straits would suffice and that Russia could make other gains aside from the agreed transfer of Van and Bitlis Vilayets by asking for the Southern part of Erzerum Vilatey including the city, which had changed hands many times over the years. He also suggested that Nicholas ask for the allowance of free population transfers. That way Russia could protect "not only the majority of Armenians but also the Assyrian Eastern Church adherents", a statement Stephanie assured him would likely play well with the public. Rudolf also suggested Corfu as a location for a peace conference, not London as suggested by the British.

In the meantime he wrote to the French, indicating that if he was able to broker a peaceful end to the war, he would like for them to transfer their 100 year old lease on the lighthouse and headland at Anadolufenderi to the Russians and also flagged his desire to purchase a 20 by 25 kilometer square area of coastline above Cabinda to "give the Congo Kingdom more coastal space." It was all trackless wilderness, at least to French eyes.

Nicholas agreed on a peace on such terms on the 16th. It was to take until the 20th and the surrender of Adrianople before the Ottomans agreed to the general terms and a ceasefire went into effect on the 22nd September pending such a conference commencing 18th October on Corfu.

September 1894- A looming naval clash in the Far East

14 September 1894, Weihaiwei Naval Base, Empire of China

Admiral Ding Ruchang had tried to buy as much time as possible to fully equip his fleet before he faced the Imperial Japanese Navy, however, he felt he could delay no longer and must try and sortie to cut the Japanese supply lines to Korea. His fleet on paper was impressive, three battleships, one the Pingyuan, formerly Austrian, 11 cruisers including three former Austrian, as well as one large and four small torpedo boats.

Whilst his ships were not old and not badly maintained, much of his equipment and supplies were missing or defective, the training of his officers patchy at best and he relied on British and German advisors. However, the Beiyang Fleet was China's most powerful out of her four fleets and he had no choice but to commit it to the fight. His enemy had no capital ships at all so he was confident that they could not fatally hurt his larger units.

September 1894-I have found your perfect match....

14 September 1894, Schonbrunn Palace, Triple Monarchy

Stephanie looked up and fixed her husband with an angry glare. "Just let me do it. It's not like you do not have enough on your plate and one must say that in terms of the way you have moved the chess pieces around, you have done brilliantly so far. However, last time you attempted this you bungled it well and truly."

"I did..."

"No Rudolf, you lost your temper, tried to bully the girl and fucked it up completely. We have lost the older sister, she is almost a nun, now all we have is the younger. Milan will be coming here not long after the funeral in Russia and bringing young King Alexander with him. Now if you want the next Queen of Serbia to be a Hapsburg, just leave it to me. She is a very pretty young lady and thankfully has avoided all the Hapsburg physical traits to there is no reason why as an 18 year old boy he should not like such a match if both ourselves and his father smooth the way. Plus, from what you have said it's important that this kid does not get assassinated let alone make the horrible marriage that put one foot in the coffin for him.

No, I will talk to Elizabeth Amalie and you will stay right out if it aside from saying how much you approve when the time comes. Are we clear on this matter?"

"God you are impossible when you are like this."

"Good." Stephanie rang the bell and Laura Paton appeared. "Laura, can you arrange to extend an invitation to Archduchess Elisabeth Amalie and her mother to come to tea tomorrow before we leave for St Petersburg please."

"Of course Your Majesty."

"Thank you Laura, you can leave us again now please." She turned back to Rudolf. "Now, what about Albania and Eugen Ferdinand of Teschen?"

"He has indicated he would be prepared to undertake the post if offered it. He is one of the most competent we have and like all the Teschens, more than owes me a favour after recent events. As you know the final Russian candidate was Anna of Montenegro. They have met and like each other, maybe very much, so that at least was easy. Pretty girl, unnaturally tall I feel." Rudolf smiled at his wife.

Stephanie could not help but split a smile. "Alight then, we leave for St Petersburg on the 16th and the train has telegraph facilities, so we can keep abreast of the situation as we stop at stations along the way. We will, of course, be taking both our girls with us."

"Of course."

September 1894 map

Map of proposed borders late 1894(Have included the four separate Kingdoms of the former Austro-Hungary in shades of red)
View attachment 363011

September 1894-Potential Russian possessions near Istanbul

Trevayne said:

The map is very good in showing the overall situation, but it is still hard to make out the details in the Bosphorus. Could you please add a map of the sea of Maramara and its exits so that the specifics can be shown? Something like this map

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sea_of_Marmara#/media/File:Sea_of_Marmara_map.png

Click to expand...

Black-Ottoman-Bulgarian border
Red-Russian enclaves

September 1894- Making a match

15 September 1894, Hofburg, Vienna, Triple Monarchy

Stephanie stood as the two women entered the room. "Maria Theresa and Elizabeth Amalie I thank you for coming."

It was Maria Theresa that replied. "Of course Your Majesty."

"I am sure you are not at a loss as to why I requested your presence. However, before I go on, let me apologise to you Maria Theresa and also Michaela Karolina. I have made it quite clear to my husband that I regarded is behaviour as unconscionable and in that regard all I can do is issue you an unreserved apology. However, that does not dim that simple fact that we do wish to make a dynastic alliance with Serbia in the aftermath of this current war and that it is of no small importance that the next Serbian Queen is seen to be a senior Hapsburg family member. Young King Alexander is only 18. He will be coming to Vienna in early November.

I have summoned you both here and not your father as he is overseas in any case, but, to be honest, what do men know about such things?" Both mother and daughter laughed.

I suppose with your mother's permission I am talking to you now Elizabeth Amalie. Would you be prepared to meet him? That is all I ask at this stage."

The young women sat forward. "Can you tell me what he is like?"

"Of course. Well here is a photo. I am sure that is of some importance," laughed Stephanie. "Now, in regards to the man himself. He was an only child and his parents had..problems, so Alexander had a difficult childhood. I suppose you could say he is more of a thinker, quite keen on books and learning, although physically robust. He is not an unkind man, not at all, and has no known bad habits that we know of. Obviously he has found being King at such a young age trying.

I will not try and mislead you. Of course, if you marry you would immediately become Queen of Serbia. To do so, to marry, would require you to change your faith to Orthodox, however, I gather that unlike your sister religion is not of paramount importance to you personally."

Elizabeth Amalie looked at the photograph. "No, it does not. Well, with mother's approval I suppose it would not hurt to meet this boy at least."

Maria Theresa looked at Stephanie. "I know that it is important to the dynasty. As long as she is not forced, well why not?"

Stephanie smiled. "Thank you ladies. I can categorically tell you-no one will be forced."

September 1894-RN searching for lessons, Chinese defeat

19 September 1894, Admiralty, Whitehall, London, United Kingdom

Admiral Sir Fredrick Richards had asked his yeoman to summon the Third Lord. "Jackie, come in, there are some things I think we need to discuss."

"Of course Sir."

"Jackie, you have done well and there is no question that you will eventually sit in this chair, however, at the moment the service is very much at a crossroads. In a broad sense the most recent Ottoman War has made it quite clear that we are relatively isolated internationally. That makes possession of a first class Navy even more important and to be fair ,the government in their wisdom have actually recognized that via the Naval Defense Act 1889. Now Jackie, this provides us with the access to funds that we need to update the Navy but the question remains, are we spending this largess in the most efficient manner?"

"Well there will be ever those who disagree sir."

"Indeed, but we need to learn the lessons from actions as they occur and there have likely been two significant recent actions that require study."

"The Battle of the Aegean Sea sir, plus..."

Fredrick Richards passed over the paperwork. "So, the Japanese and the Chinese have clashed sir?"'

"Yes, in broad terms the Japanese lost three ships, one their flagship that Admiral Kozo also went down on. Despite the loss of the flagship Matsushima early in the battle to a magazine explosion and the loss of another cruiser and a converted liner, it appears they were able to fight the Chinese Beiyang Fleet to a standstill even though it contained three capital ships. Chinese losses were severe, fully ten cruisers and a torpedo boat sunk. It has weakened both powers but the Chinese ships are the worse quite obviously."

"We need to learn the lessons that these battles may be able to teach us." Richards passed over a report. "You may be interested in this as well. Confidential, of course."

"So the Ottomans will accept a peace on terms?"

"They have no option dear fellow, no option at all."

"What would you like me to do First Lord?"

"Co-ordinate all the available information you can possibly obtain from both battles, we had observers on the Japanese flagship but you re already familiar with what occurred there. Gather as many reports as possible from the Far East and interpret them. A force of cruisers defeated a larger force with three center battery ships or ironclads. The KuK Navy with cruisers mainly defeated and sank 14 out of 18 such ships. Our own Navy maintains some 59 such ships, we need to learn whatever lessons we can as to their vulnerability. Visit Vienna or Pola if you need to do so, draw me up a report as to the proceedings and lessons to be learned. I want our next classes of battleships and cruisers to reflect those lessons."

"Of course sir."

September 1894-Life lessons

20 September 1894, 100 kilometers from Baltiysky railway station, St Petersburg, Russian Empire

Rudolf watched the chess board as his daughter made her next move. She had clearly missed the discovered check and he duly proceeded to take advantage of it.

"Damn it!"

"Erszi." warned her mother whilst nursing her sister. You have wanted to learn from papa, you cannot expect to win straight away.

Rudolf spoke. "You are doing well my girl. I am not just saying that just for the sake of it, you know that is not my style. If you keep practicing you will have your day. Besides you learn little from winning but can learn a great deal from losing, not least of which how much more enjoyable winning is.

Now, I want your full attention. You have been spending some time this last twelve months with me and even more time with your mother. You understand why you are going with your mother and myself, correct?"

"Yes of course papa. I am eleven now and I need to start understanding what will eventually be my duties when I become Empress, at least in a small way. That is why I need to go a formal state occasion like this, to prove that I can be dignified and represent our country in a good manner."

"You are a good girl. I wish more than anything that you could be a normal eleven year old girl and as much as possible your mother and I will try and give you the opportunity for exactly that. However, you know that in many ways you will never be a normal girl. I could die like Grandpa and therefore I feel I have to try and prepare you for what may lie ahead. Not everyone is our friend. Yes, you are royalty, maybe one of the most famous families in the world and you will be it's head. People will flatter you, try and influence you, even bully you, but ultimately you must remember what it was that mama told you?"

"My first duty is to my family, then to the people and our country, then to the wider family as a whole. That I must do what I think is right in my own heart for no matter what the problem or issue, there will be always those that disagree or disapprove."

"Excellent. Everything is a trade off. Likely you will never face the difficulties of others such as not knowing where your next meal is coming from. You have been born into privilege yet even that comes with a caveat. You will always be under the eyeglass, you will finish many days exhausted and wake up still so. Your birth will open doors, yet it would be foolish to think that because you have an easier ride down the banister of life that you will not pick up some splinters in your rear end. It's how we deal with setbacks that define us. Remember, you are here by the people's will, not that of God at all. If you lose the people's will, you lose your position and that will effect mama, Lola, others you love. It will also effect the country. Having a monarch can save a country from despots and dictators and those may be...on the way. Together a monarch with public support may unseat a dictator. Yet it is important not to be a dictator yourself. Others may have views different to yours yet that may not make them incorrect. Listen to others before you make your decisions."

"It sounds scary papa."

"Do not be afraid, I will help you. Your mama will help you. I know of no stronger person. Do not be afraid to make mistakes as long as you learn from them, just like our chess game. I know it's hard because of your age yet as we help you and time passes it will get easier."

Stephanie spoke. "Do you know mama's friend Awax Schwarz?"

"Yes of course, Laura's friend."

"He said something to me some time ago and I want you to remember it. 'No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.' Always remember that. You are a girl soon to be a women and men will always secretly think that you are not capable of leadership. However, you are a Hapsburg and our daughter. You are born to lead and never let anyone tell you otherwise. Watch us both, listen to what you are instructed to do at the funeral and when papa and I talk about what is happening, I want you to sit and listen."

"Of course mama. Can we still go ice skating as well?"

Stephanie laughed. "I am sure we can do that as well my dear girl."

September 1894- Arrival in St Petersburg

20 September 1894, Baltiysky railway station, St Petersburg, Russian Empire

As the strains of the Emperors Hymn died away to be followed by the Congolese version of Land der Berge, Land am Strome, which had been adapted to be the National Anthem there. Once the National Anthems for two heads of state died away, both Rudolf and Stephanie were able to move forward and greet Nicholas and Nina on the platform, which had been cleared of all other traffic. Rudolf strode over to shake Nicholas's hand. "I am sorry. I know that like my own father the relationship was at times difficult, but you still miss the man they were."

"Thank you. Yes, it's been quite impossible as well. My Uncles, well at most of them, have been demanding access at all hours, bellowing in my ear as to what should be done in relation to the war, father's funeral, everything really. If it had not been for Nina's support I don't know what I would have done. Plus the war in addition to it all."

"Well the war is over now my friend, all that needs to be done is to put the final diplomatic touches on the aftermath."

"Yes true, we have another five days until the funeral. Come back to the Winter Palace and we can talk."

Stephanie had stepped forward to Nina. The girl still looked impossibly lovely and clutched a toddler in one arm and held another pretty three year old by the hand. "So these are Marie and Tatiana? Nina, they are adorable." Stephanie bent down to the small girl. "Hello, I am your Godmother." She shied away but then Stephanie remembered. She had been speaking so much German lately. She switched into Russian. "Hello little princess, I am your Godmother." The small girl lurched forward and put her arms around her neck.

Nina sighed. "Yes, they are adorable but I worry."

"Why?"

"No son as yet and already the tongues are flapping."

Stephanie paused. "Well, there is plenty of time. You are younger than me. If you are that worried repeal the Pauline Laws like we have in Austria. They were, after all, promulgated by a man who was the worst Tsar Russia has had in the modern era."

Nina laughed. "You may be right. Niko has been having a hard time of it. His Uncles have been harassing him unmercifully in regards to the funeral, the war, foreign policy, the Army, personal appointments. Honestly Vladimir and Sergei are just impossible."

Nicholas and Rudolf came over. "Ready to leave?" asked Rudolf. "Yes, of course."
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It was at the reception two days later that she had decided she had had enough of Sergei. He had come up and badgered and berated Nicholas again in relation to the funeral arrangements. By that stage Stephanie intervened.

"Has it ever occurred to you that Nicholas has just lost his father, has just supervised his forces fighting a major war and had just negotiated a peace from such a war, as well as having to tell his own children that their grandfather has died, plus being needed to support his mother. Maybe he does not require you carping at him and as the head of the family you should accord him more respect."

Nicholas's eyes had bulged and Sergei had wheeled on her. "And who might you be madam, you seem awfully free with your opinions for a women your age." he spat out.

"Your Majesty, not madam. Your Imperial Majesty Stephanie, Empress of Austria, Queen of Czechia, Hungary and Croatia-Slavonia, Queen Regnant of the Congo. Who might you be?"

"Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich, Governor of Moscow."

"The man who expelled the Jews from Moscow in the middle of winter?"

He nodded.

Stephanie switched to Russian. "Well Sergei, you are being nekulturny. So I suggest that if you wish to raise an issue with your sovereign you make an appointment like any other person and air your views then. I would, however, care to thank you. One prominent family of Jewish émigrés came to Vienna and started not only a silk factory there but also another in Galicia, both of which employ more than 200 of our citizens. That will be all thank you. You are dismissed."

For a moment Stephanie thought he may strike her before he turned on his heel and stalked off.

"My God", said Nicholas, "I have never known anyone to speak to my Uncle like that."

Stephanie let out a nervous laugh. "Perhaps it may do him good."

September 1894-A French purchase

22 September 1894, French Embassy, 12 Nevsky Avenue, St Petersburg, Russian Empire

The French had agreed to the sale of the 516 square km enclave on the Atlantic Coast to just North of Pointe Noire. It was utterly trackless wilderness at this stage and one would think that the French would be happy to make a concession after the Triple Monarchy’s support for their Middle Eastern ambitions, however, that had not been the case and they had come back with an outrageous offer to sell the enclave for some 3 million Krone.

Maybe they were suspicious after the discovery of oil in Cabinda but in the finish that had allowed themselves to be bargained down to 1.8 million, still an enormous sum really when one considered purely the land value. However, that was not her only consideration. Stephanie was well aware oil lay there from her previous Congo visits. As it so happened, she had more than 1.8 million in her own accounts and so had previously arranged to sign the Treaty for the transfer at the French Embassy. No doubt the French were laughing, congratulating themselves on the cash bonus they would receive for a strip of largely uninhabited jungle.

They may change their mind when she started drilling in the strip. Possession of the new fields would guarantee the oil industry for the next 30 years or more and for that reason alone should bring much more than 1.8 million Krone.

Congo map

Congo Territorial Changes(Lado Enclave-From Great Britain in Orange, Cabinda from Portugal in Blue, Pointe Noire strip from France in blue, Southern strip in Yellow traded to Angola). Also shows mineral deposits that are known in 1894.

September 1894-Congo infrastructure map

Congo map showing transport links and planned links

September 1894-Post funeral talks

27 September 1894, Alexander Palace, Tsarskeo Selo, Russian Empire

Rudolf strolled in the little park with Nicholas, even here there was the ever present policeman characteristic of Russia. "So, now all we have is the peace conference to wrap things up."

"Yes, I will be sending the new Foreign Minister Lobanov. de Giers has resigned, seemingly discontented with my decision to end it where I did."

"It would have meant going on virtually alone and do any of us really want more war? For Russia it means that the Straits may be closed at any stage once you place batteries at the mouth of the Black Sea. This is why the English are so displeased. There will never be another Crimean War. In terms of transiting the straits, if the Ottomans try and close them, you have the capacity to lift troops to a position right on Istanbul's doorstep. They cannot deny you passage now and if any more outbreaks of anti-Christian violence break out they know they will be in big trouble. I doubt if Abdul-Hamid can survive, so likely we will see a new Sultan or perhaps the real power will go to a National Assembly. No matter what the outcome, either will likely be more reasonable than Abdul Hamid in any case.

Bulgaria is close to Russia again and they hold the Dardanelles. Serbia has expanded. In terms of Russia's European ambitions, most are seemingly fulfilled. The next question will likely be the Far East. What about China? Japan seem to be winning that conflict and your own railway expansion will place you next to an aged and infirm dragon, yet not one without a treasure pile."

Nicholas turned and looked at Rudolf. "Yes, the Far East is a consideration. My mother has been talking to me about doing all I can to preserve the autocracy and the dynasty."

Rudolf sighed. "Nicholas, far be it from me to tell you how to tackle this terrible responsibility, however, I have started down the path of reform in my own country and let me tell you why that is. In a modern world we owe it to our fellow countrymen to educate them as well as possible and provide medical help to save their lives if and when we are able. Now average people, including the normal Russian peasant, are better educated and live longer than ever. In the future this will continue. What the railway, photography and the telegraph has started I think motor cars, moving pictures and more modern forms of communication will finish. People will not only live longer but they will also be better informed.

Better educated, better informed people will demand more of a say in the way they are governed. The events in France and Brazil show clearly that there is a drift away from monarchy towards republics. You cannot hold back the sea. If your own people demand more of a say in their government you cannot stand against that without garnering resentment in turn. That is why I have taken steps to grant many of minorities within our own Empire a voice in their own government.

I suppose all I can say is this. If you grant reforms they will be under your own terms and you can control the pace of change. If you are forced to grant reforms then you will not have that luxury. Most people are loyal Nicholas, if you provide reforms that pander to them yet do not go too far, you will strangle the Far Leftists, the revolutionaries and anarchists by denying them a source of recruits that are disaffected."

" I am not sure the Russian people are ready for such reforms."

"Well, there is only one way to find out. Start small and move on from there. There are those that are committed to the autocracy that will hate such thoughts, so consolidate your rule first on the back of these war gains and then think about what you may be able to do, small steps at a time. For the future of Russia, your wife and daughters.

Now all we need to do to secure peace is to bring Willy on board in an alliance that makes our current borders fixed, a mutually defensive alliance that of course applies to Europe only, not petty colonial disputes. I will make that initial approach, you know how he can be.
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The two women sat down on the bench together. It was Nina who spoke first.

"Thank you for putting at least one of Nicholas's Uncles in his place."

"Well, it all over now and the funeral is completed. Even Miss Erszi behaved herself, didn't you? Go and play with the girls now sweetheart." Stephanie waited until her daughter was gone. "So, how are things on the home front?"

"Good, I find we are well suited."

"Let him discuss things with you and be a sounding board. It's hard to be the final decision maker on every small point. Here everything flows to the Council of Ministers and then up to the Tsar. It's an intolerable strain. All you can is support him as best you can, that way he will hopefully be bold enough to make the decisions that need to be made. Of course, there are other ways to keep men happy as well, how is that going?"

Nina blushed. "Yes, no concerns there. I feel embarrassed at times how affectionate he is."

Stephanie smiled. "Never feel embarrassed about that. It allows you to fully trust one another, it can make issues fade away. Rudolf still can't keep his hands off me."

October 1894- Photos of some timeline presences

Arthur Freiherr Giesl von Gieslingen

Empress and Queen Stephanie

Kaiser Rudolf

The Mosconi sisters, Laura von Gieslingen on the right, Maria the left

Laura Paton

Awax Schwarz

October 1894-Zeppelin plans

1 October 1894, DMG Works, Ostrau, Triple Monarchy

Maybach passed a stein over the table to the older German nobleman. "So you see the problem Count. We have upgraded our engine to 12hp for the most powerful model, yet it is still experimental. The only others are the 8 and 6hp models and the even earlier 4hp. From the specifications you have given me none of these engines up to the 8hp will do the job. Now when we perfect the 12hp I can look at a more lightweight model or by that stage, considering the rapid pace of development, we may even have a higher powered engine of the drawing board. At this stage the pace of change is so great that it's hard to be sure.

However, I am confident of one thing. His Majesty has indicated that he will see you supplied with three engines at his own personal expense if you will consider the construction of a second such airship here in Austria when the time comes after you have completed trials of the first in Germany. He indicated to me that he should be able to arrange some 80% of the funding for a second such machine."

Count Zeppelin took a pull of his beer. "So, we wait. It is frustrating but perhaps no bad thing as it will enable me to obtain more in the way of donations towards the company. I would like to be able to tell people that we will commence construction before the end of 1895, does that seem reasonable?"

Maybach sat back. "Yes, I am quite confident that I can have a lightened version of the 12hp to you by that stage at the very least. Perhaps I may be able to do better."

Zeppelin smiled. "Then we shall see what flying like the birds is truly like."

October 1894-Budapest Olympic preparations

6 October 1894, Royal Palace, Budapest, Triple Monarchy

Stephanie sat with Károly Kamermayer, the Mayor of Budapest. "So, we finally have our list of Olympic Sports. Tennis we can accommodate with the facilities we have existing at present in Balatonfüred. Yachting can be accommodated at the same location, as can Equestrian and Shooting. So we need to add minimal amounts in regards to facilities there and the location is already well provided for in the way of accommodation.

Football can be provided for in the various fields around the city, as can Rugby. We will need to build facilities for Track Cycling, another for Athletics, a third for Swimming and lastly a small venue for Wrestling, Fencing, Gymnastics and Weightlifting, although I had thought why not use the Royal Palace here? Open it up to the public, showcase the new rebuild and host these sports as well as a number of pavilions extolling the virtues of sport as per the purpose of the exhibition.

It would save some money and allow us to then perhaps use The Citadel for the main Treasures of Africa Exhibits, along with a number of purpose built buildings in the surrounding park area?"

Károly Kamermayer coughed. "Your Highness, I would like to point out that The Citadel still houses Austrian troops, despite the city wishing to take back the facility for many years."

"I will have them out of there by the end of the year Károly, never fear. How does the rest of the suggestions tally with you?"

"Well, if you are prepared to open the Royal Palace that would save greatly, a swimming venue has been discussed many time in any case and so all that will be required that is extra is an athletics stadium and another for cycling, plus a number of exhibitors pavilions for The Citadel area for France, Britain, Germany, Spain, Italy and Portugal. There is so much in the way of construction going on in this city at present it is quite dizzying."

"Yes, I agree. I had also thought a hotel may not go astray. If you are unable to gather enough in the way of private interest, I suggest we indicate to athletes that they can stay at their own expense or in the event of that not being an option, basic accommodation can be provided at The Citadel. We also need to keep in mind women will be competing in swimming, athletics and tennis so may need their own facilities. Now, I bring another 800,000 Krone to make 2 million in all. To recoup some money we are having a special commemorative stamp issue made featuring all the sports with two high values showing the Parliament Building and African Treasures as well as a special struck 15 Krone platinum coins showing the games. I will endeavor to come back every two months but in the meantime I will leave the fine details to the committee and yourself, but if you need anything let me know. I will speak to the Kaiser about the Citadel, have no fear there."

October 1894-Conversations in Albania

16 October 1894, Field Hospital No 7, Durres, Ottoman Empire

The activity at the hospital was winding down now that the war had been finished for some 3-4 weeks. For the doctors and nurses, as well as orderlies, soon would come the call to return to Pola. In fact for the last week they had commenced taking civilian patients and would likely continue to do so in increasing numbers until their withdrawal. It had been a heartbreaking reality for some of the girls in the unit when the first real casualties of war had begun arriving and many had struggled to cope. Rosa Mguru had seen much in the way of hardship, however, so had been able to cope well enough.

It was the surprise appearance of the Empress that had thrown the small hospital into a spin. She had gone around the wounded men, offering her thanks for their service and then finally addressed the doctors and nurses to offer her thanks as well as presenting the new Balkans War Medal 1894. It was at the small harbour cafe that the two women who had known each other from firstly Cabina and secondly Brijuni Academy sat and talked.

"So, how is life at the hand of the Empress?"

"Oh Rosa, you know I had my doubts but now I harbour none. She is a good women, one who has helped me so very much. She cares about me, or if she does not she is a very good actor. The training I have received in things like self defense have helped my confidence. You know I couldn't bear to even be touched by a man and broke down crying after having to dance at a ball. Now, I am more confident, not false self confidence either. I know that within limits I can look after myself and now I see myself as somewhat of a whole person again."

"I bet you are getting plenty of offers to. You have always been the pretty one Laura."

Laura blushed. "What about yourself? How was your training?"

"Hard for the first twelve weeks, so very hard. They yell at you virtually constantly. Some of the women hated me, seemingly for no more than the colour of my skin. I was lucky, however. The instructor picked out four of us to mainly pick on. Porky, smoky, princess and farmer he called us. Yet perhaps it was just as well as it pushed us together and we bonded as friends. When we came here to the units the other girl's hostility or stand offishness changed. We were all too tired to be bothered with that sort of thing."

"I can imagine. Smoky am guessing was you. farmer? Princess?"

"Farmer was Nicola, a girl from Brassov. The instructor said she was likely a pig farmer, although her father is a doctor. Princess was actually a princess as it turned out, Agnes of
Schönburg-Waldenburg, a very nice girl who joined the Army to escape a marriage and is quite unaffected."

"Well I for one am happy. Do you think we should go back?"

Rosa blinked. "Go back to where?"

"The Congo. Do we owe a duty to go back?"

"I think that eventually I will, yes, but my Army enlistment is three years, so not for some time. Awax has always wanted to go back, his ambition is still to be the first Minister, then the first Governor of local descent."

"Awax eh? You have always fancied him, have you not?"

"I have not! Anyway, what about the lovely Laura Paton and men?"

Laura Paton sighed. "I still cannot bring myself to trust fully, to think that a man would see me for anything other than an exotic fling and now that I have built myself up, I cannot come crashing down again. As for Congo, well, the Europeans have just drawn lines on a map. Now we are stuck with a huge superstate where many do not even speak the same language and tribal groups that hate each other are part of the same country.

People are not being killed, raped and robbed anymore. We need to wait, let the Europeans bring the infrastructure, education and language to bind the country together, then we move forward to claim our own destiny as Africans when we are not engrossed in fighting each other. The country will need leaders and only education can provide that, look what it has done for us. Our time will come and patience will be the key.

Rightly or wrongly, and some would say wrongly, to be viewed seriously by Europeans one needs to imitate them. It really is just a fact of life. They respect only their own culture and/or power. So, we wait and we learn. There is nothing wrong with that, there is much to learn and inside Congo many old wounds to heal."

"What about your own mistress?"

"I love her for what she has done for me and would die for her if need be."

"Well then, perhaps we are in good hands for now."

October 1894-Pre conference thoughts

17 October 1894, straits of Corfu, aboard Austro-Hungarian light cruiser Pula

"So, are we making the right decision attending this conference in person when all other powers are simply sending representatives?" said Stephanie, grinding down on her husband before lifting and rotating her hips.

"God, you know I hate it when you do this, I can't formulate an answer whilst you are doing...that. I think so, after all we are the hosts since it is at mother's estate and it can also be seen to be a family vacation. Besides, we have the Albanian delegation with us, as well as the Bosnian."

"What about when we return? Croatia-Slavonia, the Ministerial Council?"

"As we discussed, there will be a reshuffle of the The Ministerial Council which will now include two members from Cisleithania including the Minister-President, two from Transleithania including the Minister-President, the Minister-President from Croatia-Slavonia, the Minister-President from Czechia, as well as in four ministers to supervise Finance, War, Foreign Affairs and finally I will combine the Navy and Colonial posts under one minister. I will keep Science and Technology reporting to me and that will make a total of 11, up from 7. In wartime I anticipate it would go to thirteen and the Head of the Congo Office and yourself, which the office reports to, which would swell the numbers to 13."

Stephanie smiled. "Sounds fair enough." Stephanie shifted position. "Now, whilst we are talking about swelling things..."

Ten minutes later she lay in Rudolf's arms. "To think you chided me about this. 'We must keep quiet on ship-people will hear us.' Yet you go crying out like a big girl. 'Oh, my God, oh my God.'" Stephanie laughed.

"You love it, love you have that power over me. By the way it's been merry hell to unite the Albanians into a position. One would think they would be grateful but no, apparently they would rather fight against us and their own people they see as being in the wrong camp. For tribal reasons, for religion, for old scores. It's been a nightmare honestly and I don't think that we have have seen the last of our troubles there. The Bosnians are much easier. We carved that small state out of our own flesh so I suppose it was no surprise that resistance would be minimal.

Talking about carving, we have the creation of Croatia-Slavonia to be made publicly available as well, which will create unrest as well."

Stephanie replied. "Hopefully less so on the back of a small victorious war."

"That is why I have tried to mollify Hungary as much as possible. Grants for the 1000th anniversary, the Exhibition and Olympics, Southern Bukovina, Fiume, increased representation on the Council, artillery to the Honved, the withdrawal of garrisons from Budapest and the like. By that way that was a good idea. I don't want them to feel it is a one way street. Hence why I have kept out of any talk of Parliamentary reform in Hungary, let them run their own ship. What we do may force the pace of actions there in any case just by public opinion. The ideas you had to try and spread industrialization via grants to business to set up in areas like Galicia should also assist Hungary's rural areas as well as our own in Galicia."

"So, first this, then back to internal issues?"

"Yes."

"Perhaps our first task may be to think of a new name. I don't think 'Quadruple Monarchy' is quite as catchy."

Rudolf sighed. "Yes, don't remind me."

October 1894-Ganz orders

17 October 1894, Ganz Shipyard, Fiume, Triple Monarchy

Chief Constructor Tamar Eross looked at the bulk of the 11,600 ton battlecruiser Szent Istvan, the third and last of the class. The coming of the war had accelerated the progress on the ships construction but with the peace conference scheduled to commence tomorrow she would miss any conflict, having just been structurally completed all that was required were some internal fittings and she would begin trials in 2-3 weeks time. Her sister Prinz Eugen also lay in the harbour having had battle damage repaired from the Aegean Sea encounter and would likely also begin brief sea trials next week.

The Ganz yard was proving to be a profitable investment so far with a contract for three of the eight new destroyers, one of which had already commenced construction. In addition, the recent war had highlighted a lack of capacity for longer ranged and higher speed units to be able to lay mines in enemy waters and to that effect the new large destroyer order had been expanded by three ships of a modified design that deleted half the torpedo armament and the two rear 3.9 inch to include mine-laying facilities.

October 1894-Plans for the Sudan, Cape to Cairo ambitions

18 October 1894, Achilleion Villa, Corfu, Kingdom of Greece

It was the inevitable meet and greet before the conference on the Balkan Wars commenced.

"Your Majesty, I wondered if we could perhaps talk?"

Stephanie gazed at John Wodehouse, the British Foreign Secretary. "Of course Foreign Secretary."

Once they were settled Wodehouse went on. "As you are probably aware, the French have forced their way into the equation by the acquisition of the Bahr el Ghazal region, which will also give them access to the Nile. However, neither your claim to Lado, the French's or indeed our own are in any way relevant whilst the Mahadist's sit astride territory that is rightfully ours. I received your correspondence in regards a proposed Eastern border for Abyssinia and we are happy with what has been put forward.

Now that this war has seemingly been completed, or shortly will be, we wish to conclude a formal military allowance in regards the Sudan to annihilate the Mahadists and free all prisoners held by them, with a campaign to commence next year. Ourselves from the North, the French from the East, yourselves and the Abyssinian's from the South."

"I see little reason why this should be a problem. Indeed, because of the threat posed I already have 2000 men on the border. These could be bolstered by the addition of regular troops over the next 3-4 months and we could be ready as early as March next year."

"These are my own thoughts as well Your Majesty. A campaign commencing in around April. Now there was one other item I wished to place before you."

"Go on."

"Your agreement with the British South African Company specifies that they will pay the expenses of constructing a railway to the borders of the Congo Kingdom and that you will construct the rail link within the Congo through the Katanga fields to the shores of Lake Tanganyika, is this correct?"

"Yes, once they have completed the line to Livingstone and only have Northern Rhodesia to traverse, I will commence some preliminary work on the path of the route with my own team of men, although the necessity to bringing heavy equipment means most of the work cannot commence until the railway crosses the border."

"Her Majesty's government foresees traffic aside from the Katanga ores going South and we wish to conclude an agreement ameliorating or exempting custom's duties and cartage whilst the railway crosses Congo borders and until it moves into British East Africa."

"Foreign Secretary that would be to give a way a large source of potential revenue assuming the successful completion of such a railway, however, there are ways that we can perhaps help each other, namely allowing Austrian ships to traverse the Nile and likewise be subject to no fees beyond the normal costs of a pilot and the like. No customs would of course apply."

"Very well, I will inquire with Her Majesty's government and formulate a reply and, if successful, we can draw a formal agreement."

"Thank you My Lord."

October 1894-Post the Conference of Corfu

25 October 1894, Achilleion Villa, Corfu, Kingdom of Greece

Rudolf came out onto the balcony to see all four of the women that were closest to him availing themselves of the waning autumn sun, his mother, his wife and oldest daughter stretched out, his youngest in her mother’s arms asleep.

Stephanie looked up and pushed up her sunglasses. “All done?”

Rudolf nodded. "Thank God, the last of them left an hour ago.”

“So we have three more full days until your boat picks us up?”

“Ship? You cannot call what is virtually a shiny new battleship a boat.”

“I thought I just did.” Stephanie said, smiling.

“I have had more than enough of people winding me up this last week without you being one of them. However, I am not unhappy with how things went.”

“Yes”, Stephanie said. “We obtained the borders that had been agreed previously even though the Bulgarians and Serbians each thought they should get more at the expense of the other. International recognition for Bosnia with a commitment to the region as a whole voting on their preferred form of government next year. Albania to be established as a Kingdom effective immediately but to remain under the supervision of the Great Powers with our own troops and no others on the ground until such time as infrastructure, Government appointments, an effective border and the like are put in place.

Greece wanted more territory, but really received no support. The French are happy that we supported their Levant adventure, the British had no success in their push to try and make the Russian Bosporus enclaves demilitarised. One positive was the application of open borders until the end of March 1895. This will allow those that wish to move from one country to another the opportunity to do so.

Even the Ottomans seemed eager to finish negotiations, I think with the riots in Istanbul that have swept Abdul Hamid from power a week ago and installed his brother they are more concerned now with quelling the ongoing disturbances and settling what remains of their holdings what with the uprisings in the Levant and Yemen preying on their minds. No doubt they worry that with Yemen declaring independence and seeking recognition from the Great Powers and Basra declaring a desire to unite with Kuwait that the whole structure is on the verge of disintegration and in that regard they may be right.”

Rudolf sat down next to his wife. “Hmm, now we have until the end of March next year to set up a functioning government in Bosnia and Albania, to construct a naval base for light forces on Sazan and to negotiate the creation and government structure of the Croatian-Slavonian Kingdom. Of course, this will no doubt require another coronation for us, a renegotiation of the common funding agreement with all parties, although we have pre-empted much of that already, an establishment of the various Croatian government departments, appointing officials and occupying buildings and much more. Plus, they may require yet another separate military arm, yet another complication.

Also, we will need a new name for the Triple Monarchy, a new flag, changes to the Crown Council. We will need to appoint an interim Protector for Bosnia, I was going to suggest Johann Salvador. Plus I need to talk to Willy urgently and we will be needed for a coronation in Russia and no doubt another in Albania. Seems to be the season.” Rudolf sighed.

Rudolf’s mother levered herself up off the small couch. “Now you see Rudolf, why I tried to avoid this sort of thing. It can be crushing. By the way, Stephanie’s glasses are magnificent for keeping the sun away.”

Rudolf smiled. “Yes mother, she is full of good ideas. I fear we may need all of them over the next six months which will likely be a whirlwind.”

Stephanie smiled. “Also, we have our girls.”

Rudolf smiled. “Yes, we do. Well, we have these three days. Come on Miss Erszi, how about a swim?“

“Won’t it be cold papa?”

“Man up girl.”

Erszi laughed. “Mama says that but I don’t know what it means really.”

Rudolf laughed as well. “I am not sure I do either dear girl.”

October 1894-Names and flags

28 October 1894, Achilleion Villa, Corfu, Kingdom of Greece

"Papa?"

The girl held up the hook and bait to Rudolf. "What did I say when I said I was going fishing this morning Erszi? You could come with papa but fisher...girls put their own bait on the hook after they have caught a fish."

"Urghhh."

"Don't be like your mother now."

"Papa?"

Rudolf inwardly sighed. Two hours early morning fishing and it had gone on like this all through the two hours and nine mackerel later. "Yes?"

"We are Hapsburg's right? Plus we rule or plan to rule over four realms united under one ruler?"

"Yes."

"Well why not the United Hapsburg Empire if we are united, Hapsburgs and an Empire?"

Out of the mouths of babes, wasn't that a saying the English had coined. How was it that his eleven year old had been able to come up with a better name than he was able to himself. United Hapsburg Empire. UHE. VHR is German. Yes, that might do. Illyria did not really cover the right area. Danubian either and both that and "Central European Empire" implied territorial designs on areas not currently held. Anything with Austria in it would be unacceptable to the Hungarians. Anything with all four names in it was woefully long and cumbersome. Quadruple Monarchy sounded foolish and God knows may yet need to be changed again in the future. He needed a long term name. Yes, they were Hapsburgs. And an Empire. "Erszi, that is quite clever, very clever indeed. I gather you have been listening to our conversations?"

"Of course."

"What about a flag for this new country?"

"Why not just the Hapsburg flag? Yellow and black? You can add something nice like coats or arms or stars, stars are nice. American countries seem to like stars."

Perhaps he had been overthinking this. Yes, they were a united empire ruled by Hapsburgs. No one could object to the Hapsburg flag as the background, it favoured no nationality or group. The double headed eagle had been well used by the Romanovs on a yellow, white and black background so an Austrian creation would likely be too similar. Stars? Well possibly. One could always use a batch of stars in a circle, white for Croatia to the South, blue for Czechia to the North, red for Austria to the West and green for Hungary to the East. It was worth getting an opinion on and he could get Stephanie to draw it since she was capable of such things.

"Papa?"

He looked up and Erszi's rod which was bent over and she was straining. Five minutes later he had a small 2kg tuna.

"Thank you for your help and companionship. How about I cook us, mama, Laura and Maria some fish for breakfast?"

"Yes please."

He looked over at the jetty only some 200 meters distant. "Well then, I will row us in."

November 1894-Kingdom of Illyria discussions

1 November 1894, Hofburg, Vienna, Austro-Hungarian Empire

Rudolf sat across from Ladislav Pejačević, the Croatian Ban, Ante Starčević and the recalled Josip Juraj Štrosmajer, the later the two representatives of the largest political parties. "So, gentleman, here we are - where the Czechs were two years previous. You know I have wanted this and I know you have wanted it to. Now we need to make sure that what we have created works. Firstly, the timeframe- do you think the 1st of April next year is a workable date or would you prefer to move it back some three months?"

Josip Juraj Štrosmajer spoke. "Your Majesty, you need not worry that we will waste this opportunity. Ante and I may disagree on many things but we both recognise that this is an important, indeed a landmark, opportunity. As for the timeframe, I believe that we can make this work within the time we have. We are in the thankful position that the Kingdom already has it's own Parliament so we need not rush to have elections immediately. We also have three Ministerships."

"Thank you Your Excellency. There are a number of items that you will all need to address. With no plan to hold immediate elections you will, of course, need to provide a Minister-President and at this stage, until such elections are held and a candidate selected, I would propose that your current Ban, Ladislav Pejačević, take the reigns as Minister-President until such time as an election can be arranged. You must then decide whether you use the old Hungarian definitions of who is eligible for the franchise, use the proposed Hungarian 1897 changes or whether to move to a new system that you can all agree upon. That is a matter for you gentleman to decide. Personally, as your Sovereign, I would have to say that the trend is toward the expansion of suffrage at all, but I am happy to leave to final decision up to you.

You must also constitute not only the personnel but also the physical buildings to contain the various departments that will be required, especially a Finance Department. I have also received preliminary proposals in regards the income split between the four Kingdoms for the division of common revenues and expenditures. I regret to say I will not only need a representative from Croatia-Slavonia for these talks on the 19th in Budapest but also a firm position. Considering the Hungarian parliament rises on the 14th November and does not resume until the 4th March 1895, I would also suggest that your 43 Diet representatives return to Zagreb after that time and assist in any meaningful way they can with the preparation for to self government for the Kingdom."

It was Ante Starčević that spoke next. "Your Majesty, we have had some talks as to the name and capital of such a Kingdom. Zagreb for the later. As to the first, we find the Kingdom of Illyria to be a much more palatable choice than Croatia-Slavonia."

Rudolf inwardly groaned. It was a name that suggested more, however, there was little point in trying to oppose such a point if they were set on it. "Of course", he smiled, somewhat tight lipped. "Now, one thing I will need to know is what your thoughts are in regards a separate Army for the Kingdom. Currently you have units as part of the Honved. Do you envisage a National Army?"

The three men looked at one another before Ladislav Pejačević spoke. "Yes, Your Majesty, we do. This may, of course, take some time. The Hungarians are already proving difficult about releasing Honved draftees and have insisted the 1895 draft go ahead as normal to recruit for the Honved. However, eventually when the money and manpower can be found we view this as a matter of national pride."

Of course you do, thought Rudolf. "I had thought these issues would likely come up. I will talk to the Hungarians and see what we can do but I must counsel you not to expect too much. The situation in Budapest is strained already and sometimes it is better to pick what fights you engage in. In regards to a coronation, I myself will undertake to construct a new Crown of Zvonimir, a sword, rod, consorts crown and orb for the ceremony at Zagreb Cathedral. A date I leave to you."

Josip Juraj Štrosmajer spoke. "Something as soon as possible I feel Your Majesty, to confer as much legitimacy as possible to the changes that are made, especially in the absence of elections, which we have decided will not be held until the summer, likely July. Perhaps May for a coronation?"

Rudolf rose "Well, we have much to do and little time to do it. I look forward to future meetings. Thank you gentlemen."

As they shuffled out Rudolf thought that there would have to be many future meetings between now and the 1st April next year. In two days time he had the Bosnians and then the process would begin yet again.

November 1894-The economics of Illyria

2 November 1894, Hofburg, Vienna, Triple Monarchy

Stephanie waited for the professor, Racht, of the University of Vienna to leave. She arrived to see Rudolf pouring over maps and documents. "What are you looking at Rudi?"

"Just wondering if I have made a mistake with Croatia-Slavonia, Illyria, call it what you will."

"In what way?"

"Well, economics mainly. Let us look at the richest provinces of the Empire by region. The top three are Lower Austria by a long way, the Salzburg, followed by Upper Austria and Czechia not far behind. Hungarian provinces are further behind with only one in the top ten, the Danube-Tisza basin that includes Budapest, although this is the fastest growing and Transleithania as a whole is growing faster than Cisleithania. Now look at the five poorest provinces by GDP. Firstly, by far the poorest is Dalmatia, then Croatia-Slavonia before Southern Bukovina and Galicia. Worse still, with the exception of Croatia-Slavonia, all of the last four mentioned provinces have the slowest growth rates, especially Dalmatia, which is hardly growing at all. This means that when one looks at the four Kingdoms, you get this as a picture:

The Empire of Austria(Cisleithania): 18.82 million. 51.1% German, 23.3% Poles, 17.2% Ruthenians, 3.6% Slovenes and 2.4% Italians, Percentage of common GDP: 49.71%
The Kingdom of Hungary(Transleithania) and Free City of Fiume: 16.65 million. 52.8% Hungarians, 19.1% Romanians, 10.1% Germans, 10% Slovaks, 3.4% Ruthenians, 2.3% Serbians, Percentage of Common GDP 30.99%
Kingdom of Czechia: 5.72 million. 92.1% Czechs, 6.4% Germans, Percentage of Common GDP 13.57%
Kingdom of Illyria: 3.88 million. 60.9% Croats, 29.1% Serbs, 4% Germans, 3.5% Bosniaks, 1.8% Hungarians, Percentage of common GDP 5.73%

Will this new Kingdom be too poor to fund it's own infrastructure? For that matter have the more sober Hungarian's seen this and putting aside issues of pride thought to themselves that perhaps they are better off getting rid of those areas that would require spending to bring up to a level where they could be economically productive? I mean even Galicia has a larger population by 70% and higher GDP by 12%. Not that the Poles and Ruthenians expect independence or have even asked for it."

"Yes, all this may be true but it is not all about that is it? It is about forestalling pan-Serbian ambitions, about giving ethnic groups a voice in their own future. A voice they were increasingly demanding. It is about stopping Magyarization. It had to be done. Your have said Croatian-Slavonia is growing economically. One of the most crippling weaknesses that areas like Dalmatia face is the lack of railway services. Any such service will never be built privately. The state must build a line to link Fiume to Ragusa via Zara and Split. For the life of me I cannot see why it has not been done for military purposes alone. Currently an invasion by sea of Ragusa would run amok as we would be unable to move any troops there rapidly assuming we do not have control of the seas, as an invasion would predicate. If we ever war with Italy, this is where they may well strike."

"Yes, you are right. I just worry, that is all."

"Well don't. Come for a run. It will be a busy day with your Bosnian friends on the morrow."

"Don't remind me."

November 1894- A snippet of Bosnian thoughts

3 November 1894, Hofburg, Vienna, Triple Monarchy

Mehmed-beg Kapetanović Ljubušak took a seat across from the Kaiser. "You can be at no loss to know why I have asked for you to come here."

"Indeed not Your Majesty."

"We both know that for the territory proposed for the Bosnian state that Sarajevo will be the lifeblood of what are essentially rural areas aside from this city. You are the leader of of the Bosnian people by default if nothing else, but there is something else. You run the political journal Bošnjak, now I say to you, what future do you want for Bosnia? You are aware of the borders as proposed, now I suppose the only question is do you wish for an independent Bosnia or do you in fact wish to attach yourself to the proposed Kingdom of Illyria? This is the paramount question, one that I leave you and your colleagues to decide. Either are possible and I will attempt to support you to the best of your ability no matter what your inclination."

"Your Majesty, first, let me say, this is a good thing you do. Despite what a hard line few would say, we have not missed the Ottomans at all. Our city is on the verge of electricity, something that would likely have never arrived under the Ottomans. I will need to consult and at the same time determine what our favoured form of Government will be if we take up your generous offer of Self Government.

I am conscious of the advantages for the Triple Monarchy, as a Protectorate you can still keep garrisons in the territory as desired and you have a handy buffer state between yourselves and the Serbians and Montenegrins, who will both be touched by three potentially hostile powers. Yet we retain the option to raise our own Army and have recruits returned to us that are currently with the KuK army.

The prospect of Self Government for us is a very attractive one indeed. As per our previous correspondence I will undertake to provide a full and detailed proposal back to you by the end of November and will canvass all concerned parties in the meantime."

"There is only one additional condition" said Rudolf.

"What would that be?"

"Obviously we have formed this potential state from Bosniak majority areas, yet many Serbs remain, some Croats as well. This cannot be seen as a chance to suppress their rights in regards freedom of religion or make them second class citizens. I cannot have that politically."

"Your Majesty, Sarajevo is an ethnic melting pot currently-yet all get along. I am sure we can manage such aspects."

"Very well then."

November 1894-Troubles on the horn of Africa

5 November 1894, Segeneyti, Italian Eritrea

Bahta Hagos had watched and waited. If rumours were true then the French would likely sign a treaty defining the borders between French Somaliland and Abyssinia within the week, securing the border in the same way that it had been against the British to the South and Southwest. It had been back in June that he had convinced the other chiefs and elders to make the trip and offer the ceremonial stones as a sign of submission to Menelik II in Abyssinia and he had received a steady trickle of modern weapons ever since.

Menelik had indicated that his border with the French must be secured before any adventure was attempted and now it looked like that would soon come to pass. Then he could commit his own forces, now numbering almost 2000 men to rout the oppressive Italians, whose troops numbers were at an all time low after the recent North African campaigns.

November 1894-Fisher probing

7 November 1894, Pola, Triple Monarchy

HMS Ramillies nosed into the harbour at Pola. "Jackie" Fisher was quick to note that all three of the large armoured cruisers were in the port. All had finer lines, less beamier yet of greater length than his own Royal Sovereign Class battleship. Built for speed. It was officially only a port visit, yet he had written and asked to meet Rudolf. The launch quickly took him over the the bulky shape of one of the armoured cruisers.

He was quickly ferried over to the port side ship. Fisher looked out over the harbour, which seemed to contain much of the KuK navy, including his old ship Inflexible, which was dry docked, a few scars visible from recent damage. There was a small light cruiser or large destroyer building he noted as he was piped aboard and finally reached the Admiral's cabin which had two bodyguards outside, before he eventually was ushered in.

"Admiral."

"Your Majesty."

"Hello Jackie, it's good to see you."

"Sir."

"Well Jackie, what brings you to this neck of the woods? "

"Well your forces, I suppose my former forces, obtained a rather remarkable victory. It's not every day you sink 12 capital ships and almost 60,000 tons of enemy metal in an engagement for the loss of one small destroyer and a couple of cruisers badly damaged. Needless to say the Admiralty are concerned as to the implications considering we retain so many centre battery ships and various ironclads, some of which are now over 30 years old."

"Jackie, let me give you some sage advice that I am quite sure you are sharp enough to have worked out already. Save the service a great deal of money and manpower and start scrapping those ships as soon as it is politically expedient to do so. Stooging along at 10, 12 or even 13 or 14 knots will not be the way of the future. I am aware that you cannot simply scrap the 55 or so of these ships still in commission, the parliament and indeed the people would never allow it, but keeping these ships is akin to a death sentence in a modern war for the crews.

The action reports I have read indicate that we were able to comfortably keep crossing their 'T' at 14-15 knots as they were held to eight, maybe nine knots by the sheer slowness of their line, allowing our own ships to not only dictate the range but consistently slalom across their bows. When they did go broadside we made sure it was at a range we could use our torpedoes effectively. Apparently they were unaware of the range and also speed of Whitehead's latest designs. Moving at eight knots or even less since they had battle damage you can guess what destruction the torpedoes would have wreaked."

At seven or eight knots Fisher could guess all too well what effect they would have had on the cumbersome older ships. Yet Fisher felt that their was something the Kaiser was not telling him as well. Ottoman reports had indicated that the KuK fire especially from the two larger ships, was "uncommonly accurate". It would be nice to think that this was solely due to his training, but fools thought like that. "Reports are that your own gunnery, especially from the flagship, was accurate indeed."

"We held until just over 2000 meters Jackie and they came on with am minimum in the way of evasion, then turned on point. It was not that difficult a set up and indeed we may have sunk more if fortune had favoured us."

Well, though Fisher, Rudolf was giving little away. All he could do was poke around these next two days before delivering a report back to London. There were some fools in parliament that thought the day of the big ship was done, that the advent of torpedoes favoured smaller ships. Personally Fisher thought that could easily be solved by advances in speed for larger ships that would allow them to keep hostile small forces at bay, as well as advances in gunnery to more easily destroy potential threats well out of torpedo range.

Rudolf had favoured such faster designs right from the start so Fisher wondered yet again if this extraordinarily perceptive man had seen this as a priority some time ago. Gunnery, he knew, was a subject also under much investigation. Then there was Parsons's marine turbine engine, if the cavitation issues could be resolved. Yet there was no need to mention them to Rudolf. The Admiralty had been in shock as to the rapidity of recent developments and much of the suspicions of the SSB and Naval Intelligence in regards the commencement of the recent Balkans Wars had been placed at the door of Rudolf. Co-operation in 1895 in the Sudan may allow the RN to purloin more secrets as to the radical changes coming out of the former Austro-Hungary. One thing for certain was that the reign of his old friend and his wife would likely be far distant from that of his father.

There was an energy and a purpose to a state that had largely been considered moribund by London and like he had told the Foreign Office a number of times, it may be the Triple Monarchy that held the key to the Triple Alliance and perhaps even Russia rather than Italy.

Rudolf looked at Fisher thinking. Time to change the subject. "So Jackie, tell me the truth, was it the schnapps that lured you back for a few days?"

Fisher laughed. "Yes indeed", as Rudolf poured a shot of apple schnapps. "Congratulations on your new addition."

Rudolf smiled. 'Yes, not a boy, but girl's have a certain charm, as I am sure you know with three daughters."

November 1894- Army review

10 November 1894, Hofburg, Vienna, Triple Monarchy

Friedrich von Beck-Rzikowsky came into the Emperor's study, his ADC carrying a multitude of paperwork with him.

"So, my dear Beck, it is going to be a long day."

"I am afraid so Your Majesty. You said you wanted to discuss all the aspects, after all."

"That is correct. Before we delve in depth, can you provide me some salient points and then we can go over things one by one?"

"Of course. First of all let me say that as far as small unit combat is concerned and basic command and control thereof, the new units that had received the updates that we have been rolling out performed at an order of magnitude 20%, perhaps as much as 30% or more better than the older units, so there is much to be happy with there, although, as you are aware, we have only equipped 46 of the 102 Common Army Regiments so far and are likely three years away from a complete reequip. The helmets, the new uniform, the new weapons, even the shovel, have proved to be very useful indeed.

The new engineering units have also proven to be a Godsend, especially when we have had to make river crossings and the like and the idea to actually recruit civilian engineers and offer them reserve commissions has greatly assisted there I feel.

However, it is not all sweetness and light. Let us start with the back end. The brief period of conscription we introduced to see how this would play out, was, frankly, a disaster. It is supposedly based on a universal liability for service, yet was not enforced with any rigor and seemed beyond the capabilities of our existing Army Administrative staff to manage. In all fairness, much of the problems came from outlying areas. As soon as one moves away from Vienna, the administrative machinery of the Army was shown to be markedly inefficient in regards recruiting.

One thing that was clearly shown is that tactically, far too much faith has been placed in cavalry, the training of non modernised units was shown to be primitive due to our focusing on the units we reequipped and unfortunately much of the artillery has proven to be armed with what are considering the pace of new developments largely obsolete weapons. In a number of cases the Ottomans possessed superior and longer ranged equipment to our own. That is why we will likely keep a number of the 418 pieces we captured. Both the cavalry and artillery need to go through the same process as the infantry, if only the funds can be found."

If only indeed thought Rudolf.

"Now", Beck continued. "In terms of the actual performance of the men. Despite our best efforts to weed out or sideline incompetents, some of our senior commanders were none too competent. We will conduct reviews and make further reshuffles in an attempt to move on those identified or use them elsewhere. The troops themselves were capable of fighting well if properly armed and competently led—which mostly they were but at times they were not.

Another issue clearly highlighted was that the KuK is a mix of nationalities and this has caused a number of problems, particularly in the area of language. Since Regiments were organized along “national” lines, most officers have found it necessary to learn three, four or even six languages in addition to their native tongue. The majority of officers are German Austrians or Hungarians, sometimes Czechs, while many of the troops they command are Croats, Czechs, Bosnians, Poles, Slovaks, etc. It has at times impeded organizational cohesion. On another point, this has made it much harder to promote experienced men from the ranks. Being bi or tri lingual is a must for an officer and many of the men that we have selected from the so called lower classes do not have the educational background that gives them language skills required to command a multi national force. Obviously, this is less of an issue with Regiments that are based in ethnically 'pure' areas and much more so in those that are based in locations that are more "melting pots."

Another thing that is quite clear is that war is a much more technical and gadget orientated affair than it was when I was a junior officer. New equipment and concepts are emerging all the time that seek to change to way we see traditional warfare. That requires more training and a greater degree of communication than ever before. Unfortunately, there is a very high levels of illiteracy among the Slavic soldiers, especially the Ruthanians, Serbs and additionally the Romanians, with many of them unable to understand either German or Hungarian.

The performance of some Serbian troops whilst fighting indicated that we also need to pick and choose who these units fight. Best to pit them against their favoured enemies. The Italians and dare I say it the Hungarians for the Croats and so on.

These are most of the negatives. There are more positives."

"Go on." said Rudolf.

"The new tracer bullets were a boon for night fighting especially. The distribution of the machine guns to the newly equipped units made them very tough nuts to crack in the face of enemy counter attacks, especially by cavalry. The light mortars were especially useful firing into wooded areas. These units also clearly showed the benefit of recent, specific training. Our expenditure on not only specialised engineering units but also the institution of our Mobile Field Hospitals was not only a huge benefit to our men but at times won the hearts of the local populace. Likewise the presence of dedicated communications units, although we can perhaps consider more of a focus on these becoming organic to every Regiment.

This is all just a brief summary, I will first provide an overview of the campaign as a whole day by day then we can delve more deeply into the points I have already raised. Dare I say it but I have brought along another of your inventions, a girl from the War Ministry that can take shorthand notes that we can then type up."

Rudolf laughed. "More my wife than me."

Beck went on. "One final point. Those two ships that you had modified as troop carriers with extra boats were very useful at Durres in getting a solid force on the shore rapidly, but even then numbers that could be landed were small and with no heavy equipment initially..."

Rudolf replied. "Yes, I have been thinking about that to. I am yet to arrive at a solution. Alright, let me ring for a coffee and we can get into it. Although it is not directly in your purview I would also like to talk about the separation of Croatian units from the Honved into the new Vojska. Also the Navy have taken possession of the island of Sazan but I would like to garrison it with troops and arm the island with shore batteries. It is in a position we cannot afford to lose."

Beck closed his eyes. "A very long day indeed Your Majesty."

November 1894-Sunday fun run

11 November 1894, near Postgasse 6, Vienna, Triple Monarchy

The early morning run had cheered him up and cleared his somewhat sombre mood after his meeting with Beck. So much to do. It was Stephanie who broke the silence, annoyingly running at his side with no real trace of exertion at all.

"What is the matter Rudi? I gather the meeting with Beck did not go well?"

"It went well enough."

"Well you are in one of your brooding funks and your have been scowling at me for the last five minutes, so let it out."

"Everything is so bloody easy for you."

"Oh don't be so ridiculous, you know full well it is not. What is the real problem?"

"I am meant to be Kaiser yet when Beck points out the language issues with the army, what can I do? Nothing! What I would like to do is declare that there are 13, even 14 or 15, official state languages, namely German, Hungarian, Czech, Romanian, Croatian, Slovene, Serbian, Bosnian, Polish, Ukrainian, Slovakian, Italian, Laddin, maybe even Yiddish and Latin. God knows I know seven of them myself. What I would like to do is declare these all official languages, to make it mandatory to teach not only a person's native language but also German. But there is no way that will fly even here with the Polish domination of the House. Let alone elsewhere. If I said such a thing in Hungry they would fall over laughing. I can't just make such a thing my will, language conversion is one of the touchiest subjects there is. Even if I said people must learn their own language and one other many would see it as suppression. I am supposed to be an absolute ruler. I should be able to order them to do it on pain of retribution, even death."

"Rudi, it is almost the 20th Century. You can't just say 'off with his head' if someone opposes you. Why not start small with what you can control. One of those things is the Common Army, where your thoughts on the problems this caused originated. The men enlist for four years or are conscripted for at least two. Why not recruit skilled translators, for that matter you were mumbling in your funk last night about useless over-bred aristocrats who know nothing about soldiering. Make use of these sort of people to provide teaching of a second language, most likely German. Commission translators as officers or transfer those with the education and are useless for other duties. Teach the men in a proper structured manner rather than just ad hoc learning of basic commands. That way they may come out of an enlistment or conscription period with a skill they can use, aside from how to kill others in our name of course."

Rudolf ran on in silence again. She might be on to something. Rudolf sighed as Stephanie accelerated round the corner of Fleischmarket, turning into the final stretch with only Laura Paton on one side and Kurt, his own bodyguard who was specially training as a runner by her side. It might be nice to win this just once. Since the baby had been born they had settled into a routine when at the Hofburg. Once a month they would skip church and take an early morning run to Arthur and Laura von Gieslingen's townhouse. They would then change, breakfast with Rudolf's best friend and his wife, see Rudolf sister who worked for Laura von Gieslingen as a nanny when not studying, drink, eat and talk. It was a small, intimate gathering at a man Rudolf considered his best friend's place, plus a rare escape that he treasured.

Later they were comfortably settled when Arthur von Gieslingen came forward with another man in tow. "Sir, may I introduce my brother Wladimir Rudolf von Gieslingen."

"Of course. The former Ottoman Military Attaché. You must tell me how you made your way back to Vienna when we are settled."

Wladimir von Gieslingen's eyes twinkled. "Of course Sire."

Wladimir von Gieslingen proved to be the life of the party, so to speak, a born raconteur.

"So, upon the commencement of the war, of course they came for us at the Embassy. Well, I was busy burning some papers and had locked myself in the room. There was constant banging on the door and shouts of "acik kapi", but I continued to ignore them even after that had commenced firing through the door. Finally an enormous bear of a man barrelled down the door and confronted me. I pretended to not understand what he was saying in his appalling German and then threw more papers on the fire. That was when he hit me."

"Where?" asked Stephanie.

"In a rather delicate place Your Majesty."

"What did you do?" Stephanie laughed.

"I said can I have something for the pain but I think I will keep the swelling."

The room dissolved into laughter. She looked across at Rudolf, now fully relaxed. He needed to relax more often.

It was later that morning after the guest's had left and Maria Katarina Berg had taken the baby for a stroll with Laura von Gieslingen that Wladimir von Gieslingen came up to his older brother.

"Thank you for the invitation."

"Well now you have been turfed out of Istanbul so unceremoniously on your ear, perhaps you can come more often and meet Rudolf."

"And her. She is so beautiful."

"The Empress?"

"Do I look like I want to face a firing squad? No of course not."

"Marie? Brothers marrying sisters? Bit of a cliche."

"No."

"You can't be serious? Maria Katarina? Illegitimate she may be but Rudolf is fond is his newly found kid sister. If you hurt her there will be hell to pay."

"No, no, I have been here for a week and I like Maria Katarina, but no. I mean Laura."

"My wife Laura? I will have you know..."

"No, Laura. Laura Paton."

Arthur von Gieslingen paled. "You cannot be serious? Vlad, I know you have always been...unconventional, but mother and father will have a fit. She is the illegitimate mulatto daughter of an absolute nobody. Yes she is pretty...even very pretty..."

"Rather more than that."

"Plus the Empress dotes on the girl. If it goes wrong, which you know full well it will, then this could be catastrophic."

"As you said brother dear, I have always been unconventional."

November 1894- Future chats on a wet day

13 November 1894, Hofburg, Vienna, Triple Monarchy

There was little doubt about it. The weather was officially appalling, snow and sleet. Stephanie had moved into Rudolf's smaller and better heated study and taken up residence at the desk of his secretary, who was sick.

"....so as I was saying, we need to look at the condition and use of a number of KuK residences. I mean Rudolf, do we really need eight places just in Vienna alone? Yes, some perform useful functions like housing the Finance Ministry or the Court. Other...not so much. The Belvedere has been empty since the 1889 moving of the collection to the Museum. Augarten has been empty for years. Neugebäude Palace for centuries! Meanwhile, we pay for restoration and upkeep. Plus there are others."

"I am sure there are my love. How about you do some digging and find what we have where and whether some may be better sold, rented for state use or used in some other way."

"Very well."

"Can you close the door?"

Stephanie grimaced. This was usually code for wanting to talk about the future and so it was to prove.

"Alright, we have fought the current war using ideas that I have gleaned from my own knowledge of things some 35 years or so ahead. I know we have gone over it again, but can we talk about what you know of militaries? Start with Air Forces."

"Very well. In around the 1940's to 1950's jets start to replace propeller driven airplanes. Not long after missiles replace guns as the main armament. Some jets can even refuel whilst in the sky from tanker aircraft. As I said before, the nuclear bomb is discovered in 1945 by the Americans and ends World War 2. Zeppelins are no longer used after the Hindenburg disaster when the airship caught fire from the flammable gas."

"So, how do these jet engines work?"

"No idea, they have a fan that turns very fast, I think they suck air into the engine and expel it out the back, also using and burning fuel somehow."

"Hmm, and armies?"

"Well, tanks are still around, and artillery but much of that is mounted on armoured vehicles and trucks, although some are towed. Mortars, yes. Oh, some artillery is made up of rockets that are launched, not guns. Infantry have modern personal armour at times, camouflage uniforms, some have sights where they can detect Infra-Red radiation or heat, weapons wise they have pistols, assault rifles, machine guns. Soldiers ride in trucks or armoured vehicles to the battlefield.

"Nuclear weapons are feared by all sides and not used. Gas is not used either, especially nerve gas. Deterrence they call it, I have explained this no?"

"Yes. IR radiation?"

"Body heat, the heat off a body is hotter than the surrounds and these sights can detect this, not sure how."

"The body armour?"

"It's hot and heavy so I have been told, so not always worn. Made from something called Kevlar, but I have no idea what that is, sorry, some type of hard plastic."

"Assault rifles again?"

"It like a perfected version of your Mannlichter that you are having so much trouble with."

"Hmm. Nerve gas?"

"Sarin. It's made from something they used firstly to kill insects. Don't know any more than that."

"Very well. The Navy?"

"Well aircraft carriers are the main large ship, I explained this before and also submarines."

"Yes, I grasp the concept of both. So, no battleships?"

"No, I think they were last used in World War 2, although maybe later, or perhaps much later. I remember watching a movie where a cook kills hostile terrorists on board a battleship, and that was in the 1990's. Missiles are the main weapon, not guns."

Rudolf laughed. "A cook? Sounds fanciful. And I though you said the modern world had done away with much romance and was harsher and less likely to hyperbole."

"Well, perhaps there are exceptions."

"There are still cruisers and destroyers?"

"Yes, I guess so, I am sure I have heard of destroyers."

"What else?"

"Well there are ships that refuel you are sea and small fast missile or torpedo boats."

"Yes."

"And landing craft, plus mine ships, that is about it."

"Landing craft?"

"Either larger or smaller craft with flat bottoms. That have a ramp that lowers at the front so they can drive the boat or ship onto the beach and the men or tanks get out. Like a drive on small ferry."

"A drive on ferry?"

"Yes, of course, the ferry had a rear and front ramp. You drive on one end after the ramp is lowered. Then it is raised and when you get to where you are going the ramp is lowered at the front and you drive off. They are very common."

"Well that is interesting and something you have not said before."

"What about communications and any other useful things?"

"Well there is radar."

"Yes, you said that. Something that sends radar waves out and then they bounce back and allow you to detect and aircraft or ship. Probably a bit past our current capabilities. Wireless, however. If we can attract Marconi here after he has finished his studies, perhaps to work with Tesla, who seems full of ideas but unwilling to follow much through..."

Stephanie sat back. "Do you want some gossip?"

Rudolf smirked. "Not particularly but I am sure you are going to tell me anyway."

Stephanie scowled. "Don't be an ass. Wladimir von Gieslingen came calling to ask Laura Paton to take a walk both these last days, although today she declined due to the weather."

"Surely not?"

"I am not sure. Laura said he was pleasant and attentive. Funny as well. When she talked about her own experiences with her father, he described his own father as being 'like God', apparently."

Rudolf started. "Like God?"

"Generally busy elsewhere."

Rudolf laughed. "Maybe you should talk to the girl. Or even him?"

"Early days yet my love, we shall see."

November 1894- New strikes of black gold

15 November 1894, 10km East of Pointe-Noire, Kingdom of the Congo

The men sat and celebrated. For Arthur Kazari this would mean a bonus. The day after assuming control from France, African Queen explorers led by two American and a Polish oil expert had conducted drilling in and around the small port. It had taken less than two months for this current discovery, hailed to be as large as the South Cabinda Beach field.

For Arthur Kazadi, newly promoted to drilling assistant and away from the backbreaking task of porting equipment, this was a chance to secure an income stream for some time and to eventually earn enough to go back to his village and purchase enough land to move into an influential position and marry well.

Congo Oilfields

November 1894- Army structure change recommendations

18 November 1894, Hofburg, Vienna, Triple Monarchy

It had been another long session for Marshal Friedrich von Beck-Rzikowsky and Rudolf.

"So Marshall, to broadly summarise, we are agreed on the following points:

1) On of the things that has become quite clear is that in a fast moving offensive war the gathering of intelligence not only from the enemy but also from the local civilian population and interpreting that to the Army's advantage is a badly needed skill that we currently lack. Information is gathered, but is fed up the line in an ad hoc manner and anything requiring follow up of further exploration is often left to lapse. That being the case, we will support the introduction of a dedicated intelligence officer with each Battalion, plus a section of three including two officers for each Regiment.

2) Secondly, whilst it was generally agreed that our system of Mobile Field Hospitals worked well and achieved excellent results, the current allocation of one Medical Officer, two orderlies and four stretcher bearers per Battalion has been clearly shown to be insufficient. I would suggest we allocate ten stretcher bearers per Battalion, not four.

3) Our current allocation of drivers, a paymaster and assistant, a Chaplain, runners and other headquarters staff in a Battalion is fine, however, from the many reports we have received of damaged gear, horse tack and particularly boots I would recommend we attach a NCO shoemaker to each Battalion and get them to assist the armourer when there is less need for their specific skills. In fact, with the new Divisions and the mortars and flamethrower capacity being organic, I would also recommend a second armorer as well.

4) In terms of what what we talked about before in terms of language. I think that in return for their service, whether via conscription or enlistment, we owe it to soldiers to give them the chance to better themselves in life. This will always be a difficult task for the illiterate. We also need to have a Common Army language that all soldiers can understand verbally and be able to read basic signs or instructions. Therefore, I would recommend the placement of a dedicated interpreter with officer rank with each Battalion that can undertake a dedicated series of training with groups of men to not only raise their functionality in German but also their native language or perhaps even another. In times of war they may be able to lend their assistance to the Battalion Intelligence Staff as well. Since this will be a "white tab" administrative position, I think we can actively recruit an intake from outside the Army, that can be appointed directly as Captains after completion of basic training. Applicants must be German speakers and at least trilingual. Required languages will be dependent on where the Regiment is based. At Regimental level, add a section of two officers and one soldier to administer the training overall. These people could also be used to tutor NCO's we have identified as potential officers yet lack the language skills for such a position. Soldiers that reach a level of competency in language can receive a bonus in pay.

All this will increase the basic organisation of a Battalion by an additional two officers, three NCO's and five men, no great increase but one I believe will be effective in the light of what we have learned. At Regimental level four more officers and two NCO's at headquarters.

Finally, one thing that our shortcomings was cruelly exposed on was our attempt to mobilise in a reasonable time frame. 'Disaster', would be the kindest words I can use to describe it. Yet this is so important in war to gain the initial edge on one's opponent. Liaison between the War Ministry here in Vienna, local Regimental Headquarters, the various national Post and Telegraph Services and local police was shambolic and it was quite clear that the further from Vienna and the more rural the district, the more likely it was that confusion would reign. That is one thing. The second is our oft held discussion that it would be of great help to the Army if we could attract and retain more enlistments, rather than top up via by conscription.

During mobilization, if I am to be honest, it was surprisingly not here in Vienna that things fell down but we placed much of the burden onto the local administrative staff of each Regiment and they proved woefully inadequate in terms of resources for the task, unsurprising as they were generally fully engaged with preparing their Regiment for war. It has also shown clearly that one must also deal locally with the Post and Telegraph Departments of each Kingdom, as well as the police, not by firing off telegrams from Vienna that largely languish.

What I had thought that may solve both the problem with recruiting enlistments and at the same time establish a structure that can manage mobilisations when and if they occur. That is to establish a recruiting office locally in each Regimental area staffed by both the Army and Navy in bigger towns that can not only handle enlistment applications and promote the KuK forces as a career, but additionally be used as a dedicated local base to assist in the event of a mobilisation that all communications can go through."

"I am not so sure about the last Your Majesty, but if you think it worthwhile we can give it a try. Of course, the position on interpreters will further inflame our Hungarian friends."

"Well, in this instance, I am afraid they are just going to have to like it or lump it."

November 1894- An approach to Marconi

22 November 1894, Villa Griffone, Pontecchio, Kingdom of Italy

Guglielmo Marconi scanned the letter again.

"Dear Sir,

I have come into an awareness of your sterling efforts in regards to the study of radio wave communications and would like to offer you an opportunity to work with improved facilities and full funding and also to consult with an expert we have here in Austria. I was wondering if you would like to take up residence here in the Triple Monarchy or at least come to discuss such a proposition with myself.

I must admit that even as an amateur I have ideas myself in regards to ways you may be able to increase the range. Have you considered raising the height of your antenna at all? If you have any interest please contact me and we can arrange travel at the expense of the KuK government.

I await you response.

Kaiser Rudolf et all"

A letter from the Austrian Kaiser! What a remarkable letter indeed, though Marconi. This could potentially provide money that would allow him to move his research away from the attic of the house and his garden shed. It would, however, involve a move away from his beloved property. Still, an all expenses paid trip to Vienna to meet the Austrian Kaiser seemed like no hardship. A higher antenna? That may be worth exploring.

November 1894-Sazan Island

24 November 1894, overlooking St Nicholas Bay, Sazan Island

Engineer Hauptmann Werner Schmitt looked from the top of the mountain one way and on this clear, perfect day could just make out the coast of Italy. To the East lay St Nicholas Bay, where they were constructing not only a breakwater but a large pier and the commencement of buildings. The island was in an ideal position to dominate the Strait of Orantro so a naval base was to be constructed to take ships of up to 1500 tons, however, larger may be possible as the Eastern cliffs fell right off to a 40 metre drop and facilities for larger ships should not be difficult to provide. He had also been told that eventually a coastal defense battery was to be placed on the Western side facing the straits.

The island was surprisingly hot, some 20 degrees on a late November day. Not Congo hot. Schmitt was somewhat of a wanderer and had done a stint in Congo so he knew heat, but here was hot none the less. The island itself had never been permanently occupied and for that reason soldiers and construction personal had been told that dogs were the only pets that could be brought to the island, much like the garrison on the remote Coco Islands. No, it was not an unpleasant assignment over the winder period thought Schmitt, familiar with how cold it would be in his native Salzburg.

Sazan was to be the fourth small colony after the Galite Islands in the Mediterranean, Kap Weiss in West Africa and the Coco Islands in the Bay of Bengal, all used as either coaling stations and/or small military ports, the Coco islands also as a penal colony.

November 1894-Mixed ambitions and marriages

26 November 1894, Hofburg, Vienna, Triple Monarchy

Laura Paton rushed down the corridor towards her mistress's study. "Here are the papers you requested Your Majesty."

"Thank you Laura. That is a lovely dress, I like that burgundy colour, it suits your colouring."

"Thank you Your Majesty. I think I will take my walk now."

"Of course. With Major von Gieslingen?"

"Perhaps he may be coming...please stop smirking Your Majesty."

Stephanie grinned. "Heads of State never smirk Laura, it's just not done. Enjoy yourself, if you need any advice I am here."
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26 November 1894, Prater, Vienna, Triple Monarchy

Wladimir von Gieslingen placed his hand over his companions as she walked on his arm. "Here they plan to place a Ferris wheel. The newspapers say they may start building it next year."

"A Ferris wheel?"

"It's large mechanical metal wheel that has seats that you sit in. Takes you up 100 meters in the air so you can see the view before coming back down."

"Sounds like a death trap."

"How do you like it here in Vienna?"

"I find I like it very much indeed. Perhaps this is the first time I have ever really felt that I belonged anywhere."

"It's getting cold, let us duck into a coffee shop."

"Very well."

Later Wladimir screwed up his courage to proceed. "Laura, you must know, surely you must know my...feelings in your regard, you are too kind hearted to trifle with my affections in such a way. I know it may seem like we have hardly known one another but my feelings are not just a passing flight of fancy. I am serious. Serious about wishing to see more of you, serious about looking for a wife."

Laura Paton felt the onrush of excitement and at the same time a dizzying wave of nausea. She had wanted this, yet she had also dreaded this. "Vlad, this cannot possibly happen. You know it cannot happen."

"Why on earth not, I am quite old enough to be conversant with my own feelings. I know it is a short time but look at the Albanian marriage to happen tomorrow, it's not like they even knew each other two months ago, now they are to be King and Queen of Albania in less than a fortnight! Why do you think the King of Serbia arrives next week? Unless you, of course, do not feel the same way?"

"It is not that, no it is not that. How can this be? You are the scion of an aristocratic family from a Catholic, conservative Empire where position matters, gossip abounds, not only that you are a newly minted Major. I am...none of those things. I am....a bastard, half black with a stint of being forced to work for a short time as a prostitute just to eat so as to fully complete my damnation. I am one of those figures in 18th century paintings looking up at their masters and betters. I may have been taught to shoot, to fence, to dance and to talk about politics, to obey the rules of high society and to look and act like a lady. But I am not. Just look at the looks we received by being arm in arm in walking here from some people.

No Vlad. Just promoted to Major, for you this will be a career killer. Plus for heaven's sake, what would your parents say, your own father a General, say? It is impossible."

Vlad laughed. "My father. I am a third son, you hold me up as a great noble. A third son is unlikely to be even given the time of day. I love my brother, but Arthur is the heir and the star of the family. I have had to earn my promotions by doing dangerous work. 'Military attaché' is another word for intelligence operative, or spy. Yes, they will I am sure, disapprove. Yet, how can anyone that meets you not love you? People can change their minds, how does the Empress treat you?"

"That is different. It is still impossible. Society..."

"There are more things possible under heaven and earth, my lovely Laura, than are dreamt of in your philosophy. With God all things are possible."

Laura Paton laughed. "Shakespeare and the Bible? An interesting pair of quotes."

"I am an interesting man."

"Yes you are. Alright I give in. You have at least two more months in Vienna. How about we continue to meet and see how we feel?"

"Of course."
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
26 November 1894, Hofburg, Vienna, Triple Monarchy

Laura Paton sat in her room. The feel of his lips on hers had not felt...like it had previously, when she had felt used and, well, terrified. Yet he had been gentle and...caring. It was only a kiss but she had felt..safe."

She rose and walked down to her mistresses' study, finding her alone and working on paperwork. She faltered but then proceeded. "Your Majesty?"

"Laura."

"You said we could talk."

"Oh. Of course we can, close the door, come in and sit down. I will pour us a coffee and we can chat."

November 1894- An Albanian wedding

27 November 1894, Holy Trinity Orthodox Church, Vienna, Triple Monarchy

Archduke Eugen, soon to be King Eugen in two weeks time when they landed in Durres and took possession of the building that had been allocated as a royal residence. He looked across at Anna of Montenegro, the woman he was marrying, she was a clever one and a real beauty. The difficulties of a Catholic wedding had meant an Orthodox one had been performed instead, in keeping with the faith of his wife. Eugen had not been unduly concerned. Albania was 50% Sunni Muslim, 20% Orthodox Christian, 20% Bektashi Muslim and 10% Catholic, a real melting pot. He would have his work cut out for him when he landed at Durres and commenced his duties, even with Hapsburg support.

Albania had very little in the way of infrastructure, being one of the poorest countries in Europe, no rail lines, no real industry, four religions. The challenge would be enormous. He was keen to undertake the task, however. The people there had need of good government after years of stagnation. To inspire unity all he had was himself, the Albanian language and the legacy of nationalism left by Skanderbeg.

Hopefully, with an initial period of military support and fair and just policies, these may prove to be enough to get them both through the initial hardships before some form of legitimacy took hold. They were to land in Durres on the 12th December by ship, so he would soon know.

December 1894-The natives are revolting....

1 December 1894, Segeneyti, Italian Eritrea

Bahta Hagos had moved his Army, now numbering 1800 with two small mortars and a machine gun. He had rapidly captured the Italian Administrator and a number of other staff as well as 22 Italian troops. More lay dead and he quickly moved to cut the telegraph wires to prevent co-ordination of an Italian response.

He quickly moved to address the gathering crowd. "The Italians are our curse, they seize our land; yet I want to free you... let us all participate to drive the Italians out and be our own masters! I have the weapons, you only need to avail yourselves of these weapons my friends!"

Now it remained to be seen if he could expect help from Menelik II in Abyssinia beyond what had already been provided in regards the equipment that had been given. Hopefully so, now was the time with the Italian forces scattered and weak, many units having been sent to Libya to suppress rebellions there.

December 1894-Lamentations of a boy on a man's errand

3 December 1894, Hofburg, Vienna, Triple Monarchy

Former King Milan stood up and addressed his son. "Alexander, perhaps you may care to take a turn around the palace. I am sure young Elizabeth Amalie may care to escort you and show you the way."

Ten minutes later they had reached the library. "So, they expect us to marry" said Alexander.

"It seems so." said Elizabeth Amalie. "What do you like?"

"Reading. Music. A quiet life. Mostly things that circumstances deny me."

"Well it seems we are well matched there at least. Err...not that I am saying we are poorly matched elsewhere, of course. Have you read Chekov's 'The Student'? Also the magazine 'The Unknown World'"?

"Not Chekov, no. The Black Peril tried to get me to read 'The Unknown World', but no, not that either."

"The Black Peril?"

"The Montenegrin princesses. All are dark haired and interested in the occult to some degree or another."

Elizabeth Amalie smiled. "I like it. What do you expect from, well...a marriage?"

"Well...companionship would be nice. Dear God, being King......it is just so...alone. So very alone. My father and mother both gone. No siblings. Just me. They put things in front of me to sign and I just sign them."

"Yes, my sister has elected to become a nun, my father is never there and never has been and I only have my mother really. Would you like to read a while?"

"Yes. Is there a nook we can hide away from everyone in?"

"Yes, I believe I know one."

Alexander smiled.

December 1894-The many problems of the new regime in Istanbul

6 December 1894, Dolmabahce Palace, Istanbul, Ottoman Empire

What a disaster. It was, of course, the first and likely the only time that a deposed Sultan had regained his throne, but that was what had happened to Murad V. His brother had finally been deposed and agreed to go into exile on the Princes Islands after the disastrous recent war, worse than the fiasco fought at the commencement of his reign. The initial choice had been his brother Mehmet, however, any suggestion made by Abdul Hamid was now completely toxic and it was the liberal faction so long in the wilderness that had gained the ascendance in what was left of the Empire. That had brought the former Murad V back into the picture and he had duly been retrieved from the Çırağan Palace and installed as Sultan.

There had been no time to recall or install a Parliament in another constitutional period. He had merely installed Damat Ferid Pasha as Grand Vizier and appointed a series of like-minded advisors to attempt to stabilise the situation. It had taken until a fortnight ago for disturbances in the capital to settle down, the situation in other regional cities like Smyrna was still unstable.

What was to be done? The loss of the Eastern areas was disastrous enough, but the losses in the West were even worse. In addition their old foes the Russians were now camped right on the Straits, creating not only a potential flash point but a situation where Russian influence was now all pervasive.

He had ordered the immediate cessation of activities and financing for the Hamidite cavalry. There could be no question now of reprisals of any kind against Armenians, Greeks or indeed any Christians. Indeed now it was a question of trying to fend off the Russians, the Greeks, even the French for that matter.

Now that Russia and the smaller European powers had taken territory, there was no question of getting it back. No, what was required was the sort of reform that would allow a retention of what remained. That would involve granting greater autonomy to the Arabs and Kurds. The Christians that remained, mainly Greeks, could be taxed disproportionately, discriminated against, but could not be the subject of violence as a further war would be a disaster likely greater than the latest two.

In Yemen the insurrection that was gathering pace every day needed to be dealt with and perhaps in the New Year that may be able to be accomplished now that the internal issues wracking the Empire were now subsiding. More funding for the Army, fortifications for the capital and a rebuild of the Navy were paramount, the latter to deter Greek ambition that would be bolstered by the annulation of Abdul Hamid’s fleet.

So many things needed to be changed. In fact, the Empire as a whole needed to be modernised in every aspect, not just from a political and military point of view, but a social one as well. I would be an enormous task. Externally all he could rely on was British self interest, a French desire to protect their financial investments and German platitudes.

December 1894-Economic discussions,

9 December 1894, Hofburg, Vienna, Triple Monarchy

Stephanie looked up from her papers and yawned, getting up and moving through their bedroom to the opposite room, eventually sitting down on the settee in Rudolf's study, watching as he read reports, scratching the occasional note. It was a set up that had scandalised the Viennese Court, only one joint bedroom and each leading onto a study and work area for each of it's occupants.

"What are you up to Rudi?"

"Just reading reports. Economics. You know I am not good in that area at all."

"Neither am I. What are you trying to understand?"

Rudolf looked at his bodyguard. "Max, can you please leave and close the door. I will call if I need you." Rudolf waited and then continued on. "I am trying to gauge, as best I can, the impact of the changes I, or rather we, have made."

"Not sure I would even know where to start with that."

"Neither did I. That is why I commissioned the KuK Finance Ministry for opinions and comparisons with the British as the largest economic power and also a country with similar population and they came back with this....tome." said Rudolf, patting a pile of papers at least 15cm high.

"God. Have you absorbed it?"

"I can give you the major points. Firstly Gross National Product. In 1830 the UK's was 15% higher. Now it is 86% higher. The reasons are varied, certainly the disastrous loss of Venetia in 1866, the loss of the 1866 war and consequent loss of trade with Southern German states and some terrible economic decisions in the 1850's that did not help, plus the Hungarian Uprising I suppose. The positive is that these last three years have seen better growth than that of Britain.

A nation's economy relies so much on two basic ingredients and increasingly a third. Coal, steel production and soon oil. In 1830 British Coal production was 57 million tons, our was 1.2 million. 47 times as much! Now Britain produces 201 million tons, ourselves 33 million tons. Britain leads America, then Germany, then ourselves. Our main problem with coal is that even though we theoretically produce a fair amount, most is cheaper brown coal hence we need to be a large coal importer none the less. Steel production is linked to coal production. Ship building has stimulated it, but our steel projection is only 900,000 tons, much less than Britain's 4.4 million. In fact, in terms of steel production we lag behind every major power. Lastly oil. There are only five significant producers. The USA, which produce 60% of world production, then Russia, ourselves, Romania and lastly the British via India and Burma.

What differentiates us and the British? Well, we have industrialised much later. Even in 1830 the agricultural percentage of population in the U.K was 28%, now it is 12%. In 1830 here agricultural workers as a population percentage was 71%, now it is 56%. Agriculture makes up such a large percentage of our economy even now. It is shown in the imports and exports. Britain has five times the import volume of ourselves, three times the exports. How she sustains herself with her trade balance is that much of her exports are high value machinery and manufactured goods, imports are lower value biomass-foods, raw metals and minerals. Our main exports are mainly food and lower value brown coal. We are at least a net food exporter so can at least feed ourselves comfortably in a war if we have to.

Some of our changes have borne fruit. To be honest the largest has been the large scale importation of cheap oil. This has stimulated growth in the use of oil for industrial purposes and also domestic heating, hence commencing design and manufacturing of such devices. This has allowed us to drop the tonnage of expensive black coal imports, a saving. Oil has also led to the expansion of our shipping interests to service the oil trade and the Congo and our small colonies in general, dropping import costs on what would otherwise have been foreign flagged shipping and breaking our shipping company's into other markets. It has also stimulated the steel making industry, which may help us with artillery manufacture as well as that of armour plate.

We have also relocated a number of industries here, chief among them Daimler, plus others have thrived on an increased military budget, stimulating manufacturing and growing an increased chemical industry. Innovation in the area of electrical power is something we are already world leaders in.

Some of the social programs the Liberal Parties have championed have also helped to pump more money into the economy and especially small business. The state owned machinery rings have also assisted in more agricultural areas like Hungary, Galicia and Illyria. This has also marginally slowed the emigration of many of the poorer classes I would think. Greater trade with Russia over the last two years has allowed us to explore a market for foodstuff that is cheaper than our other normal suppliers, Germany and Italy. I consider it highly likely that our nationalization of the railways has dropped the carrying costs per ton for manufacturers and export/importers as well. To list them all:

1) The commencement of machinery rings, ie hiring or purchasing agricultural machinery through the state
2) The influx of oil via Congo imports, also imports of other Congo goods, mainly high value goods
3) The exports of machinery and industrial goods to the Congo
4) Relocation of Daimler Works, plus a number of targeted pharmaceutical industries to the Triple Monarchy
5) Increased ship building activity, both civilian and military as a function of more overseas activity
6) Increased military sales
7) The very creation of four Kingdoms needs extra infrastructure and therefore employment plus the Olympics/Exhibition at Budapest stimulates more building and greater economic activity
8) Army reforms and orders for new equipment will stimulate the economy
9) Consequent increased economic activity and opportunities in overseas areas like the Congo have MARGINALLY slowed emigration overseas, especially to the U.S
10) Earlier nationalization of the railways have resulted in more track growth and more orders for infrastructure, rolling stock etc
11) Trade with Russia and Serbia in terms of both imports and exports has picked up from it's abysmally low OTL levels due to better relations
12) Conversely, trade with the Ottomans will suffer
13) Government waste for the common departments is starting to be trimmed and Imperial and Royal expenditures will likely follow
14) There has been a slight increase in women working as well due to changed attitudes, also an economic boon
15) Changed parliamentary representation has resulted in higher taxation of the truly wealthy, allowing more social and educational assistance programmes, assisting wealth distribution, which has also assisted overall monetary spend(often the truly rich just bank it), also resulting in tiny improvements in the economy
16) The early provision of cheap and plentiful oil has seen it gain greater penetration, more demand for manufacture of oil heating and burning equipment and an easing of imports of black coal

All these are seemingly smaller things, perhaps aside from oil, but taken together they represent a shift. I think we are on the right track but perhaps can do more. Further education reforms, tax deduction incentives for innovation, our Dalmatian railway, all of these will likely help. In addition, we also need to concentrate on innovation. We have done military innovations to death and our notebooks are full. We are doing as well as we can there. Political opportunities as well. The changes we have effected are really quite startling when you think about it. Our biggest and next coup will hopefully be Krupp in five years time. We need to think in terms of everyday projects like your bottle tops. Perhaps we go away to Brijuni after the Illyian business in April and put our heads together over a couple of weeks? However, I remain convinced that we are heading in the right direction."

"Yes, I look forward to finally getting away again. I'm going to pick up the girls, then you have an hour with Erszi of work, then an hour of play."

"Very well."

"I have also decided that I am going to compete in the 1896 Olympic Games. I will be good publicity."

"I knew you could not resist."

December 1894-Amphibious warfare

10 December 1894, Hofburg, Vienna, Triple Monarchy

Siegfried Popper was shown into Rudolf's study and Rudolf was keen to see what his Chief Naval Architect had come up with.

"...so you see Your Majesty, the design is based on a Danube barge really, a few more provisions to ensure seaworthiness, increased power, but otherwise quite similar. The ramp at the front is novel and will facilitate unloading and overall she will weigh only 136 tons light and draw less than a three meters yet can carry 200 men and supplies. Speed will be modest, some 6-7 knots but more than sufficient to allow a run to a hostile beach. Due to shorter range, the design also allows the vessel, much like any barge, to be easily towed behind another ship of destroyer size or larger. There is provision to fit a machine gun or even a 66mm gun amidships as well."

"Excellent, it is a testament to your work that you have come back so quickly with a design."

"Not really Your Majesty. It is, after all, quite a simple adaptation."

"How are we going with the new destroyers?"

"Four of the five have been launched or will be by year's end, so they will be operational by mid next year. The two mine-layer adaptations are well under way as well. To crew them we have discarded 19 of the old 47 ton boats, with more to probably follow."

"Well then, let us see if we can authorize six of these ships to a standard design, a seventh as a water carrier and a final example as equine transport. That should give us the capacity to land 1200 men at any coastal location as required to establish a beachhead. In the meantime, they will make useful coastal transports in peacetime and will be able to use the most primitive of docking facilities if required for civil emergencies. I do not imagine they will be expensive?"

"No, Your Majesty, a build of eight will cost less than half of one of our current destroyers."

"Very well then."

Landing badges, motorised

October 2017-Future fun in sunny Albania

24 October 2017, near Thores, Kingdom of Albania

The rain was coming down heavy as Edona Hoxha drove carefully down the country road. Having lived in the small Albanian town most of her life, she knew the dirt road intimately, but it didn’t make it any less treacherous in weather like this. She pushed her long ebony hair from her eyes and sighed, hoping the really heavy rain would hold out just a bit longer until she made it home.

Edona was less than 500 meters from her house when she rounded a notoriously sharp corner and gasped, slamming her foot on the brake just in time to avoid ramming into the back end of the black sports car that was sticking out of the drainage ditch on the side of the road. She looked frantically through her windscreen, hoping that there was a person somewhere and they weren’t trapped in the car. The rain was so heavy though that she couldn’t see clearly. She jumped out of her car, the rain immediately soaking her. She ran to the edge of the car and tried to see inside.

A voice came from behind her, startling her. She whirled around and found the source of it.

“Is this your car?” she yelled over the drive of the rain at the tall, broad shouldered man who was walking against the wind toward her.

He shrugged his shoulders dumbly. Great, a tourist. She switched to German. “Is this your car?”

“Yes,” he said. “I didn’t know that curve was so tight.”

Obviously, she thought. He was definitely Austrian, and definitely wealthy. She had heard enough Schönbrunner Deutsch that was still effected by those that went to the 'right' schools during her Degree years in Vienna. Edona resisted rolling her eyes. He was probably some idiot tourist who was lost, Albania received many of them, although usually at the beaches, not here. She just wasn’t in the mood today to have to deal with helping someone get back to the city, and especially not in this rain.

“Well, it looks like it’s stuck for now. The rain isn’t going to stop for quite a while. Do you have someone coming to get you?” Edona asked the man as he moved closer to her.

He was more soaked to the bone as she was. His blonde hair was plastered to his head. She couldn’t tell what colour his eyes were as he was squinting to keep the rain out, but he was definitely good looking and from the t-shirt that was stuck to his torso, she could make out that he was athletically built. Great. All she needed today was some aristocrat or rich boy who thought he was God’s gift.

The stranger shook his head. “No. I um…I called but it’s flooded somewhere down by some bridge. I wasn’t really supposed to be…well, never mind. Long story. Is there an hotel or guesthouse or something around here? I could walk if you tell me which way to go.”

Edona almost laughed. “Yes, there is a hotel. It’s on the other side of that bridge that’s flooded."

“Shit,” the stranger hissed. “I’m in so much fucking trouble.”

“Is the wife going to be looking for you?” Edona asked before she could stop herself. She almost groaned in embarrassment. Why the hell would she even ask that?

To his credit the stranger just looked at her and laughed lightly. “No,” he said with a shake of his head. “No wife. Listen, do you have a mobile phone I could use in your car? Mine’s not working. It cut out before.”

Edona looked towards her car and then back towards the stranger. “I have a mobile. But how do I know you aren’t an axe murderer or something? I mean, this could all be an elaborate set up to kidnap me and chop me into a million pieces.”

The stranger blinked several times before bursting out into full on laughter. “Oh God. I thought you were joking before. You really don’t recognize me, do you?”

This time Edona did roll her eyes. “And who am I supposed to be recognizing?”

“Let me use your phone and I’ll tell you,” he said with a grin.

A shiver ran through her then and she glanced back to her car, still running. She knew she probably should just leave him on the road, but something inside of her told her that if she did leave him here she would regret it.

“Fine,” she called above the rain, which had just begun to fall heavier. “Well come on then, don't just stand there.”

She ran back towards her car, opened the door and slid in, her eyes trained on him as he moved around the front of her Daimler and then opened the passenger door, sliding in. He turned and looked at her, smiling gratefully as the heat blasted through the vents at them. He pushed his wet hair from his eyes and Edona finally got a good look at them. They were a clear, pretty light blue colour. She blinked and did a mental shake. What was the hell was wrong with her today?

“Um…mobile phone,” she mumbled quickly as she reached for her bag in the backseat and pulled her phone from it. She handed it to him and he smiled.

“Thank you,” he said politely. Now that they were out of the rain he noticed that she really had the most stunning almond shaped green eyes that combined with her fair skin and dark hair to make her startling beautiful. He almost couldn’t help but stare at her for a moment.

“You’re welcome,” she responded as he finally tore his gaze from her and quickly dialled a number and pressed the phone to his ear. His head turned and stared out of the window towards his car.

“It’s Karl,” he said immediately when the line picked up.

Karl? She thought. Who is famous named Karl? No idea.

“Yes. I’m with a local, she came upon the car in the ditch and stopped to help,” Karl said into the phone. “Her name? Her name is…”

She just stared at him for a moment before snapping to her senses. “Edona,” she whispered. “Edona Hoxha.”

“Her name is Edona Hoxha,” Karl finished with a small smile. “Yes…yes. No, I’m not sure. Is there no way we can get a helicopter or…damn…hold on.” He pulled the phone away from his ear and pressed mute. “How far do you live from here?”

“Under 500 meters,” Edona answered, completely bewildered.

Karl nodded. “Can you take me there?”

Edona’s mouth dropped. “I…I’m sorry. Did you really just ask me to take you to my home?”

“Yes. My people are trying to find a way to get me out, but in the mean time I can’t just be sitting out in the rain. If you don’t want to take me to your house, that’s fine. If you know someone who could…”

She held up her hands. “No. I’ll take you. Just until you get your ride, right?”

Karl laughed. “Well, I’m not planning on moving in.”

Edona’s lips turned up at the corners despite herself. “Believe me, after seeing the house I live in, you won’t want to.” Then she made the connection. “You,” she whispered almost accusingly, pointing a finger at him. He grinned at her, amused that she finally figured it out. "Your…"

Karl chuckled and shook his head as he pressed the mute button again and pulled the phone back up to his ear. “Miss Edona Hoxha is going to take me to her house. I’ll call again when I get there…yes…okay…thank you.” He pulled the phone from his ear, ended the call, and handed it back to Edona.

She slipped it back into her bag and tossed that onto the backseat before turning back to the wheel of the car. She put it in gear and immediately got to work navigating the tricky road.

“So…you’re Kronprinz Karl?” she asked, trying not to sound freaked out at all by the fact that he was sitting, soaking wet, in her car.

“I am. You know, we can wait to talk until we get to your house,” he responded quickly.

She glanced at him. His fingers were holding tight to the handle on the door. She laughed. “I can talk and drive. And I’m not the one who ran my car into a ditch after all.”

He looked over at the beautiful brunette in the driver’s seat and he caught her looking at him. “Can you look at the road?”

Edona smirked. “Listen, I’ve been driving on this road in a tractor since I was 7. I promise you that in less than thirty seconds, we will be pulling up in my drive.”

“Thirty seconds?”

“Less than” Edona said as she made a turn. “Here we are.”

Karl turned and looked as she pulled the car slowly up the drive to the small stone cottage. It looked quaint and homey and off to the side a tractor poked it's nose out of a barn. She turned the car off and grabbed her bag from the back seat.

“Ready to run for it?” she asked with a smirk.

“Ha! We’re already soaked,” Karl laughed, gesturing to himself.

Edona’s eyes flicked over him before she could help herself, with his wet clothes stuck to his lean, athletic frame. When she realized what she was doing she snapped her eyes back up. She could feel the heat spread in her cheeks and she could not even believe that he just caught her checking him out like that. So much for a Catholic education.

“I um…I may have something you can change into,” she muttered as she felt her cheeks get even hotter.

To his credit Karl didn’t seem to be interested in teasing her about her blatant perusal of him. “Sure, if you’ve got something,” he just offered in response.

“Yeah…okay. Well, let’s get inside then.” Edona turned and opened her door and slid out into the driving rain. Karl did the same and followed her as she went running up her path and to the front door. They ducked out of the rain as she searched for her keys. Once she finally located them she opened up the door and stepped in with him right behind her.

As she set her things down and peeled off her wet leather jacket, Karl glanced around. The house was warm and cosy. It was tidy and comfortable and he found himself smiling as he looked around.

“Let me go see if I can find you something to wear,” she said from behind him. He turned and smiled gratefully.

“Thank you. Anything will do, really. I’m not particular.”

"Somehow I doubt that." She sassed him back.

Karl stood there and waited, trying not to shiver as he heard her moving through things in the room she was in. He laughed to himself, amused at the situation he found himself in. Standing in some woman’s home, a drop dead gorgeous woman at that, drenched to the bone because he was a moron and had ran his sports car into a ditch. He had just been looking for a little time alone, some time to think. His bodyguards certainly weren’t happy that they couldn’t get to him, and he was sure he was going to get shit for losing them on those back country roads on purpose, especially from his father. His sister would laugh herself silly.

Karl’s thoughts were brought back to the present when Edona came back in, carrying an armful of clothes.

“I found some old pants and a t-shirt. There are also some socks too,” she said as she walked over to him and handed him the clean, dry clothes.

“That’s great, Edona. Thank you,” Karl said. He was genuinely grateful for the clothes and would be more than happy to get out of the wet ones he currently had on.

Edona shrugged. “Sure. You can change in the bathroom. It’s down the hall, first door on the left,” she said, pointing in the direction. “I’m going to change as well.”

Karl nodded and Edona moved off back down the hallway, to what he assumed was her room. Karl walked to the door she had pointed out and went into the bathroom. He quickly changed out of his wet clothes and into the dry ones provided. The pants were a touch too big, but the plain white t-shirt fitted and was comfortable and warm. Karl found a towel in the cabinet and ran it over his hair, drying it as much as he could. He glanced in the mirror and chuckled as he saw the blonde mess sticking out in different directions. Then, he gathered his wet clothes, opened the bathroom door, moved into the hallway and out into the living room. Then stopped short in his tracks.

Edona was standing at the window looking out over the rain. She had changed clothes and was now clad in tight yoga pants and a small worn t-shirt. She must have brushed her wet hair out and it was already drying up in soft, dark waves down her back.

Karl’s body reacted immediately reacted to the sight of her. He would never quite understand what it had been about that woman that drew such a knee jerk reaction from him. He stood there drinking her in, willing himself to make some sort of noise.

Suddenly a burst of lighting lit up the room followed almost immediately by an extremely loud clap of thunder. It startled both of them, bringing a gasp from Edona and causing Karl to jump a little bit. Karl’s reaction drew Edona’s attention to the fact that he was in the room and she turned to look at him. He took a step forward. It was almost instinctual. Her breathing had gone shallow when she caught him staring at her…he had caught it. He wasn’t clueless. She had reacted to him too. “Edona…” he breathed as he took another step forward.

Edona watched him, her chest heaving up and down. What was going on? She had barely had a full conversation with this man and yet, here she was, just standing there as he moved toward her on a mission. She wasn’t a young, silly teen anymore. She was completely aware that there was some kind of pull developing between them. As he moved in front of her, as she tilted her head up to look at him, as she leaned into the cool pane of the window behind her; her brain began to slow down. Normal Edona would have stopped him the second he took that first step. Instead, she decided that if there were any day in her life that she should just run with something, this should be it. His hands came up and braced themselves on the window pane on either side of her head. He leaned in closer to her. Karl couldn’t help but notice how beautiful she looked just then – the startling green eyes, the way her cheeks were flushed due to their closeness.

“This is insane…” Edona whispered as he lowered his head down to hers.

“Maybe I am a little bit crazy,” Karl whispered back. Their lips were almost touching and the air around them was charged and heavy.

“I think you might be…inbreeding and all that.”

Karl smirked at her. “What about you?”

Her hands moved up to his stomach, resting against the thick material of his sweatshirt. “Me?”

“You are a little bit - ” He was cut off mid-sentence when her mobile rang from her bag across the room. He looked over in it's direction and let out a sigh. “I forgot to call my bodyguard back from your mobile when I got here. That’s probably him. If I don’t answer…”

“Disaster?” Edona offered. Karl’s lips curved slightly. “Something like that.”

Regretfully and with a sigh he moved away from her and she went to get her phone. She flashed him the screen and he nodded, confirming the number was in fact, Anton. She handed him the phone and he connected the call with a roll of his eyes.

“This is Karl…Sorry, I had to change clothes and…no, it’s fine. Secure…Yes, you can reach me on this number and I’ll call you first thing in the morning….Ok, bye.” He hung up and handed the phone back to Edona who was staring at him with a wide open mouth. “What?” he asked cautiously.

“The morning?” she asked, her voice squeaking.

“The said the rain isn’t going to let up until early tomorrow morning, around six a.m.”

“Okay…so you just invited yourself to stay?”

Karl laughed. “Right before the phone rang, I think you were about to invite me yourself.”

Edona continued to glare at him for several more seconds before she finally sighed, the momentary flash of anger leaving her. She couldn’t kick him out in the rain. The thing was though, she wasn’t going to kick him out of her bed either. And he was right; before the phone rang, she was millimeters away from letting him do just that.

“No, it’s okay,” she said apologetically. “Of course you can stay. It’s just…today has been insane from the start. It has literally been the strangest day of my life and it just keeps getting weirder. As a result, I lost it there for a moment.”

Karl gave her a small smile. “And I’d assume that my appearance and continued presence is part of the strangeness?”

Edona burst out laughing, and Karl couldn’t help but grin in response to the delightful sound. “I’d say so. Can imagine my brain right now. I was called to deliver twin foals this morning and then picked up Kronprinz Karl on my way home.” she joked.

“You delivered a horse? Foals?"

"I am a veterinarian. I studied in Vienna you know. I hear you are rather well known there."

"How could I miss someone so gorgeous when she was right under my nose?"

Edona scoffed. “I mean, I know I’m somewhat attractive…but…”

“No,” Karl cut her off. “You are utterly beautiful.”

Edona opened her mouth to react but shut it quickly. “What?” Karl asked in a soft voice. “What were you going to say?”

Edona gulped. “Honestly?”

“Please.”

“Oh God,” she murmured. She closed her eyes for a moment before she opened them back up to him, remembering her recent heartbreak. “I was going to say that if you think I’m so beautiful you should take me to bed.”

Karl’s eyes snapped wide and a slow, cocky grin appeared on his face. “You were not…”

She nodded and cringed in embarrassment. “That’s why I shut my mouth so quick. Because it was an absolutely ridiculous thing to even think, let alone say. I mean really, I’m supposed to be keeping you safe here in my home and here I am suggesting…besides, the heir to the Seven Kingdoms.”

“Edona,” he interrupted her in a rough voice. “It’s not ridiculous.”

“Yes, it is.”

He shook his head slowly. “You do realize that if your phone hadn’t rang earlier we would already be there? In your bed, I mean. I promise you, it won't ring again…”

December 1894- A landing at Durres

12 December 1894, Port of Durres, Kingdom of Albania

King Eugen and Queen Anna walked down the gangplank towards the waiting crowds. Some were enthusiastically waving the black on red Albanian crowned eagle, others simply seemed curious, a few wore more sullen expressions. It was all to be expected he supposed. He could see the building that was to become the Royal Palace, a villa on the hill overlooking the small city. Eugen smiled. The city had been founded in 627BC by the original Illyrians. Ironic since the name had been recently revived in the Triple Monarchy.

He looked back at the bulk of the large cruiser that dominated the harbour and then moved forward to take the salute of not only the newly formed Albanian Royal Guard but also that of the Triple Monarchy Military Governor, Captain von Trapp. Now it was all in his hands. He looked to his wife Anna who gave his hand a slight squeeze and then thought about what the Kaiser has said to him on his last night in Pola.

"I will assist and help you in any way possible. You were picked for this role because you are intelligent and capable, as well as open minded and flexible. All of these qualities will be needed in a country united only by national pride and language. For all the fact that I consider you eminently capable, a few words.

Freedom of religion is a must yet at all stages try and encourage nationalism and the Albanian language and downplay religion. One will unite the country, the other will divide it. Your ability to learn the language at a basic level so quickly is to your credit. Lose no opportunity to show that you to, are proud to speak it.

Now Stephanie and I have a wedding present of sorts, or two of them, in fact. Firstly, these."

Rudolf pulled out a large box with two drawers. Inside rested a pair of slim gold crowns, each with a ruby fore set. "You cannot be a King and Queen without a crown. That is a gift from the people of the Triple Monarchy to confirm our friendship. This second present is from us personally. We have commissioned Galizisch-Karpathische Petroleum Aktien-Gesellschaft to drill for oil inside Albania on behalf of what will be your Government. Announce it as your own initiative. I think you will find that the Roman bitumen of reports did not come from just anywhere and we already have anecdotal evidence of where oil may be found. For Albania, this could be route to prosperity."

Eugen snapped back to the present day. Yes, it would be a large task. He only hoped himself and Anna were up to it.

October 2017- The next morning

25 October 2017, near Thores, Kingdom of Albania

Edona was the first to wake up the next morning. Her eyes opened slowly, adjusting to the first light coming in through the curtains. She could hear Karl’s deep breathing behind her, steady in his sleep. His arm slung over her waist, holding onto her even in his sleep. Treasuring this peaceful moment, she lay still for a few minutes, smiling softly as she remembered the night before.

Karl made love to her in a way that just thinking about it made the hair on the back of her neck stand up and her toes curl into the mattress. He said beautiful, sweet, wonderful things to her as their bodies were pressed together, making her feel like the only woman who had ever existed in his eyes. In return she had given him a part of herself that she hadn’t shared with anyone for some time.

She had just half dropped off to sleep again and had not known quite what she was thinking when she reached over and accepted the video call from an unknown number. She jerked fully awake when an image of a tall young blonde girl dressed in a sleeping pants with a Daria Demidova t-shirt became visible.

"Hello….ermmm…you……. I was after Karl."

Shit, she thought. Girlfriend? The thought made her suddenly angry and she jammed her elbow into his side.

"Hey!" He looked at the outstretched phone as she said "For you" with a glare. He looked at the screen and sighed. I was his sister that smirked back at him.

"Well, well if it isn't my responsible big brother."

"What do you want brat?"

"I just wanted to check you are OK? You know it occurred to me that the phone was passed over awfully quickly, plus you hair looks like you have been dragged backwards through a blackberry bush….."

"Yes, I am fine thank you."

"Good. Nothing to say on the rest? That girl looks way out of your league loser."

"Shut up."

"Father has been chasing you."

Karl groaned. "I can imagine."

"I snowed him for now by giving him this number but I must have gotten one of the numbers wrong. I am such an airhead. In any case I told him you would call before eleven otherwise he threatened to call the cousins. Best I could do as he seemed pissed. Might pay to be back here at Velipoge as soon as possible. We have been summoned back to Schonbrunn. Perhaps I can drive, can't do any worse, eh?"

"You are not 18."

"Hey, it's 17 in Illyria and Galicia!"

"But we are not in Illyria and Galicia are we now? It's 18 here, just like Vienna."

"Plus I missed my date."

‘’Mags! Who is the guy? Do you like him? Do you have a picture? What’s his name?’’ Karl was rambling to cover his own swirling thoughts. Magdelina stared.

‘’Are you gay?’’ she asked eventually, completely throwing him off guard. Karl just scowled. ‘’Tell your new…….friend you are secretly gay.’’

Karl looked over to see Edona now not scowling but shaking with laughter.

"Alright brat. I will be back by 10.00am, then I will call our father."

"Sure you are OK?"

"Yes, I am fine."

"Good, if I didn't have your unfortunate face next to me not as many people would be lining up to call me pretty now would they?"

The call terminated. Now it was back to the real world. Why could it not just go on longer?

Edona leaned over and parted the curtain. "Rain has stopped. Soon your bodyguard will be banging down the door."

"Yes. Look, last night….. it was more than......look.....come to Vienna."

"I have just brought a business in Shkoder. I can't just drop it and leave." She looked down. I don't have any family, well, any more. I can't not be here, especially now. I mean we are from two different worlds, let's face it."

"Are we? A trilingual girl with a doctorate in Veterinary Science. Lived in Vienna five years. Gorgeous. Alright, what if I came back?"

She lay back and thought then made up her mind. "Well, I suppose that would be OK. Unless, of course you ARE secretly gay…." she smiled.

Karl pushed her down as she laughed and then kissed her. Then the banging started at the door.

December 1894-War on the horn of Africa

15 December 1894, Segeneyti, Italian Eritrea

Bahta Hagos considered the battle that had just occurred. Clearly the Italians had not suspected that his troops would have either mortars or a machine gun. Their approach had been haphazard and he had been able to quickly disable the field gun that the Italians had brought with his mortars. He was under no illusions that without support he could hold his position, however. The Italians would only bring more men and he had lost 68 during the latest battle to inflict a similar number of casualties on his opponent. Clearly the Italians had thought that removing him from the strategic town would be a cakewalk. Now the question was should he withdraw to avoid a siege.

The question was to be solved for him by Menelik II, who, after a number of days of indecision, decided to take the field against the Italian army, which had routinely crossed the border in search of rebels the past month or more. By the 17th of December, Abyssinia and Italy were to be at war.

December 1894- Wireless and torpedoes

18 December 1894, Hotel Alder, Fiume, Triple Monarchy

"Mr Marconi, so nice to meet you."

"Your Imperial Highness. I did not expect you to receive me in person."

"Well I had arrived to review Mr Whitehead's torpedo production and research facility so I thought I would combine the two. May I ask how your research went after applying a larger aerial?"

"You may indeed. It made a stunning difference which now makes me think of what could be obtained with an even larger facility and hence why I was eager to avail myself of the generous offer you made in regards facilities and funding."

I have arranged for you to work out of the Ganz facility in Budapest, which also houses Tesla as I am sure you are aware. He has made a number of advances on AC power and engines but is also interested in wireless communication. We are looking for you both to co-operate on the application of the communications aspect whilst Tesla also makes developments in wireless control, in which he has a specific interest. To that end, since we have come to the conclusion that a taller aerial will help, it's seems a logical extension to me that a higher location for said aerial will also assist. Hence we can allocate a section of land on Gellert Hill. At the same time, when I initially wrote to you I indicated that I had another idea that I thought would assist your research. I have already talked to Tesla in relation to this as well.

An innovation I feel may assist is to "ground" your antenna in the earth. This should protect against lightening strikes or power surges through the antenna and at the same time increase the power and clarity of your transmission."

How did this man know these things, thought Marconi. Yes, he could see now that this could possibly be worth an approach. God knows the increased height on the antenna was a breakthrough, why would this not be similar? "Thank you for your suggestions Your Majesty."

"We have taken the liberty of booking accommodations for you here at the Hotel Alder and then tomorrow morning your will be met by a Herr Molnar from the ministry who will accompany you to Budapest and get you settled in."
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18 December 1894, Whitehead torpedo production and testing facility, Fiume, Triple Monarchy

"Thank you for the tour and pointing out some of the new innovations Robert. I would also like to take the time to thank you personally for the fine performance of such weapons in our recent unfortunate conflict. To that end I have decided to name you Elder von Whitehead."

"Well thank you Your Majesty. When one is near retirement and about to pass the business to my son it is nice to be recognized."

"Robert, I have another question."

"Go ahead."

"There has been some thought that we may be on the verge of a new type of communication via 'energy waves' shall we say. There are no technical reason are there why a torpedo would not be able to change course mid run if directed to do so in some way?

Also, the current designs are robust enough that placing a 2kg weight in one end would not impede them I assume?"

"Well, any application of extra weight would slow the speed and range, but say 2kg is no great amount, I would think that this would be possible. In relation to changing course, we already know this is possible. We have manually altered the course of devices without warheads before just to test the possibilities via physically touching the device and by the application of a blast wave. These have been quite crude processes yet the device in each case has simply proceeded upon the new heading."

"Thank you Robert, as usual it has been most enlightening."

December 1894- A premature death, a native appointment

23 December 1894, Hotel Vogelsang, Marienburg, Kingdom of the Congo

What had ever possessed him to accept this posting to such a place? Constant temperatures of 30 degrees, either high humidity or a burning sun. This town, with it's dirt streets, outskirts of filthy native hovels and idle subordinates had made the process of doing his job far to difficult. His superior, Ritter von Dehms, was far to easygoing and liberal with all their subordinates, black or white. Rules were enforced laxly, proper order was not maintained. Much like his own home where his wife was far too lax with the servants and his own foolish children, who seemed to like this hell hole, especially his eldest.

He had been to church, such as it was here and now he was in the process of his one indulgence that had gotten himself this far. In Marienburg and indeed all of the Congo, it was illegal to ban blacks from the hotel just because of their skin colour. the Vogelsang got around this by making the price of drinks prohibitive for the natives. That meant it was an indulgence that Alois Hitler could not always frequent. None the less, it had proper Austrian wine, not cheap Croatian swill or just beer and lotoko.

Now at least he had not much further to go. Only another year and then he could head back to Austria and retire with a substantially increased pension. That would allow the purchase of a larger farm and allow him to indulge more of his attention in the local inns. The strudel when it came was good and it was as he placed the last mouthful in his mouth that it came. It felt like he had been kicked in the chest and could not breath, the collar on his uniform feeling so tight. By mid afternoon Klara Hitler was a widow with a 12 year old, an 11 year old, a five year old and a nine month old baby.
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26 December 1894, Sweetberry House, Marienburg

Kurt Kazadi looked at the telegram again. It was from the palace in Vienna.

"Dear Kurt,

Greetings and I wish you a delayed happy Christmas. With the success of Murula Trading Company and your own success in your oil lease explorations you have garnered significant financial success in a very short period of time. Two things you have certainly proven yourself adept in business acumen and determination. I look back as to when I first met you and I took the chance on your proposals. Now I wonder if you would be liable to return that kindness by doing me a favour in return.

The position of Deputy Customs Inspector for all of the Congo has become vacant very recently and I would like to take the opportunity to appoint a Congo native to the role to replace the previous incumbent. I am sure that you are savvy enough as to be aware of the significance of appointing a Congo native to the role and for that reason I have thought as to a suitable person. I believe you are that person. Would you do me the favour of accepting the role in addition to your current responsibilities?

I await your reply.

Stephanie R

PS: The previous incumbent was a difficult man by the name of Alois Hitler. You would need to call on his widow in Marienburg to pick up some of his paperwork if you wish to accept the role as offered.

January 1895- Mahadist plans

4 January 1895, Wharfside Cafe, Alexandria, Egypt

Major Reginald Wingate looked at the two men again. Neither impressed him. Captain Jean-Baptiste Marchand appeared to not appreciate the very real threat the Mahadists posed, as had been evidenced to Wingate by the previous failures in 1889 and earlier. Whilst he may have courage, more would be needed against the Mahadists, who were now well equipped with modern weapons.

The Austrian, Sigwalt Roos, had virtually no military experience at all, yet assured him that Austria would be ready for a campaign starting in May 1895. Despite this, at least Roos seemed more pragmatic in terms of the capabilities of the Mahadists, despite the fact that a week spent in the man's company was enough to confirm him as a notorious rake, seemingly having already struck up an affair in Alexandrina with the young wife of an older British Army Colonel.

No, the plan was simple enough. Gordon would advance down the Nile in leaps via boats and on foot, creating a series of fortified locations behind them as they advanced. As the Mahadists were drawn North by these March activities, two months later, in May, both the Austrian and French forces would advance from the South, squeezing the Mahadists between them and their British allies.

January 1895- Illyrian arrangements

7 January 1895, Hofburg, Vienna, Triple Monarchy

Rudolf sat with the main political party leaders, Josip Strossmayer for the People's Party, now rejoined with it's breakaway arm; the Party of Rights under Fran Folnegović and finally the Serb Independence Party under Pavle Jovanović. "So, at this stage with the Bosnians requesting independence which I have granted also to apply from 1.4.1895, we are looking at elections for a new Illyrian parliament on the 20th April 1895, just 19 days after independence from Hungary.

As we have discussed, the Illyrian parliament will take up their functions from the 13th May using the former palace of the Ban, a position that will no longer be required from that time. You have also agreed to keep the Parliament unicameral, with 44 appointed members from the nobility and church and 88 elected with myself to appoint a recommended Minister-President. What about the format of the elections?"

It was Strossmayer who spoke. "We have had many...difficult discussions. To that end, we decided to accept your original suggestion. With 44 appointed members, we are simply elect the other 88 via standard universal suffrage for all those over 25. Plural voting will apply and voting at all will be subject to literacy."

"Very well. Have you had any thoughts in relation to a coronation date?"

"Well Sire, I know it is some time off as yet, but we had thought that perhaps August 16th. It is the day after the Assumption of Mary so would provide a festive atmosphere."

"Excellent. I am sorry I was unable to do anything in relation to Illyrians in the Honved, although they have at least promised to forgo the 1895 intake for those inside Illyria. You understand that things have been difficult with demonstrations in Hungary, especially Budapest."

"Yes of course."

They in all likelihood did not understand how difficult things had gotten after the news of Croatian independence had been released in November. A number of small scale riots had broken out that had swelled in numbers after the Hungarian Government had shown itself reluctant to use the police to quell such disturbances. Serbian and Croatian shops and homes had been looted and burnt and he had been required to threaten to cancel the withdrawal of the Budapest garrisons, due to leave at Christmas, and instead use the troops on the streets before the Hungarian Government would finally react and order the police to disperse the protestors.

It had taken the advent of both the police and the coming of Christmas to break up such protests, protests that had killed 21 people, but they had thankfully not started again in the New Year. What had also assisted was the money pouring into Budapest at present, making for good economic times for both the poor and rich inhabitants of the city, muting nationalist feelings with prosperity itself.

January 1895- Big Willy and the coastal railway

12 January 1895, Hofburg, Vienna, Triple Monarchy

Rudolf popped his head around the corner and came into her study seeing that she was alone. "No ladies today?"

"No Maria is sick and Laura is out...walking."

Rudolf laughed. "Well I have come to say goodbye."

"I cannot say that I am sad that I am not going if I am not going to be honest. Willy is a trial abroad, let alone at home. Who are the Russians sending?"

"The new man. Mikhail Muravyov. Nikki assures me he shares our desire to recommit to the League of the Three Emperors. The big problem will be Willy, still smarting from the Balkan War. He personally lost faith after his recent visits pledging German-Ottoman friendship so we will have to smooth over ruffled feathers there."

"Rather you than me. I leave with the girls tonight as well. My job will be much easier, simply turning a sod of earth to commence the Coastal railway at a village called Fuzine. It's going to be a big job to connect all the way through to the hamlet at the other end, Šurmanci but when we do so we will have a continuous line that goes all the way to Cattaro and takes in Zara, Sibenico, Split, Makarska and Ragusa. It is hard not to think that it will be an enormous boon to the Dalmatian coastline and to Illyria. Indeed, building this partly out of Army and Navy funds may well be our biggest gift to the Illyrian government, 303 km of railroad."

"Don't worry, I was at pains to point that out. At least this one will be owned wholly by the government and there is no question at all that this will allow us to make greater use of potential naval bases in the Southern Adriatic to support our new base on Sazan and also allow us to bring heavy equipment to the coast if we are ever invaded by sea."

"Yes, I may not know much about military tactics, but that seems fairly obvious to me. Come over here and say goodbye properly then."

Rudolf sat next to his wife and kissed her deeply. "Where do you think this relationship with von Gieslingen is going?"

"All the way to the alter I would think. Vlad seems besotted with her and once she is able to convince herself that she may be worthy of his attention after all and is able to steel herself for the attention such a relationship would bring, then I think things will move fast."

"It will create a social scandal you realise."

"Social scandals that act as drivers for change can be managed and can be immensely positive you realise?"

"I will leave the social aspects to you. Not my area of strength."

August 1895-Worrying changes for Salisbury

6 August 1895, Whitehall, London, United Kingdom

Salisbury was in a tetchy mood. Rosebery’s energetic stupidity had lost much of the control of the Straits to Russia, a diplomatic disaster of the first order, weakened the Ottomans to the extent that they now did not provide an effective counter balance to Russian ambitions, enabled the ambitious Italians to obtain a foothold in North Africa and had all but encouraged a renewal of the detestable League of the Three Emperors. Britain was now as isolated as she had ever been, only the French, an unlikely ally considering their vaulting colonial ambitions and the way they had taken advantage of the situation in the Sudan.

The situation in the Far East was also far from satisfactory. China had been humiliated and Japan had taken Taiwan and smaller spoils. As China had been the power Britain had backed to win this had been yet another humbling failure. Now Japan must be explored as a possible ally to deter Russian expansionism.

The real question in Salisbury’s mind was what was happening in what used to be Austro-Hungary? The Czechs had been granted their own government, followed by the Croats and Serbs. This was something that seemed inconceivable during the stable and predictable reign of Franz Joseph. The Austro-Hungarian Empire and it’s institutions had been…well perhaps not swept away but not far from it. A new entity had emerged, the United Hapsburg Empire. New name, new flag. A changing Army and a new Navy as well. It was all quite baffling in an entity widely considered moribund before.

It would be easy to look at this in isolation as simply a matter for middle Europe and of no concern to the U.K, but in actual fact this was far from the case. A classic example was Irish Home Rule. With the Second Irish Home Rule Bill defeated and marking the end of Gladstone’s career only two years ago, one would have thought the movement would be neutralised. Developments in the UHE, or VHR in German, had brought all of those dreams of self-determination back with a vengeance. That was not all. The suffragettes were now growing in numbers and voice, also emboldened by changes in the UHE where they had duly gained the vote.

It was hard to tell who was actually running the Empire, the Kaiser or his wife, perhaps explaining the petticoat agenda. Yet it was an undeniable fact that aside from South Africa and Egypt, the Congo has assumed the status of the most valuable colony in Africa, not that it technically was a colony. Here to external pressures were not assisting with many complaining of the raft of freedoms recently given to many of it’s native inhabitants, much of which had been a great shock to their American oil partners. Yet again it raised a desire for better conditions among Britain’s own colonial subjects, some of whom had crossed into Congo seeking work.

Even in Russia there had been a rare change of tack. The Kingdoms of Armenia and Georgia had also been announced as separate entities, much like Poland and Finland. Such freedoms were of course nominal at best and all four shared the same absolute monarch, the new Tsar. Georgia had probably been at the prompting of Nicholas’s wife, but Armenia raised all sorts of questions, not least of which was a nominal desire to recreate the historic borders of the old Kingdom.

Yes, Ireland would need something. The Unionist nature of his own coalition government precluded any Home Rule Bill, however, perhaps something could be done for Local Government. Some concession must clearly be made.

The question was how to proceed from here. A search for allies may have to be undertaken. Japan in the Far East. The Ottomans were a weak reed. Perhaps Italy to try and draw in the UHE and Germany and split the Russian alliance that Wilhelm II was reportedly unhappy about. Even less palatable was the French, who had caused so many issues not only in Africa but also in Malaya. There was a paucity of possibilities.

He did have an appointment with the French Foreign Minister Hanotaux to discuss what could be done. Even the bloody French had swept up the crumbs from the latest conflict. Land in the Sudan and the Levant. Yet perhaps the French could provide some insights into the UHE, especially the Congo Queen who Salisbury sensed was behind much of these changes, especially the more bothersome social ones. Or perhaps an audience with Leopold, her father, may offer some insight?

August 1895-New concepts. How many turrets does it have?

8 August 1895, Naval Base, Pola, United Hapsburg Empire

It was probably one of the most unusual designs ever submitted thought Popper and now it would commence construction. It had the Kaiser’s fingerprints all over it and Popper had simply been left to make the various suggestion usable. A top speed of 23 knots was demanded, yet also battleship level protection as the Kaiser was concerned as to the amount of possible magazine space and the need to protect them.

All of this had, of course, necessitated a large ship, it had to be to carry it’s enormous armament of fully 17x9.2 inch guns, with only 9 3.9 inch anti torpedo boat guns as a secondary armament. Even with the armour reduced to 2 inches at the bow and far stern, the ship still came in at 18,100 tons and was fully 168 meters long. That made it too large to be built at STT in Trieste and the contract had gone instead to the main naval yard at Pola, which had a 220 meter slip available and used and construction had commenced in January.

It was contain many innovations, triple screws, oil burning, a novel double bottom, triple turrets, a new system of ventilation, water tube boilers and inward turning screws. The Kaiser seemed ever keen to advance and trail new innovations in ships, but this could be detrimental in some aspects, especially with a design carrying as many new features as this. It was not going to be a cheap build either, fully 9.6 million Crowns. It would replace the old ex RN battleship Hapsburg and the Stephanie, a design obsolete before it was built. It was the only other big ship planned at this stage, so the Navy could likely afford it but it seemed to be placing many eggs in one expensive basket.

It did serve one purpose and that was the completion of such a ship would serve to demonstrate that VHR yards were capable of fulfilling any foreign order. With the large cruiser Lissa building at STT in Trieste and Ganz building a mine-layer and an extra landing craft, all three shipyards were busy, even more so since VHR yards had won a contract to build four cruisers for Argentina over Ansaldo in Italy, with two ships to be built at Ganz and two at STT. At over 7,000 each they represented a substantial contract. There had also been inquiries from the Russians, plus tenders for a Chilean cruiser.

The VHR fleet was small but substantially modern, with only limited numbers of ships now scheduled for replacement.

Capital Ships
0+1 Tegettoff battlecruiser 17x9.2 inch, 9x3.9 inch, 23 knots
3 11,350 ton Prinz Eugen Class battlecruisers 6x9.2 inch, 10x5.9 inch, 24 knots(Prinz Eugen, Veribus Unitus, Szent Istvan)
1 9,750 ton Hapsburg battleship 5x9.2 inch, 8x5.9 inch, 15 knots
1 5,080 ton Kronprinzcesson Erzherzogen Stephanie center battery ship 2x9.2 inch, 6x5.9 inch, 17 knots

Cruisers
0+1 building 9,700 ton Lissa cruiser 16x5.9 inch, 26-27 knots
2 6180 ton Budapest Class cruisers, 2x9.2 inch, 6x5.9 inch, 25 knots(Budapest, Wien)
2 3970 ton Kaiser Franz Joseph I protected cruisers 10x5.9 inch, 19 knots(Kaiser Franz Jospeh I, Kaiserin Elizabeth)
1 2660 ton Saida colonial corvette 3x5.9 inch, 12 knots(*Congo)
4 2580 ton Pula Class light cruisers 2x5.9 inch, 9x3.9 inch, 27 knots(Pula, Fiume, Zagreb, Prague)
3 1600 ton Panther Class protected cruiser 3-4 4.7 inch guns, 19 knots(Panther, Tiger, Leopard)

Destroyers and destroyer/mine-layers
5(+3 destroyer/mine-layers building) 1020 ton Kaiser Class destroyers 4x3.9 inch, 27 knots
3 480 ton Planet Class, 22 knots, 2x2.6 inch, 8x1.8 inch
3 350 ton Blitz Class, 21 knots, 8-9 1.8 inch
1 350 ton Destruktor, 23 knots, 1x3.4 inch, 6x1.8 inch
11 260 ton Tatra Class, 25 knots 1x3.9 inch , 2x2.6 inch
1 140 ton Kap Weiss, 24 knots, 5x1.8 inch

Torpedo Boats
34 various boats, all 60 tons to 100 tons capable of 19-21 knots(*4 in the Congo)

Various:
1 400 ton sail training ship Mowe
2 600 ton mine-layers 2x5.9inch, 150 mines, 10 knots
1 3500 ton Custoza cadet training ship/transport 2x5.9 inch, 18 knots
1 4560 ton Dandalo repair ship/transport 1x5.9 inch, 13 knots
3 980 ton Jupiter Class colliers 1x5.9 inch, 12 knots
2 310 ton colliers(*one in the Congo), 12 knots
7+1 building 150 ton landing craft(one modified as a water tanker)
4 river monitors

August 1895- Does any man here have any objection....

9 August 1895, Schonbrunn Palace, Vienna, UHR

"Your Majesty."

"General."

"You can be at no loss to understand why I wished this audience."

Stephanie sighed. "No General, I quite understand why you are here and due to the courtesy someone who has served his Kaiser so long and faithfully deserves, it would be churlish of me to refuse such a request. However, I must also say that I am quite aware that you have gone to my husband first and that he has declared no interest in the matter."

"Your Majesty, you must see what this will do not only for the boy and his career but also for the reputation of our family as a whole."

"My dear General, I can see no such thing. I see a young man who's career is on the rise. Newly minted as a Major, I see an appointment as Minister to Portugal and a promotion to Lt-Colonel, a needed appointment for a man that one day may take the reigns as Governor of a territory as vast as the Congo. I see a future so bright it's almost dazzling if only one could open their eyes and see it. Open your eyes General."

"A bastard coloured girl from deepest Africa is not a suitable match for my son!"

"How does your son feel about this?"

"He will not listen. I have tried to reason with him. I even tried to reason with her. Even the church. Love! Pah!"

"Laura Paton has has quite her share of being bullied by men who think themselves her superior. It is something I to am quite familiar with. I have made every effort to make sure the girl is quite able to withstand such bullying in the future. To that end I have made quite sure that all barriers to such a union have been swept away.

The church will not object, you can be quite sure of that. 'God does not show favoritism but accepts from every nation the one who fears him and does what is right', Acts 10:34-35. Or 'About the age to come, we see a heavenly picture: a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb,' Revaluations 7:9-10. These seem proof that a Catholic education was not wasted. The girl is Catholic, I have seen fit to raise her in her own right to the rank of Edle for her services to me. As a Catholic and a noble, she is a fit match for your son."

"Just because you dote on the girl does not mean she is a fit and proper match!"

"I was trying to avoid bringing this up but what is a fit and proper match? Is a fit and proper match a 22 year old girl marrying a man 48 years her senior? Did your wife's parents consider your second marriage to be a fit and proper match I wonder? Arthur is my husband's best friend, married to a women I consider my own friend. Both boys are Colonel's now or will be soon. It is not their conduct or indeed this marriage that is endangering their careers, it is you sir. As for your family and their reputation, a public quarrel with the Sovereign will be a stain that will never wash out on your family name and only amplify any negatives you see such a match as producing."

Von Gieslingen Senior deflated. "Very well."

"Oh I am afraid you will have to do better than that. They want your blessing. Your son and a girl who has never known a father's love. Give it, the wedding is in 15 days. Then enjoy your grandchildren, I have no doubt they will be beautiful."

Von Gieslingen huffed. "Well....thank you for the audience Your Majesty."

"I will see you at the wedding General."

August 1895-I heard it on the radio

10 August 1895, Árpádvár Lodge, Pilis, UHE

The signal came through quite clearly from Budapest, a distance of some 18km and yet again Tesla wondered why Marconi had been so constrained in his initial test, selecting a high location only 18km away to send through the signal in Morse code. Tesla was convinced that such a signal could be made at far greater distances and had also postulated from the available data that such a signal would not only be more effective at sea but also at night.

He was already thinking in other areas. If it was possible to send and receive such messages via wireless, then it should also be theoretically possible to control via remote the passage of a self propelled object, such as small boat or even one of Daimler's cars. Now that would be much more interesting.

Also, if the signal could be sent via Morse code, why indeed would actual voice communication not be possible? Or even images?

August 1895-Armoured trains

11 August 1895, Skoda works, Pilsen, UHE

Most of the work had been done by Lokomotivfabrik der StEG in Vienna, but the four trains and their rolling stock had been finished off at the Skoda works. Each was fitted with two field guns and eleven machine guns, one of the later in a rotating turret. They were also capable of up to 55 kmph, although the driver had reported that they required a long braking period to come to a full stop. Experiences in the 1894 Balkans War had led to the order of eight such apparatus and these four were the first batch to be completed and it was hoped to use at least two in the summer maneuvers in September.

August 1895-Budapest buses

12 August 1895, Daimler-Maybach works, Ostrau, UHE

Maybach looked at the design, a fair effort all things considered, one that should be capable of filling an order for ten such vehicles suitable for passenger transport for Budapest during the following year's Olympics and International Exhibition.

It was exciting but also a distraction, as his main area of interest now was the provision of a higher powered engine that would fulfill his desires for an airship to be under powered flight, as he had discussed with von Zeppelin. He had made the promise that he would have such an engine by the end of 1895, but there were so many distraction and already he could not see a workable prototype for at least another nine months, maybe longer. When it did come, he was after at least 20hp, perhaps more.

August 1895-Mahadist slow progress

12 August 1895, Adok, Anglo-Egyptian Sudan

It had been a three month, 300 kilometre slog through unending plains and marsh, punctuated only by the Nile River. It was hard to tell what was the major danger so far, wildlife such as Nile crocodiles, hippos, rhinos and elephants or the Mahadists themselves. Rhinos and elephants in particular were present in enormous numbers in the area, especially in the Lado enclave areas to the South that had been allocated to the Congo.

Major General Karl Markel’s force relied on the solid French contingent to guard it’s left flank and had advanced along the Nile itself after they had come to the head, making logistics easier. He was supported to the East by a nominal contingent of Abyssinian troops. So far the largest force of Mahadists they had encountered had been 500 and the enemy seemed unwilling to engage with their main force. It may well be that they were busy guarding against the British incursion. If so, all to the better.

Markel was far from convinced as to the quality of his own troops. He had most of the 16th Infantry Regiment, however, this was one of the few Infantry Divisions not reequipped to the new model. His native troops he was less sure of. Two Independent Battalions of native troops and a Company. Also around 100 mixed native and white adventurers with their own disparate equipment under a 'Colonel' van Doorn. In all 3000 regulars and around 1500 native or irregular troops.

He had been forced to use native porters, not always available in sufficient numbers. This and a need to garrison certain selected towns as he passed through them had reduced his numbers to 2500 regulars and 1200 native or irregular troops.

Personally he hoped the British or French had the encounter with the Mahadist main body. The further his force went on, the more it’s numbers dwindled and his supply line lengthened. Supplies had to travel overland to Najaf and then down the treacherous Nile waters by punt or barge. For that reason he had called a halt for at least another two weeks to allow his exhausted porters a chance to catch up.

August 1895-An unhappy dad

13 August 1895, Laeken Palace, Brussels, Kingdom of the Belgians

Sir Frances Plunkett came into the audience room and made his greetings to the Belgian King. They had talked mainly on inconsequential matters until he saw an opportunity to delve into the real reason he had been instructed to seek a meeting.

“Your Majesty, Her Majesty, I was wondering what you make of the recent developments in the Congo?”

Leopold scowled. “I could have found that oil there!” he roared. “It could have been me. I would have done even better if only I had been given the opportunities and would not be mollycoddling the idle natives either.”

“Yes Your Majesty, but if you wanted to keep the Congo territory I am sure you could have done so. Why else would you have given it away?”

Leopold appeared thunderstruck and his face gradually darkened to shade of puce in his silence. “She is my personal heir I suppose, why else?”

“Your Majesty, your daughter has seemed to shape and mold so many changes over the last few years and the impact both herself and her husband have had on Austro-Hungarian affairs is profound, I was wondering if you could give me any insights in terms of her personality, her interests and motivations.”

“Sir Frances, you may as well as me the motivations of a death adder. She is the very devil incarnate. Her manners may be seen to be elegant and easy, but that is to lull you into a false sense of security. When she has you at your leisure is when she shall strike, always with her own interests in mind. Never lay down a word to her that you cannot take up again.”

“Yet you gifted her the Congo.”

“She is still my daughter, my lawful heir. My oldest is in a madhouse after her lover killed her husband in a duel. My youngest is neither clever nor pretty and unduly fascinated with a man who will never amount to anything.”

“She has wrought great change.”

“There was a time that she was a clever, obedient girl until ten years ago. Now she is…impossible! Stirring up agitation with women’s groups such as the detestable Jane Ouwerx here, giving women senseless dreams in their brainless heads. Stirring up agitation in minority groups that should be happy with their lot. I have not seen her in over five years.

Feeding the delusions of those saying the black man is equal to the white. I have even heard that she has met with Socialist leaders in Vienna. No institution is safe if it can be sacrificed to feed her outrageous ambitions.”

This was a very bitter man, thought Sir Frances Plunkett, a thought well shared by the previous incumbent in his job, who regarded Leopold as a decidedly unpleasant character. Estranged from his wife because of his licentious behavior, having no contact with either of his elder children, it was only his youngest that he retained any influence with. He was not a popular King either, each new story of riches from the Congo driving the dagger of dispossession into his own populace, who widely considered him a fool. “The King of the Lost Land and the Lovelies” as he was widely known. How useful such a conversation would be to London he was not sure, however, they could make what they wanted of his bitter rants.

August 1895-Castles, palaces and learning

14 August 1895, Schonbrunn Palace, Vienna, UHE

"Mama! Can we go for our walk now?"

"Yes, in just a few minutes."

"Sranje."

"Cursing in what I suspect is probably Croatian will not get you what you want young lady. Just for that you can go over what I was talking about again. How many palaces do we own in Vienna and the surrounds?"

Erszi sighed. "16 mama."

"Now, what are their functions?"

"The Hofburg is the main residence. Here at Schonbrunn is the summer residence. The Upper and Lower Belvedere now house the Departments of the Navy, Science and Technology and the Colonial and Congo Office. The Albertina houses the Teschens. The Hermesvilla houses Grandmama. Neugebäude Palace is used by the Army as an armoury and storage. Palais Niederösterreich is used for the Lower Austrian government. Palais Porcia is in use as a court. Of the three Laxenburg estates you have converted the Alte Schloss to a girl's school, Franzenburg to a sanatorium and the Blauer Hof is unoccupied. Schloss Hetzendorf we use as a summer retreat. The Winter Palace of Prince Eugene houses the Finance Ministry. The Tuscan branches of the family own Wilhelminenberg Castle and Toksana Palace."

"Very good. Only the Blauer Hof now awaits a purpose. Then we have eight other residences in Cisleithania, three in Hungary, one in Czechia, one in Illyria and one in Greece. In all 30. These all require staff and maintenance, hence why I am trying to re-purpose many of these so that they are not such a drain on the public purse. Once I have found a use for the Blauer Hof, we will look at the others."

"How hard is it to make these decisions?"

"About the palaces? Well, they require some thought. One cannot just give them away, one must find a worthy organisation or tenant, one who will respect and preserve the building."

"No mama, the decisions you make that affect others, that you and papa both make. It is like being God, is it not?"

Stephanie smiled a thin line. "Listen my dear girl. No one person is God. Yes, it can seem like the weight of the world is on your shoulders and you are God I suppose at times, but you are not. Some decisions, they have no easy answers, there are winners from your decisions but most of the time also losers. If you are going to play at being God best get acquainted with the Devil as well as most decisions are comprises of some sort. The recent war, for example. No one wants war, but sometimes you hope that a small sacrifice will forestall a much larger one and then pray you have been right.

Well, enough of that. Let us go for our walk."

August 1895-Labour reforms on the way

15 August 1895, Hofburg, Vienna, UHE

For Victor Alder the official summons to the Hofburg had been unexpected. He was shown into a room containing only the Empress, two of her ladies, including the coloured girl whose marriage had just hit the papers, plus the Crown Princess.

"Your Majesty."

"Dear Doctor Alder. Please have a seat. I am aware that you have no idea as to the purpose of such a meeting but please put your mind at ease." She turned to her companion. "Laura can your please pour the doctor a coffee. He is a cake man if I remember correctly."

Alder was intrigued. "Well, I would be interested in the reason behind such a summons."

"Well, last time we discussed many things. As my husband and I discussed, we wished to end the truck system. You will note it is now outlawed. You will also note that Universal Suffrage is now in place, not perhaps to the system that you would want, but every person at least has somewhat of a voice. With the broadening of the Educational System currently before the Parliament to include an extra year of education, hopefully soon even more so.

However, this is not the end to the changes I would like to see wrought, not by a long short. You consider the SDAP to be the experts on worker's rights and have trumpeted as such in the Arbeiter Zeitung, correct?"

"I think that we are the best voice for workers at present, yes."

"Well Doctor Alder, I am in need of background information myself to assist in changes I wish to make. Firstly, I think we can both agree that workers are made to work far too long in terms of hours per week. 53 at least is the norm but often as many as 60 or even 72. What I would like to do is standardize the working week at 48 hours maximum. If employers wish an employee to work more hours they should pay extra for the privilege. Of course, less hours mean less money so at the same time I would like to attempt to set a minimum wage to safeguard against such a happening. Finally, I occurs to me that many loyal workers during periods of sickness go without any wages at all. I would like workers to be entitled to a week's leave a year, that can be used for sickness, or if not used for such, recreation.

I have come to you as I wish you to construct a briefing paper as to the implications of this and also to suggest a minimum wage. In the interests of full disclosure, I have a friend in business circles doing the same thing. This is to remain confidential but as long as you do not lay down ridiculous ambit claims then I will take your suggestion under consideration. Are you interested in such a project?"

Wow, thought Alder. These would be far reaching proposals. This would give the SDAP, currently a small party, a voice in the decision making process. "Of course Your Majesty."

Excellent, though Stephanie. Better this man an ally than an enemy and at the same time concessions now would slow an electoral drift to the SDAP for a longer period of time. With economic conditions so buoyant, now was the time to share some of the largess with those that laboured to produce it.

August 1895-Remembering the renewal of the League of the Three Emperors

23 August 1895, Schonbrunn Palace, Vienna, UHE

"Willy, it is something we must do. One must look at the main issues in regards to Germany and indeed the UHE. There is little in the way of doubt that the French desire a rematch of 1870. To that end allowing them an ally on your Eastern Front is pure folly and unless we make overtures to Russia and offer her favourable deals and capital to allow expansion and the building of infrastructure then it will be the French she will be tied to by her sheer need for capital. They will always be bitter over Alsace-Lorraine."

"What would you have done about it? Given it way I suppose."

"Willy I did what I thought best in regards Bosnia. I could see little reason why it was worthwhile to keep a portion of the Balkans that is almost 85% Muslim and rural in nature trapped inside an Empire that is overwhelmingly Catholic and in nature more cosmopolitan. It made sense to let a small portion go rather than choking on it."

"You do not understand that I gave a guarantee of support to the Ottomans, namely Abdul Hamid. It has left me with a feeling of helplessness and with no honor at all."

"Willy, we must accept the reality of the situation as it is now. The war has been run and done. It was inevitable. All of the smaller Balkan powers were always going to covet the European Ottoman lands as they contained ethnic majorities that belonged in a demographic sense to the smaller powers. Now, with the possible exception of Greece, all of these powers have had their ambitions slaked. It is more likely to produce a peaceful arrangement and therefore less likely to draw us both into unwanted conflicts."

"What about German ambitions and investments in the Ottoman sphere?"

"Well, now that things are coming under control, they may be more likely to be met. If things had continued on their course under Abdul Hamid, it was only a matter of time before revolution arrived and who would know what would happen then? As it is, the new regime seems to have started well. A guaranteed National Assembly, more regional autonomy, elections, the abolition of polygamy."

"Pah! National Assemblies. I have enough troubles with the Reichstag as it is. You may well find some of these Liberal agendas you have followed will place you in grave danger as well."

"Perhaps, but I feel it is best to control the process rather than be forced to make changes from a position of weakness. That way the pace and direction of change can be at my will. In any case, the Russian agreement? It is the only way to control the French and lock Albion out of the continent. The later will then come at us via the Italians more than likely, hopefully provoking an arrangement that suits all parties. An Anglo-Russian-German-UHE alliance will guarantee peace in Europe in our time. As we talked before, for this to happen you would have to limit naval expansion plans, however."

"Perhaps you are right. The Russian deal at least makes sense and will mollify the bankers looking for overseas investments."

He could feel an insistent shaking. Who else was in the room with them? Finally Rudolf's level of consciousness was able to determine that he was dreaming of his meeting with Wilhelm in January just gone and he snapped awake to see his wife's face in front of him.

"Welcome back from your nap. You need to look after the girls as I am going out."

"Going out? Where are you going?"

"You really are still half asleep. I am Trauzeugin at Laura's wedding tomorrow and will be spending tomorrow with Arthur. To be honest it will nice to hopefully not be the focus of attention for once. The old man has finally caved in and made peace with the couple and I am going to the von Gieslingen townhouse tonight to talk to the bride and make some last minute preparations. Her previous..experiences have left her nervous to be sure."

"Very well then."

August 1895-Weddings, oil and railways

24 August 1895, Hofburg, Vienna, UHE

Stephanie arrived back at the Hofburg quite tired, for it had been a long day with the wedding at St Stephens and then a sit down dinner afterwards. Last night had been awkward, as she had been required to give Laura confidence that the physical part of a relationship with a man could be enjoyable. Whilst it was a happy day to see a girl she had come to see as a surrogate daughter happy in herself, it was also sad as it would come with the sting of an impending parting.

First the couple would leave tomorrow for Eckartsau Castle, to prepare for it's sale as an expensive hunting lodge and resort for the rich and famous. They would spend their honeymoon as it's master and mistress and arrange for the transfer of many of the goods and works of art back to Vienna, as well as negotiating the placement of the current staff. They would then come back to Vienna briefly before Wladimir took up his appointment as Minister to Portugal after a series of briefings. It was a relationship that could use some work after the sale of Cabinda had been shown to be a disastrous misjudgement on the part of the Portuguese government.

Whilst she was thinking about Cabinda, a telegram had arrived during the course of the day indicating that the line to Point Noire was complete, including it's spur to service the large oil deposits inland. Her second portage railway had been completed some two months ago and work on a third, from Kasongo to Kongolo, was now underway. This third and final link would enable passage of heavy cargo all the way to Bukama and would finally open up what she had most desired to reach, the Katanga copper belt.

Ganz were nearing completion of the Congo bridge at Matadi. When the bridge was in place the line could be run to the coast, linking Marienburg with the ports and oilfields. Then all the attention could be turned to Katanga, where she would be able to build South and meet Rhodes efforts coming North through Barotseland.

One thing the beginning of exports from Batavia under Royal Dutch Shell in 1893 has created was competition between Standard Oil, Royal Dutch and Branobel, who controlled much of the Russian fields. It had driven Standard Oil to lay down tankers of unprecedented size, some 12,400 tons for the Congo route. This was all to the good.
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24 August 1895, Hofburg, Vienna, UHE

For Laura Paton, many of her fears had been allayed. The advice from her mistress about how to get herself ready had been very useful indeed. Now she locked her legs behind her husband and raised herself to meet his thrusts as a tightness began to spread in her lower regions, finally culminating in release.

"Oh yes God, Vlad, just there!"

It was to take only the honeymoon night to become pregnant with her first.

September 1895-Albanian happenings, oil, chromium, silk

2 September 1895, Marinez, Kingdom of Albania

Galizisch-Karpathische Petroleum Aktien-Gesellschaft had placed him in charge of the exploration efforts in Albania and it had proven to be more than successful so far. He already had 30 producing wells and it was clearly a large field, with new exploration confirming the potential. The main issue now was the transportation of said oil, lack of facilities for which had required the capping of most wells. Luckily the distance to the port of Vlores for a railway was only 21 km, although it would involve a river crossing. Railways were never cheap, but the company's position was secure and the push of UHE banks into Albania was well underway. In Durres was both the Austro-Hungarian Bank and Credit-Anstalt, known as Credit-Anstalt Albania here. There was as yet no official Albania currency, although Credit-Anstalt Albania had been granted the Royal Charter to arrange, print and distribute what would be the first Albanian currency, the Kurore.

For Galizisch-Karpathische Petroleum Aktien-Gesellschaft and for Frederick McGarvey, things were proceeding well. The crude oil price had more than doubled from it's 1892 low and there was a possibility of more infrastructure being built, the lack of which was the main problem with working in the country. Large chromium deposits had been discovered in the North by the Witkowitz Iron and Steel Works prospectors. Development should be well funded as both the mining company and Credit-Anstalt were companies owned by the Rothschilds.

Frederick McGarvey's sister Mamie had married Count Eberhard Graf von Zeppelin earlier that same year and what they had noticed on their visit was both the abundance of mulberry trees in Albania and also the absence of the diseases that had ravaged the European silk industry. They were considering the construction of a number of plantations for silk production, dominated at present by the Japanese.

There were incentives to invest in Albania. Taxes here were lower than in the UHE and the taxation arrangements for UHE companies were also generous. There already existed incentives to invest in the Congo by way of lower taxation than normal but here in Albania this was also the case. Income earned abroad would be taxed at only 2% by the UHE governments by virtue of a deal going back to the first acquisition of the Congo and now extended here in Albania.

September 1895- Army updates

28 September 1895, Hofburg, Vienna, UHE

Friedrich von Beck-Rzikowsky sat down for his monthly Army discussion with the Kaiser.

"Troubled times Friedrich. Japan, not satisfied with forcing an enormous indemnity from China, is now busily trying to capture the island of Formosa and extinguish it's Republic. In Madagascar, the lawful Queen has been deposed by the French by force and the island will no doubt be annexed. The same fate awaits Hawaii, where the Americans have installed their lapdog Dole. There is war in Southern Africa between Britain and the natives, likewise in Morocco between Spain and the Rif. Most interestingly, a force of 2,800 Italians, admittedly mainly Askari's, has been annihilated by Abyssinian forces. In the Sudan, we all battle the Mahadists.

It is an interesting dynamic and quite clearly points to two separate things. Firstly, these sort of dirty little Colonial wars may well be the norm and it would be foolish to suggest that we may not become involved, either to suppress a rebellion of our own or to act in support of a native regime. Either requires smaller numbers than a regular war, but well trained and equipped troops with strong medical support that can be made mobile with the help of the Navy.

Secondly, of course, our main aim is to be able to fight a full scale war in defense of our own lands if the need arises. So a defense in breadth and depth. To that end, we have been able to make good use of our better than expected financial situation to allocate more funds to modernisation. How goes this?"

"Well Sire, now only 24 Infantry Regiments maintain the old structure out of a total of 104 Infantry and 13 of Jagers now we have amalgamated the former Bosnian units into the main Army. Then there are 44 regiments of Cavalry, 52 Regiments of Artillery, 5 of Heavy artillery and 7 of Fortress Artillery. We have doubled the number of Engineer Battalions to 24 after their success plus we now have two Regiments of Railway Artillery and a Regiment of Signals and Telegraph troops. We have also raised the dedicated Field Hospital Regiments based in Vienna, Budapest, Prague, Przemysl and Trieste.

We are ahead of where we had anticipated in terms of the modernisation. What I had thought may take until 1901 could possibly be done before the turn of the century, perhaps even by the end of 1898. As you know, our next planned move was the cavalry when infantry was completed at the end of 1896, but I now think we should look at artillery. We badly need modern designs and work on this needs to start as soon as possible. If Skoda are unable to perfect what they are working on, perhaps we should look at updating via less risky and more evolutionary changes? Our current inventory is badly dated and the last Ottoman war showed how badly we suffered in this area and that against what many now regard as a second class power.

Lastly, we have been working with the Illyrian Vojska and have settled on a nucleus of one Infantry Regiment, two Cavalry Battalions, an Artillery Battalion and five Infantry Battalions, a small force but manageable for a Kingdom lacking the resources for a large National Army. With so much in the way of replacement equipment, especially small arms equipment, stockpiled after replacement these last five years, we can afford to offer generous terms for older gear."

"Very well then. I will follow up with Skoda to see their position in regards the new design and we will then look at what we do with artillery with a view to 1897 allocations."

October 1895- A Tsarevich and a peace conference

2 October 1895, St Petersburg, Russian Empire

The Empress had laboured long to bring the baby into the world. When Nicholas was told he as ecstatic and stood on the balcony and listened to all the 301 blasts of the salute. After two admittedly beautiful girls, himself and Nina had a boy, an heir for his enormous Empire. It was the same day that the railway to Novonikolaevsk was completed. Russia was starting to look East as the weakness in Qing China was all too readily apparent.

It was only a week later that Nicholas, eager to protect the interests of his heir Alexei, wrote to Rudolf in Vienna.

"My friend,

A follow up to our previous joyous telegram. I believe that we are blessed by God. What has been on my mind for some time is a desire to avoid further unjust wars. To that end, I was desirous of garnering your possible support for an International Conference on both peace and warfare. The conference would include negotiations concerning the cutting of military spending, address the laws and conduct of war and provide means of redress for unjust war crimes when committed.

I must say I would like to see the creation of a binding International Court for compulsory arbitration. Backed by the Great Powers, it would hopefully be able to settle international disputes and give a voice to smaller countries like what is happening in Abyssinia now and what happened with the French running amok in regards to Madagascar and earlier Siam. I am aware that consensus will be hard to achieve, but with your support consider it possible.

I note your earlier observations and much like you wish to avoid war and the internal chaos it usually brings. On a more personal note, with your wife already Godmother to Maria, I ask if you would consent to be a Godfather for Alexei.

Nicholas"

October 1895-Italian musings

15 October 1895, Palazzo Grazioli, Kingdom of Italy

The two men sat discussing the situation. It was one of extreme pressure for Prime Minister Francesco Crispi. Internal rioting that had killed over 100 in regards the price of flour in the so called "flour riots" in 1893 that had cast a pall over his premiership and now a defeat in Abyssinia had only served to ramp up the pressure. What had initially been seen as a short victorious war in Libya had in fact turned into a series of bitter skirmishes against insurgents and now he had summoned Benedetto Brin to discuss the situation closer to home.

"What is going on in the former Austro-Hungary? So many changes, naval renewal, I strongly suspect they are architect of the recent wars. Regional autonomy, new policies. In all it is a dangerous threat to the status quo. What are your impressions?"

"Well we have a number of operatives in the UHE, as you know, but all are at a low level. The impression that they have received is that a new broom has swept through the Empire's old bureaucracy. Things that would have taken months are now taking weeks and answers are expected to be given, incompetence is duly punished. It has, of course, created waves and in some quarters the new Imperial couple are not well loved, but overall there seems an energy and each of the four separate Kingdoms seems excited by the future, even the Hungarians with their 1896 events.

They have drawn close to Russia and with their German ties one must now consider where we stand as a supposed member of the Triple Alliance. They have tied Bosnia to them economically, have effective control of Albania and now we see a likely Hapsburg marriage in Serbia, a Montenegrin Queen in Albania. The Kaiser's Aunt as Regent in Spain, plus they are building a naval bases near the Straits. They are very much doing what the Hapsburg's have always done, spinning their dynastic web to their own advantage.

I think we need to consider where we are placed by being a member of the Triple Alliance and look at whether we would be better off in alliance with England, if they would formally make such an approach, or even the old enemy, France, who have indicated their willingness to come to such an arrangement. Of course, the Ottomans may be interested as well, although such an alliance will take time after the losses they incurred to us in Africa and would be politically unacceptable at present."

"What of our own armed forces?"

"Hmmph. With their recent changes to their Army, they may be a more formidable opponent than we had first thought, although we have certain natural barriers in the North that should serve us well in regards defensive positions. However, if they mounted a campaign to retake Venetia I would have questions as to the Army's ability to resist it."

"What of the Navy and that huge ship they have laid down?"

"Their Navy is of no threat to us. They may have annihilated the Ottoman fleet but would never achieve such a result against the Regia Marina. Even counting those large cruisers of theirs as capital ships, we outnumber then 18 battleships to 5. They have nothing at sea that mounts more than 230mm guns, we have ships with 450mm guns. This new design is likely aimed at the British, where it could sweep away any form of trade protection cruiser, not us I would think."

October 1895-Royal Navy changes

22 October 1895, Admiralty, London, United Kingdom

First Sea Lord Admiral Frederick Richards sighed. "Yes, I know it goes against our trade protection policy Jackie, but we have little choice. Ever since the press and then of course Whitehall have gotten wind of the specifications of the new design in deBrasseys and via Fred Jane's blasted game, Twentieth Century War at Sea, pah! I have faced incessant questions as to what we would do to counter such a ship, as if it was loose on the open ocean now and we were actually at war.

They seem to forget that cruiser warfare require coal, bases and support and the larger the ship the more of this is required. The blasted idiots don't seem to realise that a 2,000 ton cruiser or a 17,000 one are all the same to a merchant ship.

They point to the Powerful Class pair, which are too large and expansive in my mind already and ask why we can carry only two 9.2 inch guns where as this new design carries 17! To that end I have decided to cancel three of the Diadem Class ships and two of the small Pelorus Class and build two ships as a counter. They will be 1800 tons heavier, mainly beamier, than the Powerful Class and carry 12 9.2 inch, a lesser number of guns which I am sure I will be panned for, but heavier armour than the UHE ship I would think. They will be freaks and expensive to run and build, more so than a battleship.

Jackie Fisher could sense his chief's frustrations. What other surprises did his friend have in mind?

April 1896-A Russian inspection

12 April 1896, Obukhovski Plant, St Petersburg, Imperial Russian Empire

Hans Heche had not known what to expect but the plant itself was relatively modern and he had been able to gain some insights into the difficulties in regards to lifting and placement, as well as dealing with the thicker armour plate on the turrets themselves. The Russian 12 inch 40 caliber gun was a fair weapon and approximated the planned 310mm weapon that had been ordered through his employers, Skoda, in such seemingly large numbers, 26 in fact.

The Russian tour had been an interesting insight. For the naval guns, obviously turrets would be required as well as would need to elevate beyond the current planned 15% of the Russian design, at least 20% being specified. For the four railway guns, it would be a simpler build as the carriages would actually be built by MÁVAG in Budapest, the contracts already let.

He had no idea as to what sort of ship would carry such weapons, but the contract had specified the beginning of delivery for such weapons as the commencement of 1898 for a trials weapon, with all to be delivered by 1900, so there was much to be done.

April 1896-Italian woes

16 April 1896, Naples, Italy, Kingdom of Italy

The crowds outside were now even worse, pelting stones, hurling abuse and setting on anyone that attempted to enter or leave. Troops were called out to quell demonstrations. In Rome, crowds built barricades on the railroad tracks to prevent two troop trains from leaving the station. The Association of Women of Rome, Turin, Naples, Milan and Pavia called for the return of all military forces in Africa. Funeral masses were intoned for the known and unknown dead. Families began sending to the newspapers letters they had received before the battle in which their menfolk described their poor living conditions and their fears at the size of the Army they were going to face.

The two Army's had finally clashed in Africa and it had not been the European one that had won. That Italian Army, some 15,900 strong, had come across what it assumed was the main Abyssinian force, some 70,000 men. Confident in their artillery, some 56 pieces, plus the fact that most of their troops were regulars, they advanced to meet the enemy according to instructions from Rome and against the wishes of General Oreste Baratieri, their commander. It had been a disaster.

Whilst it was the Abyssinian main body, it was not all of their men. Waiting until the Italians seemed fully engaged, Menelik II then released ordered his own artillery, some 60 guns, to engage and at the same time released his reserves, another 28,000 infantry and 2,000 cavalry.

The Italians had fought bravely and at the end of the battle had inflicted almost as many casualties as they had taken themselves, but once the main body had broken under sustained pressure, the survivors were mercilessly pursued by 6,000 fresh cavalry. It mattered not that these were armed only with traditional weapons when pursuing broken men.

8,250 had been killed, more than half the Italian force, with another 4,750 captured. Less than 3,000 survived to flee, a third of those injured in some way or another. Equipment losses were almost total. It was a disaster of the first order and was followed by riots and demonstrations against any more "foreign adventures." Abyssinian losses were less than 5,000 killed and some 10,00 wounded.

It was to provoke the fall of the Crispi government and lead to signing of the Treaty of Cairo in October between the two powers whereby Italy suffered the humiliation not only acknowledging the complete sovereignty of Abyssinia but also ceding a coastal strip that broke her Eritrean colony in two. It followed the Mahadist wars of 1894 in showing the the European powers were not invincible. It was to also act as the catalyst for the withdrawal of Italy from the Triple Alliance later in 1896 and the start of a rapprochement with France.

April 1896-Zeppelins underway

28 April 1896, Berlin, German Empire

Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin looked at the letter before snapping it open from the old style wax seal and reading the contents. It was brief and to the point and definitely good news.

"My dear Count,

I thank you for taking the time and patience and I now believe that you loyalty will be well rewarded. As you recall, I implored you to wait for an engine that was capable on ensuring that an airship would be able to perform in a sufficient manner to attract attention on a powered flight and would be capable of an endurance that would render it useful. I believe that I have now produced such an engine. I am currently testing a prototype capable of 36hp and when testing has been completed it will not be difficult to make a number of small modifications to produce a variant suitable not only for flight but one slightly lighter than the normal model. I have every confidence that, unlike my previous my previous optimism, that this time I can have four of these engines available to you by the end of the year.

That being these case, it is likely time to seek funding and design studies for the airship itself, for here we will be busy assessing the implications of the engine, which we hope to place into an automobile next year."

Excellent, thought von Zeppelin. He had talked to the Hapsburg Kaiser who was also keen to see an Austrian prototype. Some money could be raised by public subscription but as for the remainder. he already had a source close to home in mind. His nephew Count Everhard von Zeppelin had married Mamie McGarvey, daughter of William H. McGarvey, owner of the oil wells of Galicia. They not only controlled Galician oil but the new fields in Albania and should have the money to invest. That way two prototypes could be constructed to test differing theories in regards the layout of the aluminum hull.

May 1896-Sudan battles

4 May 1896, Adok, Anglo-Egyptian Sudan

It was just as well that he had taken both Vienna's orders and also the recommendations of the escaped Rudolf von Slatin, thought Major General Karl Markel. His force had stayed at Adok and not advanced further, despite his initial desire to do so. The further he went forward, the weaker his force became due to the need to post garrisons and bleed men off to maintain a supply line.

For that reason alone, he had concentrated on building a series of solid defensive positions. It had been just as well that this had been the case, as the Mahadist Army had appeared with some 18,000 men to confront his 3,600. It had been a bitter battle and in the end the three machine guns that had arrived only a month ago, together with his emplaced artillery, that had swung the battle his way in a near run thing.

Despite that, casualties had been severe, some 520 dead and 720 wounded. The Mahadists had lost 2,800 dead and likely quite a bit more than 4,000 wounded as at one stage bodies had piled up four feet high on the outskirts of his fortified position. It had left his force too weak to continue on in regards any advance; but this tallied with his instructions from Vienna in any case, which instructed him to let the British do most of the work. He would stay in Adok and lick his wounds.

A week later was to come to news that the British had wiped out the Mahadist garrison at Al Goled, killing 3,000 almost to the last man. Set three months after wiping out a 4,000 Mahadist garrison at Ferkeh, Karl Markel thought the Mahadist's attention would be drawn North, and so it was to prove.

May 1896-The Cuban question

15 May 1896, Royal Palace, Madrid, Kingdom of Spain

Rudolf sat with his cousin Maria-Christina. "You understand, of course, that all of this is not only reflecting on your Prime Minister, but also Spain as a whole and it is besmirching your son's reign. The situation in Cuba is too far gone to be able to be retrieved, especially with the Americans effectively cheer-leading on the rebels near sidelines. That is not all either, as I am sure you are well aware. As things worsen, Cánovas' policies seem to only get worse. Brutality follow brutality and at the end of the day that does little more than whip up further outrage in America against such action. That then fuels their foul press and creates more impetus for a war. It is a war that Spain cannot hope to win. It's is a war the UHE cannot hope to win, for that matter. The Americans, if they intervene, need travel only 180 kilometers to Cuba. From Spain a fleet would take 7,000 kilometers to reach the war front.

Who would protest such an intervention? Perhaps a year ago you may have had allies. Now, surely none. The atrocities are too extreme, too public for any major power to support such actions. What has occurred this year in Spain, in Mantjuic, is even worse. Yes, there was a bomb thrown, yes we all hate Anarchists. Yet arresting trade unionists, socialists as well. Taking them to Montjuic and torturing them. Cánovas del Castillo ordered that torture, including the burning of the victims' flesh, the crushing of their bones, and the cutting out of their tongues. Now we see similar in Cuba and he remains deaf to the appeals and protests of civilized conscience. Such methods may have their place, but not in such sloppy public confines.

For Gods, sake, we have a Conference on international peace in a month's time. How will this fiasco play out? Spain can no longer hope to control this island. It's loss is as inevitable as the sun coming up. The Americans are passing the British and Germans as the world's leading industrial power. You cannot possibly expect to win a war fought on their doorstep. There is, however, still one possibility."

"What would that be?"

"Well, after Portugal, we go on to Copenhagen for Nicholas's Disarmament Conference. The American's will be there. Cánovas del Castillo will not be Prime Minister for ever. The Americans have expressed an interest in purchasing the islands before. I have negotiated deals with them before for land purchase. They will know I speak in good faith. I can explore what they would be prepared to pay for the islands. By the sale of the island, and perhaps Puerto Rico as well, you can use the money to crush the Katipunan and secure the Philippines or even spend the money in Spain itself. You know it is badly needed; the poor are implacably hostile. That sort of money could stop the country sinking into the terminal decline it had been on the part of since the 1830's. Reinvigorate Spain. Win over the poor. Remove overseas expenses that are costing you more than the attendant land would ever be worth and at the same time restore the country and the monarchy's prestige as reasonable people who follow the rule of law."

"I cannot do anything whilst Cánovas remains, but very well, ask the Americans your question and we will see."

May 1896- Portuguese worries, oil, twins

24 May 1896, Royal Palace, Lisbon, Kingdom of Portugal

Carlos I sat back and looked her in the eye. "You understand, of course, that such a sale made both my own government and myself look foolish, especially in the wake of the humiliation of the ultimatum from the British, our supposed friends. It would seem that Portugal and myself are desperately short of friends at present. Republicanism is gaining ground all the time and such humiliations do little more than encourage such a trend. Be it on your own head if that trend spreads further afield."

Stephanie sat forward. This wasn't the time for the truth. "Carlos, I am sorry that things worked out the way they did. I cannot say I am sorry that oil was discovered at Cabinda, obviously not, however, I am deeply sorry that it made your position even weaker. However, I may be able to offer you something by way of recompense."

"What would that be?"

"Well, over these last five years, by virtue of our association with Standard Oil, we have shipping routes established and at the same time, large numbers of trained drillers and technicians. Let me, by way of personal apology, pay out of my own purse for the exploration of oil in Angola. If the search is successful, then I ask no more than the return of my initial investment. If it is not, then I will have used my own money, not your own. If oil is discovered, then you can be seen to be the instigator of such events and in turn can tap into my existing shipping to secure the transport of such."

Carlos I contemplated the proposal. It was more than fair and may do something to wipe off the tarnish his name had endured. "Very well, I accept and we will make sure your teams have unfettered access."

Well, that was one difficulty navigated. At least for now, though Stephanie. Another awaited her when she returned to the Embassy.
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24 May 1896, UHE Embassy, Lisbon, Kingdom of Portugal

Stephanie at with her friend who was sprawled on the divan. "It's so good to be here with you, although I must say you look huge Laura. How is life here?"

"If I am honest Your Majesty, I miss Vienna. Here...is mostly good. Vlad has been very attentive, even more so after twins were confirmed. I am treated,well, in the main. Occasionally one encounters, well, reactions. I heard one person saying it was an insult that I was a the wife of an appointed Minister. I am used to such things for now, as long as they are said behind my back and not to my face I have largely ceased to worry. I had no idea that pregnancy would be so hard, however."

"I miss you to, dear girl. Yes, pregnancy was not my favourite time."

"I intend to compete in Budapest you know?"

Laura Paton smiled internally. "I did have a fair idea you might. Tennis?"

"Yes, plus I though I may give the 100 meters swimming a go. Sissi is competing in the riding as well you know. It will all be in place for 10th August and should showcase the city. It has been a struggle, but all of the works should make the time-frame, the Parliament building will be the showcase, as will the Exhibition buildings. The Congo delegation should leave in early July."

Laura Paton laughed. "You will be in the headlines again." It was then that she felt a sharp pain, followed by a feeling of wetness between her legs.

She looked at Stephanie, who gazed at the look of terror on the girl's face. "What ever is the matter Laura?"

"Your..Stephanie, I think it's time."
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25 May 1896, UHE Embassy, Lisbon, Kingdom of Portugal

Rudolf had watched Wladimir von Gieslingen pace, read, occasionally play a hand of whist with him, but generally just wait. He had tried to limit any alcohol to a glass an hour as he waited, Stephanie being in the room. The residential wing smelt of damp linens, sweat and he was only to well aware of the occasional female cries. He had done all he could to distract them man. God knows, he remembered his own time with Lola and Erszi well enough, the helplessness of it all. It was almost dawn when the midwife had arrived to tell Wladimir that his wife was napping. She brought two bundles with her.

"It is a boy Baron. And a girl."

She handed Vladimir the boy, who was small and perfectly formed. Then the girl. It was then he did a double take. "Dear God, she has red hair!"

Rudolf laughed. "Well, Laura's father was Scottish and she did say he had red hair."

"Well I will be damned!"

June 1896-Dreadnought musings

2 June 1896, aboard SMS Budapest, North Sea

The stopover in England had been short but he had taken the chance to renew his cordial relationship with the Prince of Wales, now looking like he had indeed waited a lifetime to be King. He had also received a telegram at the London embassy. It contained only two words. "Problem solved". Yet he knew from whom it had come.

So, Parsons had solved his propeller issues and the whole package, including the new turbines, would be presented to the world soon, likely within 12 months. He had been content to wait for it to occur, concentrating research inside the UHE on the applications of oil fired boilers. That was an issue that had largely been solved. Now it was just a matter of setting the world on the path of a dreadnought race when the time was right.

He looked forward to seeing Nicholas again, he would be in Copenhagen with his wife since the conference was his idea. Rudolf hoped that some of Nicholas's suggestions would be implemented, although a cut in world armament spending was likely a bridge too far for many. If there were not substantial cuts, an unlikely happening to be sure, he had the bare bones of a capital ship design that would use the 310mm guns that he had ordered, the first of which would be ready for trails some 12 months from now. That being the case, he could hopefully lay down the three planned ships in 1898-99 for completion in 1901-2. Size was impeded by the yards available and for that reason the ship was restricted to only 155 meters in length. It would be an strange design to be sure, a triple turret forward rather than two twins to increase sheer and make her less wet in seas. Two twins at the rear, in all an unusual total of 7x12.2 inch guns. Armour emphasized as much as speed this time, so a more balanced design.

When the time came, Popper and the architects would have to make changes of their own, as he a talented layman rather than an expert, but he was happy with the basic design and by that stage the triple turret should be tested. In addition to the other innovations, he also wondered about Tesla. If his trials with radio voice communication were successful, then his Navy's ships would have the capacity to talk with each other rather than using cumbersome flags for communication. Needless to say, it would also have implications for the Army. Before he had left, they had run trials of Tesla's radio communication, which had proven able to control the path of a small Daimler designed Necker Boat powered by an internal combustion engine. As the craft was unmanned, at 6-8 knots or so it could carry a submerged spar torpedo and under radio control be used to impact the side of an enemy vessel. It was certainly food for thought.

Dreadnought sketch

June 1896-Talks of the Copenhagen Convention

22 June 1896, grounds, Fredensborg Palace, Kingdom of Denmark

Nicholas II sank down to the grassy ground around the small stream. It was a lovely early summer day, not too hot and both men wore only cheap cotton smocks, tennis shoes and light trousers. It was Rudolf who spoke first, in English, as they always seemed to do at gatherings.

"Maybe it was naive, but I never expected the Americans after all their whining about events in Cuba to be the ones that would make the most difficulties."

Nicholas sighed. "Yes, I suggested this as it really had meaning for me. We do not want, we do not need, further wars. We have no need for further suffering in Russia."

"You need to be awake to the threat posed by Japan Nicholas Alexandrovich. After their recent defeat of China, they will be puffed up and view themselves as Asia's major power. The completion of the railway and Russian influences will not be appreciated by them at all. It fear it is something that will have to be resolved diplomatically or war may be the result."

"Yes, I can see that. Already the British have switched their interests from China to Japan. Can I ask you a question?"

"Of course."

"Your current situation. Four separate Kingdoms, four Parliaments, how does it work? Do you feel it dilutes your power?"

"No, not really. I still have absolute power in theory over all four elements that make up the UHE. In my own personal opinion, I think it has released the pressure on me to be personally responsible for all that goes on. I no longer need to set policy for the Empire as a whole. Each of the four Parliaments do that and all I need to do is review the fairness and desirability of such measures, passing or rejecting such measures as they come before me. When I wish to introduce a measure myself, I can still do so."

"Interesting. What of the Polish, do you intend for a fifth, a Polish Kingdom, or even a Ukrainian one?"

Rudolf laughed. "No, not at this stage. Most of the Poles do not desire it. To be honest, with the separation of Czechia, the Polish Club has so much power in the Cisleithanian Government at present that they are virtually in control in any case. Are you thinking of making changes?"

"Perhaps, yet I know it would be against the wishes not only of my Uncles, but also against that of what papa would have wanted."

"We are not our fathers. Both were men of the 19th Century, we must look towards the 20th. The pace of technological change is inevitable. Eventually the people will demand more say and if we do not give it willingly, they will reach out and seize it. What you initiate you can control, what you lose by force you never regain."

Nicholas sighed. "So, how will things at the conference go?"

"These things are usually readily apparent quite rapidly and no matter the length of talks, fixed positions are usually not changed. I believe that all will agree to an International Court of Arbitration, anything is better than the former arrangement where disputes were solved by arbitration in a neutral head of state, as before. There is no chance, unfortunately, that it will be a binding arrangement. Countries are not ready to be told that their actions are illegal.

The convention on the laws and conduct of war at sea and on land will pass, as will the parts on treatment of civilians, however, parts will have to be removed. It is already clear that the Americans will not agree to a ban on poison gas. Nor "cross-tipped" bullets, or incendiary bullets for that matter. The provisions for the laws of war at sea, including the protection of marked hospital ships and the requirement to treat the wounded and shipwrecked sailors of all belligerent parties will pass, as will the provisions requiring warning to enemy merchant ships before sinking or capturing them.

The convention in regards the formal declaration of war I am less sure on. In regards the limitation of armaments or disarmament, most are opposed and little will change at this stage I fear."

"Well I suppose it is a start."

"That it is."

"You will be coming to Budapest in August?"

"Unfortunately no, but Nina wishes to come with the girls."

June 1896-Railways in Albania

28 June 1896, Vlore, Kingdom of Albania

Oh, he was a clever little one, this newly appointed King, thought Ismail Qemali. Eugen had cleverly arranged for the leaders of all four of the Albanian faiths to bless his and his wife's reign when he first arrived and had now used this opportunity at Vlore to to perform the same feat. The small ceremony when the first train had arrived from the oilfields and town of Fier had been enthusiastic, the mood of the crowd positive. It was all about Albania and Albanianism and religion was not mentioned at all, despite the implicit approval given by having the heads of each of the four faith's present.

Ismail Qemali could not complain that the King was overly interfering in the business of government. When he had given his first address he had indicated at the time that he saw his role as being a steadying one only, that he would let the Cabinet largely run the country as long as religious freedoms were allowed and no one sect was favoured over the other. He emphasised only the importance of being Albanian and Skanderbeg's legacy. Instead the King and Queen for that matter had indicated that they wished to assist in gaining foreign investment in the country.

Oil was a start. Plans had also been secured by negotiation for the building of continuation of the line, first to Durres, then via Tirana to the chromium deposits at Bulquze. Because of the mining implications, only 50% of the cost would have to be financed by the Albanian government. It would open the country up, perhaps a desirable outcome after so many years of being a forgotten part of Europe. There were also a number of proposals in regards to silk and vineyards.

Eugen's efforts to learn and speak Albanian had also been well received, as had news of his wife's pregnancy and his promise that the child will be "all Albanian and nothing else."

July 1896- Rhodes thoughts, railways and Boers

1 July 1896, Cape Town, Cape Colony

Cecil Rhodes considered his position. So, the reports were certain. Both copper and manganese were present in Northern Zambesia. This was all to the good as his railway had now reached and crossed Victoria Falls via the recently completed bridge and now only needed to cross less than 200 miles from Livingstone to the border into Katanga. By that stage, likely 1899 at current progress, it should meet the railways of the Congo coming South. Then he would have access to what seemed like it could be the largest copper reserves in the World. Cobalt as well plus quite possibly Tin from recent reports.

It had stayed his hand in regards the Transvaal, the need to press ahead with the railway and keep control of the BSAC board, but eventually something must be done about the Transvaal and the Boers. Already British subjects, attracted by the wealth of the gold rush, had flooded the Transvaal and the Boers had taken measures to deny them the vote. British subjects! As if the ridiculous taxes that the Boers demanded were not bad enough for the BSAC.

The Boer government had adopted policies of protectionism and exclusion, to include restrictions requiring so called Uitlanders to be resident for at least four years in the Transvaal to obtain the franchise, or right to vote. They heavily taxed Rhodes' gold mining. Kruger had even placed a heavy tax on the sale of dynamite to non-Boer residents. Rhodes was aware of the discontent, the question was, how could he manipulate it to the advantage of the BSAC and himself and restore the Boer Transvaal and Orange Free State, both pimples in British South Africa to rightful British control, as indeed it should be? That was the question and one he would spend the next few months working on as the railway continued to labour North-West toward Katanga.

July 1896-Tides of change in the UK and Russia

12 July 1896, Whitehall, London, United Kingdom

Salisbury had won his battle, a battle that to be honest he had little enthusiasm for yet could see no option but to fight. The Irish must be pacified, or so it seemed in the wake of all the dangerous change in the world. First the Balkans, then the Austrians, now even the Russians.

The Russians had seemingly halted their campaign of Russiafication. Instructions had been issued to cease the campaigns to close down Catholic monasteries, lifting the banning of the building of new churches and Catholic schools in Poland. There was also no longer a requirement for Catholics who married members of the Orthodox church to convert. Nobles no longer were required to pay 10% extra if Catholic in taxes, nor were peasants of the Catholic faith restricted in land ownership. Lithuanians and Poles were no longer banned from holding public jobs.

It was not only Poland and the Baltics. In Georgia, Autocephaly had again been granted to the Georgian Orthodox Church, all in a remarkable ukase from the Tsar.

One could only swim against the tide for so long, so against the protests of the Unionists and many in his own party, perhaps even his own mind, he had managed to pass the Local Government (Ireland) Act 1896. It effectively established a system of Local Government in Ireland similar to that already created for England, Wales and Scotland and when elections were held later that year would end landlord control of said Local Government in Ireland, for better or for worse.

Salisbury could only hope that it would serve to forestall clamourings for Home Rule.

July 1896-Skoda and the 7cm gun

13 July 1896, Skoda Works, Pilsen, UHE

Vaclav Horvat continued on. "Well, you see Your Majesty, here we have here the prototype 7cm gun. It has most of the novel features that you asked for. Of course, smokeless powder. Also the split carriage, a gun shield and therefore rudimentary crew protection. We have test fired the ammunition, standard high explosive with pictric acid, shrapnel, a longer ranged shell with less bursting charge and finally a smoke shell.

The guns also features a system of gunlaying we have called independent line of sight. As one gunlayer corrects his sight for azimuth, the other lays the barrel for elevation. With this, the new breech and the split trail meaning no reaching over the breech, it can fire much more rapidly than any previous design. The crew tire less easily as the recoil is negated and the gun no longer needs to be manhandled back into position after each shot, nor does the loader have to lean across the breech."

Rudolf smiled at the young man's enthusiasm. "I sense there is a but."

"Yes Your Majesty, there is. We have still not completely solved the problem of hydraulic leakage. Děvka is still proving to be exactly that. We have applied rings on the piston which separates the compressed air and the hydraulic fluid inside the main recoil cylinder. This has helped matters and brought us to where we are now. Leaks, yes, but very much reduced.

Since this has gone so far with fixing the problem, then the next logical step is to refine the components, namely the piston and rings. Unfortunately, even if this is a success, and I strongly believe it will be, it will make it a harder gun to manufacture than normal. However, I do firmly believe it will be the best gun of it's type in the world."

"Well, we have had four years on this. I suppose the question now is how much longer?"

"Well, if our trials are successful in negation of the leakage, we can likely enter series production within 12 months. With the new contract for the 310mm guns, things will be busy indeed here at Skoda."

It had been an interesting day thought Rudolf. It marked the end of his duties for a period. He was heading to the island for a holiday until the end of July, when he would then need to travel to Budapest with Stephanie in preparation for the Exhibition and Olympics, as well as the official opening of the Parliament building and the underground rail system.

July 1896-A murder in St Petersburg

16 July 1896, Kutuzov Embankment, St Petersburg, Russian Empire

Leonid Krasin had no idea who the smart, well dressed man was or what he had against the prisoner, or why he had made friends with Leonid. They both stepped into the establishment. It was a cross between an expensive brothel and a luxurious club, with its smart entry, a stuffed bear in the lobby, carpets, silk curtains and chandeliers, lackeys in frocks and gloves. He had never been to such a place before. Groups were playing cards, enjoying expensive wines. Everywhere there were beautiful, expensively dressed women.

"Go on my friend, I will take care of the expenses. You just pick one and...enjoy, as will I. We can meet back here afterwards. Keep your money."

That served to remind him of the 2000 rubles, four crisp 500 ruble notes, that remained in his pocket. Afterwards he was to meet the man, who called himself Sergei and seemed able to afford any expense, back in the mixing room.

"So, tomorrow you perform a little task for me and then we meet again and come back here or maybe somewhere else, eh?" He passed over a newspaper with an advertisement circled. 'A noble girl now without a past, with an irreproachable reputation but without any means will eagerly offer all she has to anyone willing to lend her 200 rubles.' "That sounds like a girl that needs our help, eh?"

Leonid Krasin smiled. How had this happened to him, a man largely ignored by society? "Da"
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17 July 1896, Kresty Prison, St Petersburg, Russian Empire

He came on late at night and did the rounds with the only thing the prisoners ate after 6pm, a cup of sweetened tea. It was no trouble to slip in the substance Sergei had given him. An hour later he returned. The substance had worked well and the prisoner did not wake until Leonid, a large man, had hoisted him into the air and the rope had bitten deeply into his throat. By that stage it was far too late and no amount of swinging, choking or thrashing was going to change anything. He tied off the rope to the cleat used for attaching prisoners chains on the floor and left the cell.

It was later that morning that he reported to the Komandant. "Prisoner in cell 456 has hung himself sir."

"How the hell did that happen?"

"I am not sure sir. He had a length of rope. Again, I am not sure how."

The Komandant sighed. Krasin was unimaginative, stupid but loyal, with no infractions for unnecessary brutality. "Very well, take the body to the morgue. Name?"

"Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov sir."

July 1896-The boy from Brazil

20th July 1896, Hofburg, Vienna, UHE

"Thank you for seeing me Your Majesty. It's been an honor, really. I am not just flattering you when I say that I am a great admirer of the work you have done, not only here, but especially in Africa."

"What are your plans now Luis?"

"Most immediate is to complete my pre education for two more weeks and then depart to climb Mount Blanc. Then, when I return to start training as an officer at Weiner Neustadt. My brother Pedro attends the same Military School. What else can exiled Princes do but the military?"

"Yes, I am aware, he has visited with us a number of times. You must visit more often when you have the chance."

"Yes, you must" blurted out Erszi. Stephanie turned and looked at the girl.

It was after Luis had gone that Stephanie turned at looked at the girl. "What was all that about?"

"Oh nothing."

"Don't lie to me young lady."

"Oh mama. He is so very good. Handsome, athletic, brave, clever. Not at all like his brother."

"Why, what do you think his brother is like?"

"Dumb as an old boot, lazy as well."

"You must never repeat that."

"Of course. I am not completely silly mama."

"So good eh? Best not let your papa hear that or you will never see this boy again."

"Of course, but he is so...dreamy."

Stephanie laughed. "Yes, he is rather. Lucky I have your papa or I may steal him."

"Mama!"

Stephanie laughed at the outraged expression on her daughter's face. It felt good to be away from the formal life, this afternoon the train to Pola and then a two week break on Brujuni. Then they would have to return at the start of August and go to Budapest and she would have to pull on the face of her public persona yet again, one she had carried not only in this life but in the previous one as well. It was a burden she was well used to.

July 1896-Army doctors, Congo education

26 July 1896, Villa Brijuni, Brijuni Island, UHE

Both women walked along the beach, Awax Schwarz in tow. "Three years in the Army, now the question is do we go back?"

"I am not sure" Rosa Mguru stated to her friend. "It started off hard but was a comfortable, steady life. That is something I have come to value. That and your friendship."

Agnes Schonburg-Waldenburg smiled. "I had to keep you out of trouble in one way or another. I miss Nicola as well but I understand her decision, she can do two years with her father and be a medical doctor. I have always wanted to be a doctor and the next two years training will be medical only, so I think yes, I will rejoin, this time as a Lieutenant/Assistant Medical Doctor. Then? Who knows? Whatever it is, it will better than the fate that awaited me before. I am a bit nervous about this meeting your friend Awax has so casually arranged."

"Yes, so am I."

They passed through the cursory check and made their way onto the verandah of the large villa towards a woman seated on a large plush couch, a two year old with a mass of honey coloured hair asleep over her chest.

Stephanie looked at the two women, so different in looks and gestured for them and Awax to sit down. "So, ladies I was interested to hear of your experiences in the Army as I had worked quite hard to get women into it's ranks. How did your enlistments go?"

Rosa Mguru started first. "It was difficult at first Your..er Majesty. The initial training period was hard. Later of course we found that it was always hard. Working in a combat zone in Albania was...challenging, of course. After a period of time day to day Army life is quite bearable enough. Perhaps more so for me as I have come to regard routine as a good thing."

Agnes Schonburg-Waldenburg spoke. "For me it was difficult Your Majesty. You know my father?"

"The late General? Of course."

"Well, I already came from a background where every aspect of my life was controlled, so that was not a difficult adjustment. However, I did come from a life of privilege, I see that more clearly now. I was a shock at the time, however. All I knew as that anything was better than marrying that man."

"So, what are your plans now?"

"Both of us wish to become doctors and I think the only way to do so is to spend two more years in the Army to gain that qualification."

Stephanie moved Lola slightly and spoke again. "What is your aim after that?"

Agnes looked at her friend blankly before Rosa spoke. "I would like to go back to Congo and work as a doctor Your Majesty."

Stephanie smiled. "I can think of no better aim. Now that things at the school are quietening, now that less girls are in need of rescue and orphans thankfully less than before, I was thinking of making more appointments back to the Congo of native inhabitants. We will need an Inspector General of Schools to work under the Minister of Education for the new program we hope to start in 1898 where all inhabitants of the Congo receive six years of compulsory schooling. Now that we have built infrastructure and have money flowing into the country, I see this as the next step. So you see Awax will be headed back as well in 12-18 months."

Agnes Schonburg-Waldenburg chimed in. "That is all to the well. Rosa here likes Herr Schwarz very much but is too shy to say so."

Stephanie burst out laughing and Awax Schwarz looked stunned. Rosa Mguru looked startled. "She had gone mad Your Majesty, quite mad."

"One thing that you both may keep in mind is that I intend to build the Congo Army up to be a fully professional force whereby we do not need to station UHE troops to maintain order, only a cadre of trainers and advisors. Something that the latest war in the Sudan had shown is that there is a great need for a dedicated Medical Corps to be attached to the Congolese Army. That will require doctors very badly."

Agnes Schonburg-Waldenburg thought about what was said. Could she go to Africa really? It was not like she had ties here, not any more. Perhaps it was a path worth following?

July 1896- The railway moves to Katanga

28 July 1896, Muanda, Kingdom of the Congo

The final section of the Line was now completed and Marienburg was connected not only to Cabinda, but all the way to Point Noire. It represented the final work for the gangs in and around Western Congo. They now had the choice to disperse with their pay if they had not obtained jobs involved in the everyday working of the railway or pick up and move into the interior, where the last part of the Queen's railway strategy was being put in place. With all three portage railways completed, access to the interior had moved forward in leaps and bounds. Now, by a combination of rail transport and river craft, construction of which had seen river traffic tonnage go up by a factor of nine over the last five years. Towns like Stanleyville now thrived on river traffic bringing materials down the Upper Congo on vessels up to 600 tons.

Now Hermann von Plapp would pick up and move himself into the interior, where Bukama, the town that had been established at the headwater of the Lualaba, the main Nile tributary, would act as the nexus of railway activity for likely the next five years as two final lines would be built, one from Bukama through Katanga and the likely mine areas to the border, a journey of some 700 kilometres and the other Eastward 400 kilometres to Moba on Lake Tanganyika.

Congo currently had almost 1100 kilometres in line and this would double after the completion of the Katanga projects but should allow unprecedented access to the riches of the Southern zone.

August 1896-Budapest is in readiness

10 August 1896, Royal Palace, Budapest, UHE

It really was most amusing to see the sheer stupidity of her own father, who had created such a stink about Belgian participation in the Olympics as a "waste of time and money" that the Belgians did not have a team at what would be the first Olympics of all. The time she had spend promoting the event and the International Exhibition had been well worthwhile. It had garnered huge press interest, not least of which had been her announcement that she would not only participate in the tennis, but also swimming. Meanwhile her mother-in-law would compete in the equestrian, Rudolf in the fencing.

In all, there were 20 competing teams, if you could count one athlete as a team in some cases. There were, in addition to the UHE, Australia, Bulgaria, Canada, Congo, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Great Britain, Italy, Netherlands, Portugal, Russia, Spain, Serbia, Sweden, Switzerland, South Africa and United States of America.

The facilities were complete and Budapest itself looked pristine. The Hungarians may have been obstinate, but when given an opportunity they had taken it with both hands and prospered. There were a number of events designed to showcase sport in a non Olympic manner, not least of which was the World Title Fight between James Corbett and Tom Sharkey, the Irishman on the 29th August. The city was abuzz and accommodation very hard to find.

The other theme of the Exhibition, the Treasures of Africa, was also ready to go. Naturally she had availed herself of the resources and people of the Congo. She hoped the further exposure of coloured diamonds would also help their sales, already providing a steady flow of money under Barney Barnarto. It had not been difficult to persuade Cecil Rhodes to support the establishment of a British and Egyptian pavilion and it only required news of this for the French and Germans to also establish a pavilion.

Now, with only some painting to do on the Parliament Building, Budapest would be ready. The underground had been completed, consisting of eleven stations. The electric tram network had been expanded and the Parliament Building would officially open on the 22nd August, a day after Rudolf gave the speech to open the games and the Exhibition. The pavilions for the exhibitors were complete. Marconi, with his typical commercial foresight, had set up a transmission site from the games Main Arena to the Post Office for wireless telegrams. The games themselves would close on the 31st August but the Exhibition would last until 8th November.

She had spent her break swimming in the Aegean every day and then had practiced in the pool that would host the games this last two days. Freestyle was a virtual unknown stroke so it's use would cause a huge stir she was sure, as no doubt would the application of a tumble turn. Tennis would actually be tougher than swimming in all likelihood with Charlotte Cooper the new force. She had nowhere near enough practice for that, but, one would have to see.

August 1896-Olympic medals

21 August 1896, Citadela, Gelert Hill, Budapest, UHE

As Rudolf had opened the Games so she would open the Exhibition. "Finally, I can say the following with some clarity. Yes, the Exhibition is entitled 'The Treasures of Africa.' Look at them, indeed marvel at them. However, we also need to remember that they were produced, fashioned, mined, crafted or made by people just like ourselves." This one was is for you Cecil Rhodes, she thought. "The very idea that any people can be considered to be inferior to another, to the point where those who consider themselves superior define and treat the rest as less than human, denies the basic humanity even of those who fancy themselves to be at the status of Gods. We are all equal before God, surely a basic Christian tenant."

"For we must always fight for justice for all people as best we can. We should place human solidarity, the concern for each other, at the center of the values by which we live. For one does not need to look too hard, either here, in Africa or indeed anywhere else to see disadvantaged people. Overcoming poverty is not just a gesture of charity, it is also an act of justice." Finally time to channel a bit of JFK she thought. "We need to not ask, not what can my country do for me, but what can I do for my country and perhaps also the world at large."
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27 August 1896, Olympic Pool, Budapest, UHE

She tumbled and swam the last 50 meters absolutely flat out, taking only three breaths. It was a routine with which she was well and truely familiar, performing it every day she was at home in her old life. When she stood in the pool it was obvious that she had not only won but blitzed the field. 1.13.9 she later found out was the time. The timekeeper in her lane looked at his stopwatch in seeming disbelief. It was over two seconds faster than the time in the men's final earlier that night set by the UHE's Alfréd Hajós.

She could see her daughters cheering in the Imperial seats allocated for them., as well as Rudolf. The attention gained in the press was almost blinding. "Queen of Speed." "Super Stephanie". "Superwomen." "Empress of the World" even, referencing her speech, although some had deplored it. It was nice to win an Olympic gold and later on she would go on to win a bronze in the tennis as well, despite hardly hitting the ball these last two years.

November 2017-Strolling through Budapest

18 November 2017, Hungarian National History Museum, Castle Hill District, Budapest, UFHE

It felt odd just walking through the Museum, speaking English to try and appear like a tourist, Karl with his arm around her and his hand in the back pocket of her jeans as they simply strolled.

"Ah, this is what I wanted to show you, my Great-great-great Grandmother's medals from the 1896 games."

"Yes, I had that question at a trivia night. Who was the only woman to set a faster time then the men at an Olympic swimming event?"

He stared at her before she answered. "Hey, I like trivia. And nerds. That has to tell you something."

"Well thank you Miss Hoxha. What about my manly mustache?"

Edona giggled. "Oh Karl, that fake mustache looks utterly ridiculous."

"As long as it does the job and I am not recognised. Plus, here is my Great-great-great-great Grandmother's silver medal for horsemanship."

"It was a controversial speech she made, yet an important one."

"Yes, I know. "Where to next?"

"Lunch, I think."

As they sat and ate lunch in the small coffee shop, Karl's two bodyguards at another table, Edona remarked. "It's a lovely city."

"Yes, I suppose it is if you don't come here for work. Not my favourite among the seven capitals though."

"What is?"

"I think Ljubljana. It still retains that small town feel, even though it is not. I finished my degree there. My sister gets to go to Scotland and avoid the circus yet I must stay in the country."

"Penalty of being the heir and not the spare."

"Hmm". Karl leaned in to kiss her. She laughed. "That mustache really is ridiculous and look..it is coming off!"

August 1896-Mahadist slaughter

25 August 1896, Omdurman, Anglo-Egyptian Sudan

It had been a bloody battle from one side only. Kitchener had leapfrogged his forces down the Nile, always making sure they were well supplied and well equipped. The very slowness of his advance had made sure Of supply. The Mahadist’s very lack of heavy guns and weapons had seen them rely largely on numbers only. 48,000 had attacked the British force in wave after wave in what was a brave but futile gesture.

The Maxim machine guns and field artillery had more than proven their worth, as had the aimed fire of the veteran rifleman. Fully 25,000 had been mown down like sheaf’s in a wheat field, with another 5,000 captured and nigh on another 5,000 losing heart and drifting off into the countryside.

When Kitchener resumed his advance in two weeks’ time he no longer faced an Army of nigh on 50,000 but only 17,000. For the cost of his victory, Kitchener had lost less than 400 men of his 8,000 man force.

It was the same day that French forces overwhelmed a force of 2,000 garrisoned in the South. The Mahadist campaign was nearing the end and when Kitchener took Khartoum in September the Mahadi had already gone South with the remainder of his force to Kordofan, his troops now numbering less than 20,000.

August 1896-River trade on the Congo

29 August 1896, Marienburg, Kingdom of the Congo

It was a new type of ship and the yard was building four of them. When Leopold had transferred the Congo, the shipyard in what was now Marienburg had already existed and so had many of the steamers on the Congo River. With the transfer of Congo came ownership of 19 river steamers or schooners, mostly paddle wheel types of up to 90 tons. All had been crafted from wood, an abundant resource in the Congo.

The shipyard remained, but other things had changed. Labourers were now paid and, if safety was not perhaps all it might be, it was at least given a cursory examination. The shipyard was also four times the size that it formerly was and the number of steamers and small sailing ships on the Congo and it’s tributaries had gone from those 19 to 185, some as much at 180 tons. Coaling stations had been built at a number of locations along the river. In the last year six fourty ton boats had been built in sections, transported and reassembled to sail beyond Stanleyville and the bare bones of two more were to be assembled to ply the last section all the way to Bukama. Everywhere boats plied, bringing trade goods back to Marienburg, where they were unloaded and repacked in the railways yard, itself also now a hive of activity, the earlier tank engines increasingly giving way to 2-8-2’s that he originally brought for the Royal Congo Railways to handle the oil trade on the Cabinda Coast.

Josiphe Alongo watched as the crane swung down the crates containing the engine components of what would be two faster 150 ton patrol boats and two 300 ton river steamers, both with the same power plant. The main change was that all four would have steel hulls, a change from the normal construction in wood.

For Josiphe it was good work, well paid and had allowed him to bring his wife and four children into the city, itself rapidly growing, with new buildings sprouting all the time and beginning to encroach on the rough shanty town that had sprung up on the outskirts of the original planned town.

August 1896-Murder in the Georgian backstreets

30 August 1896, Tifilis, Russian Empire

Georgi Bakradze had thought the well-dressed man a pervert at first. What else would cause a well-dressed and seemingly well-educated man to spend time in the back streets of Tifilis? He had rapidly produced a pistol out of almost nowhere when they had tried to waylay him and gradually, after he had given them small jobs and won a slight measure of trust by paying them, paying them well in fact, they had become accepting.

It was then the dark haired, intense man, asked them to do him the ‘little favour’. He explained how the trainee priest WAS a pervert and told Georgi that he would pay both him and his boys well to deal with him. The truth was that Georgi had never killed a man before, well, not that he knew of. Truth be told he was not that particular about the condition he left his victims, so perhaps some had died.

It was risky, doing a priest, even a trainee from the seminary, but worth it for the 3000 rubles he had been offered. With 1000 in his pocket and a burning desire for 2000 more there was no question of him refusing.

It had been easy enough, the man took the back alley himself on his way to some destination or another but his boys knew them like the back of their hand. A simple lead pipe wrapped in a cloth soon had the man down. Boots and the flensing knife finished the job.

The man was well pleased, adding another 500 rubles for Georgi himself. He had taken the wallet and the two three ruble notes it contained, throwing away the identification. Ioseb Jughashvili. A nobody.

August 1896-A job done

30 August 1896, 10 miles off the port of Poti

Sigwalt Roos flicked the cigarette over the stern walk of the small banana boat. The 1020 ton Kaiser Joseph was now regularly employed on the Poti-Sevastopol-Constanza-Istanbul-Athens-Sazan-Fiume run. The Black Sea was a route that had been opened up by the Hungarian-American line, which, whilst not as large as Austro-Lloyd, had performed quite well on the secondary runs.

Sigwalt Roos had been in Russia some four months. It felt like home yet at the same time also not. He had no idea why two random men had to die and did not really care to find out. The mission itself was all that mattered and now it was completed. One was a revolutionary in any case. Now he was simply eager to return to Vienna where he had left Clara Auspitz, the younger of the three daughters of the banker Rudolf. A thoroughly sweet girl who believed that he was a Russian Baron exiled due to a duel gone wrong. Paid 20,000 rubles in expenses for his trip, he had manged to turn this into 36,000 after expenses had been taken care of, mostly via the sale of a copper mine that actually belonged to another person altogether.

When he returned to Vienna it would be to a promotion to Captain and hopefully more high profile work. It would be time to sell his two brothels, a parting that would be difficult to take but his ambitions of high society were now possible.

August 1896-Olympic closure

31 August 1896, Budapest Main Stadium, Budapest, UHE

"Good evening,

The Olympics I think are here to stay and we have, I believe, shown the world what the people of Budapest, of Hungary and indeed the UHE can do. I wish to thank the new Olympic movement, in particular Pierre de Frédy, Baron de Coubertin, all of our athletes and all of our officials who all helped to make this a magical reality. What an eleven days! I must ask our foreign guests: did you enjoy yourselves in Budapest? In Hungary? In the UHE? I hope so! We loved having you here to wave your national flags with pride as we come together as one. No matter the issues in the world sport it's very chivalry of nature can always bring us together in comradeship.

There is one more gold medal to award tonight and that must go to the people of Budapest, it's gallant Mayor and the Hungarian Government. I and my husband thank you. I would like to think that together we have reconnected the Olympic Movement with it's ancient history and introduced a new event to the world. Certainly it would appear so, as I notice that not only has the next Olympics been granted to Athens, where we shall see that connection to the ancient games reinforced yet again, but also Paris, which has secured the 1904 games.

Friends, look at this stadium, look around you and savor this moment. You have seen this Olympic Games have great moments, witness today's football final won by Great Britain against our own side. The marathon completed only recently. We will not waste this stadium either and after discussions with the Budapest Mayor we have decided to institute a regular football competition between four teams in Budapest to keep this fine stadium in use.

Yes, we will end here tonight perhaps, but we welcome you to stay in the city, view our Exhibition. Even for those going home tomorrow, witness our fireworks display and think fondly of this country on your journey home until we meet again in four year's time in Athens. I look forward to it and hope you do to. Thank you all."

Finally she stepped down and the Olympics were over. Now she could spend a few days relaxing and promoting the Exhibition. What a pleasant thought. It had been tiring, exhausting in fact. She had won two medals, a gold and a bronze, to go with her silver won another lifetime ago. What a remarkable eight years it had been, extraordinary really. Two children, responsibility for a whole country, two countries really. The chance to effect real change. She had been heavily involved in charity work before, donating over $10 million per annum to charities and charitable causes, yet she now had the chance to get at the root cause of so many problems.

Plus she had found love, something so often denied her, acceptance and friendship as well. When her mother-in-law had finally said "I was not convinced before, thought you inferior to my son. Now I have no doubt that you are the best thing that could have ever happened to him." Well, that really was a special moment.

September 1896-Changes in Galicia and Lodomera

18 September 1896, Tarnopol, UHE

For many years Kaiser Franz Joseph had been against building any further rail links into Galicia and Lodomeria for fear of fermenting revolution by providing transport links. This was gradually changing. It made more sense to mill the grain that the region was famous for locally rather than ship it to Prague or Brno and for that reason alone Adam Goldschmidt had started construction of a series of mills in the region.

What had prompted his investment was a slough of generous grants for those interested in setting up new business in what was without doubt, perhaps along with Dalmatia(where a similar system existed), the poorest region of the UHE. It was the construction of small "feeder" rail lines to transport produce that had helped, with agricultural returns well up on what they had been some five years go. This had been helped by the provision of modern steam engines to assist in threshing and harvesting grain, good tools and the like, all of which could be rented from the State at reasonable prices.

The improvement in the agricultural situation and it's partial mechanisation had seen the establishment of small engineering shops and light industry to support these developments and also construction of heavier industry like Goldschmidt's six mills. Workers were easily obtained. The region had far to many subsistence farmers, many on too small plots of land with large families. Wages were cheaper here than in Czechia, even taking into account the minimum wage that had been set.

What had also changed the fortunes of the province was the oil pouring in from Standard Oil, which has set up a large refinery near Bielitz, creating again a large number of jobs.It had been unpopular with the rich landowners, but Maria Theresa's education edicts were finally being enforced in Galicia, with children's attendance at education, once as low as 15% in certain areas, was now on the rise. There was a tide of change happening, for better or worse.

September 1896- Yes, I can hear your voice

20 September 1896, onboard SMS Hapsburg 15 nautical miles from the Galite Island Naval Base

The old battleship had been chosen specifically because she still had as high a mast as any with the remains of her 20 year old topmast still in place from her original construction with sails. Tesla watched as the operator opened up the transmission circuit he had built. The ship was deathly silent. They had picked a night with almost a flat calm.

"Hello, are you there, this is the battleship Hapsburg. Can you hear my voice?"

They waited through the crackles until finally they heard the faint voice "Hello, this is the naval station, I am receiving you Hapsburg. I can hear you!"

Tesla smiled. The transmission distance was not as long as Marconi now achieved, that now being pushed out to over 90 kilometers, however, this was the first transmission of the human voice via radio. It was a project that Tesla had been badgered into really. Now they would perhaps leave him alone as he was certain that he could now unlock the great mystery of life. Radio waves were the key to agelessness, he was almost certain of that if only he was given the time to explore the field.

September 1896-There are no kangaroos in Austria

22 September 1896, Hofburg, Vienna, UHE

He had again been called before the Privy Council but, unlike 1890, he did not have the time to travel via America on his way home. Instead, he elected to take the packet boat to Gibraltar and then on to Trieste. He would make the final part of his journey via Hungarian-American line from Fiume to Perth.

Yet Andrew Inglis Clark had written and requested an appointment on the way back, an appointment that he had not expected to be granted, yet it had been. Six years ago, when he last came to Europe, he would have thought Austro-Hungary a curious place to take learning from, yet things were in a state of rapid change and, like America, the UHE represented a Federalist government structure. Clark was a major campaigner for Australasian independence; an autonomous judiciary; a wider franchise and lower property qualifications; fairer electoral boundaries; checks and balances between the judicature, legislature and executive; modern, liberal universities; and a Commonwealth that was federal, independent and based on natural rights.

For that reason Clark thought the UHE was worth exploring, both to bring New Zealand back to the table and also appease a wavering Queensland. The UHE model was a much looser one than the United States, the individual Kingdoms having much more power with only defense, foreign policy, a common currency certain Federal laws and a High Court managed centrally. Being not truely democratic, they lacked a Federal Parliament, but parts of the model would perhaps work well.

As for the other changes, the issues with both aborigines that had been eliminated from his own home state and also the key issues of Kanakas and New Zealand Maoris, well it was probably best to talk to the Congo Queen, hence he considered himself lucky to gain an audience. In the finish his 30 minute appointment lasted an hour or more and he confessed himself impressed, despite his Republicanism tenancies.

There were many new ideas he could put before the 1897 Constitutional Convention.

September 1896-Aftermath with Roos

24 September 1896, Imperial and Royal Army Ministry, Ringstrasse, Vienna, UHE

Rudolf sat back in the chair opposite his friend. "Has Redl joined as yet?"

"I don't understand your interest in this man sir?"

"I just have access to some...information on him, that is all."

"As your Intelligence Chief, perhaps I should have it to."

"Yes, all in good time. Let him settle in to a junior role and in the next 12 months we can talk in more detail about him. How is your brother getting on?"

"Liking Portugal I think. Liking being a father as well. Our father is still being difficult but softened somewhat when he saw the children on their recent visit. I think he was as shocked as I was that Marie-Stephanie has red locks."

"Ha, ha, yes."

It was then that there was a knock at the door and a dark haired man with intense eyes in a Captain's uniform drifted into the room. "Colonel."

"Captain Roos. You know our guest?"

"Your Majesty."

"Captain Roos. How did your latest assignment go?"

"No particular problems were encountered sir. The first was simply a matter of finding the right person. The man was in prison, so he was not going anywhere. The second was more time consuming but was accomplished without too many problems."

Rudolf spoke. "You don't want to know why I wanted these two nobodies killed?"

"What people were killed Your Majesty?"

"Oh, very good. Thank you for your presence."

Arthur von Gieslingen leaned across the desk. "Here are the papers. They will undertake a cursory examination and make it appear you have a noble background, but not a detailed one, you understand?"

"Of course."

After the man had left Arthur von Gieslingen spoke. "I don't know about Roos but I am curious as to why they were killed."

"Some things are best left unsaid Arthur. Even Stephanie does not know and she would be so very angry if she did. I will tell her eventually, I always do, but if I need Roos again I will let you know. Just trust me, it was necessary for the security of us all. Thank you for getting him for me."

"He was a natural choice. Man's a chameleon, speaks eight languages. Do you know what he has on his personal stationary?" Arthur von Gieslingen passed over a sheaf of paper.

" 'Mundo Nulla Fides'. 'Put no faith in the world'. I see what you mean. I think it's our Sunday this week is it not?"

"Yes indeed. My place as usual?"

"I will see you there."

October 1896-A royal wedding on the horizon

1 October 1896, Hofburg, Vienna, UHE

Archduchess Elizabeth Amalie was shown in, this time without her mother. She was quick to get to the point as it was the third of a series of meetings she had held with the girl. "Your Majesty, I have decided."

"And was is that decision to be?" asked Stephanie.

"I will go to Serbia in May next year, after the mourning period for papa and Alexander and I may get married. We have been in constant contact and I feel, I feel that I can give him my love."

Stephanie smiled. "I am very glad. You seem well suited. You realise you will have to renounce your succession rights?"

Archduchess Elizabeth Amalie laughed. 'I am tenth I think, so there should be no issue there."

Yes, she thought, that was a part of the puzzle snapped into place. With the two most dangerous borders, Russia and Germany, secure for the moment, that left the South which would now hopefully also be stable. The Swiss and little Liechtenstein were not likely to be a source of trouble, now the recently created Bosnian State. That left only Italy and Romania, both of whom fancied themselves with territorial claims. These two, as long as they garnered no allies, could be managed.

April 1897-Old ship, new gun

6 April 1897, 10 nautical miles West of Sibenico, onward SMS Kronprinzessin Erzherzogin Stephanie

It was an ugly lash up on a ship less than eight years old, yet already obsolete. The ship had both of her older main weapons removed, as well as her prominent foremast and the new 12.2 inch, 310mm 42 calibre gun had been installed in a crude barbette, allowing the ship to act as the trails platform for the new gun. Finally all was in readiness.

It was to go on for a month of shoots, almost every day, testing range elevation, dispersion, at lower distances metal penetration. It would not be until late May that both the Navy and the engineers from Skoda deemed themselves satisfied.

The new guns was able to range out to 20,030 meters, far beyond the ship's ability to accurately fire. Dispersion was an issue at longer ranges, but little else could be expected at ranges beyond 12,000 meters. At 6,200 meters it would penetrate 300mm of side armour. Maximum elevation was set at 19.8 degrees. Some of the trails with the new AP shell indicated that it would tend to break up at angles over 20 degrees to the normal in any case when hitting more than 100mm of Krupp Cemented armour, which was the new standard in warship protection. On the 2nd of June 1897, Siegfried Popper would order the new gun into production. Orders for two of the new ships would follow within three months.

April 1897- End of the millenium dreadnought

9 April 1897, Hofburg, Vienna, UHE

Resistance from the Hungarians was still very much a thing and for that reason, despite the sunny economic situation and the fact that Ganz had been getting more orders, he had not laid down any new ships for the Navy the last two years aside from two destroyers, repeats of the previous class, but he had thrown resources at the construction of the big battlecruiser Tegettoff so she could be made ready for trials. As it was the ship was launched and on track to complete before the end of 1897. Not laying as many ships had duly saved money in the budget and now it was time to allocate it. The new dreadnoughts would be ordered in late this year or early next and would use much of the new technology trialed in the Prinz Eugen Class and Tegettoff. Of course, more escorts would be required and to that end three new light cruisers would also be ordered, two in the 1898 year and one the next year, to complete in 1900-01, as would the dreadnoughts.

Whereas the previous build had attracted only a modicum of interest aside from that of the Royal Navy, there was little chance that this would happen with the new ships, which would provoke a reaction as soon as the plans, still not as yet finalised, were given to the builder and the first steel cut. These six ships, the 18,100 ton dreadnoughts and the light cruisers would replace the old Hapsburg, Kronprinzcesson Erzherzogen Stephanie as well as the three Panther Class protected cruisers and the two Kaiser Franz Joseph I protected cruisers, leaving a small but completely modern Navy in it's place. With relations with Qing China still cordial and it's recent naval humiliation, perhaps the older ships would find a buyer there or in South America. Currently the fleet consisted of:

Capital Ships
0+1 17,200 ton Tegettoff battlecruiser 17x9.2 inch, 9x3.9 inch, 23 knots
3 11,350 ton Prinz Eugen Class battlecruisers 6x9.2 inch, 10x5.9 inch, 24 knots(Prinz Eugen, Veribus Unitus, Szent Istvan)
1 9,750 ton Hapsburg battleship 5x9.2 inch, 8x5.9 inch, 14 knots
1 5,080 ton Kronprinzcesson Erzherzogen Stephanie centre battery ship 1x12.2 inch, 4x5.9 inch, 16 knots

Cruisers
1 9,700 ton Lissa cruiser 16x5.9 inch, 26-27 knots
2 6180 ton Budapest Class cruisers, 2x9.2 inch, 6x5.9 inch, 25 knots(Budapest, Wien)
2 3970 ton Kaiser Franz Joseph I protected cruisers 10x5.9 inch, 19 knots(Kaiser Franz Joseph I, Kaiserin Elizabeth)
4 2580 ton Pula Class light cruisers 2x5.9 inch, 9x3.9 inch, 27 knots(Pula, Fiume, Zagreb, Prague)
3 1600 ton Panther Class protected cruiser 3-4 4.7 inch guns, 19 knots(Panther, Tiger, Leopard)(one in the Congo)

Destroyers and destroyer/minelayers
8+2(3 destroyer/minelayers) 1020 ton Kaiser Class destroyers 4x3.9 inch, 27 knots
3 480 ton Planet Class, 22 knots, 2x2.6 inch, 8x1.8 inch
3 350 ton Blitz Class, 21 knots, 8-9 1.8 inch
1 350 ton Destruktor, 23 knots, 1x3.9 inch, 6x1.8 inch
11 260 ton Tatra Class, 25 knots 1x3.9 inch , 2x2.6 inch
1 140 ton Kap Weiss, 24 knots, 5x1.8 inch

Torpedo Boats
24 various boats, all 78 tons to 95 tons capable of 19-21 knots(*4 in the Congo)

Various:
1 400 ton sail training ship Mowe
1 3500 ton Custoza cadet training ship/transport 2x5.9 inch, 18 knots
1 4560 ton Dandalo repair ship/transport 1x5.9 inch, 13 knots
3 980 ton Jupiter Class colliers 1x5.9 inch, 12 knots
2 310 ton colliers(*one in the Congo), 12 knots
8 150 ton landing craft(one modified as a water tanker)
6 river monitors

Apri 1897-Fear of changes, Congo financials

12 April 1897, Hofburg, Vienna, UHE

She was still furious with Rudolf. Outright killing people. I mean, they were better than that. Her husband had a hard edge that simply could not be filed off, no matter what love she or the children showed him. He was not like that with her, a vastly different man. "One or two men to possibly save ten million" was his answer, "It's a simple matter of mathematics." She liked to regard herself as a pragmatist and was not adverse to humiliating, even taunting her opponents and God knows there were enough of those, an increasing number these last 12 months or so or so it seemed.

Well, they could stick their noses in the air and sniff as much as they wanted, society was changing and like it or not they must change as well. Victoria had almost been on the throne 60 years, she and Rudolf had been invited to Spithead for the Naval Review after all, yet those years were drawing to a close. Soon the Edwardian Era would soon arrive, bringing more change, especially to England and France. Russia and Germany too more than likely. No, the establishment must change, even the Vatican where herself and Rudolf had a cold reception not only in temperate but also in greeting in January. They also did not approve of the changes in the UHE, that much was clear.

Yes, she thought. Murder. Murder was not something she really wanted to entertain, unless such an action was justified. Was killing Stalin and Lenin justified? Maybe she was being to squeamish as it was. Was she really angry only that her husband had not told her? Was he too afraid of her delicate feminine sensibilities? Perhaps that was part of it to. However, she did want to leave her daughters something better, where the thought of something like beating a man to death, for instance, did not need to be entertained. In Spain Cánovas had been shot by an anarchist but had survived. Now the attendant sympathy and popularity such an event engendered had him holding onto office still as the situation in Cuba became steadily worse. Not all things went to plan. Talking of anarchists and shooting, there likely needed to be a plan in pace there as well. It had happened to Franz Ferdinand in her memories when he was heir, there was little point in believing Rudolf and herself were safe. If it was Rudolf, she would need to secure herself as Regent. If it was both of them, then the girls would need to be protected. Plus, what to do with the Congo. Did she split the succession and leave it to Lola? God knows, Erszi would have enough to do with the UHE and although both were spending more time teaching her the Byzantine world of UHE politics, there was no guarantee she would be as competent, especially if she inherited too young. Plus, who would she marry?

Thinking of the Congo she picked up the accounts Congo for February 1897. That was actually going according to plan. Standard Oil had larger, over 10,000 ton ships on the African run now and the oil income was booming. It was helping the UHE as well, shipping transits, two refineries plus a third for kerosene in the Congo. The oil price had dipped somewhat but was still strong. She looked over the reports from the Governor. It was a post she eventually hoped to place Wladimir von Gieslingen, a post that would show quite clearly to Congo natives that their need not be a limit on ambitions. At some stage this year Arthur von Gieslingen would lave the Evidenzbureau and his brother would be the likely replacement. Arthur, now a Senior Colonel, needed a 'field placement' Rudolf called it. Perhaps after that she could consider Wladimir for the Congo. Rubber production had also risen and the price was rising toward 2000 crowns per ton.

It had not taken the Congolese long to grasp the concept of money, once they were actually in a position to earn it and not work as slave labour. Rubber production had doubled these last three years as demand rose and the price rose with it. The 1896 Exhibition had only made coloured diamonds more popular if anything and a second diamond mine had been discovered in 1895 and was now operational. What had perhaps helped more than anything was the transport links that now existed. The end of the navigable river was at Bukama, which, in addition to a small coal mine, held a vast reserve of Tin. The railway plowed ever South-West to a known copper deposit, in fact may have already reached it and more were to come. Thus she had been able to commence shipping. Using the long rail and steam barge journey of the resource down the two rivers was slow, yet it was now a steady income and steady employment too. Numbers of whites in the Congo was rising all the time as more demand for technical expertise was required. These numbers were now near 15,000, about 800 Belgians, a similar or greater number of Americans, the remainder UHE citizens. The latest income figures were encouraging. They were, in Crowns:

Crude Oil 399,000
Rubber 172,400
Diamonds 128,200
Ivory 89,100
Tin 58,200
Fruits and fruit products 24,300
Palm Oil 22,400
Palm Nuts 19,100
Coffee 4,370
Port Fees 2,160
Acacia pods 1,150
Philatelic and Numismatic Sales 580
Company Taxes 9,920
Miscellaneous 2,200

TOTAL 940,000 Krone approximately

Expenditure was just over 730,000 Krone per month, which meant that her personal account was bulging with unused cash she had not spent in two years, over 30 million Crowns. This was all to the good as railway and attendant telegraph expenditure was still high and 1898 was the year she planned to commence her School Program and this would have to be funded and resourced. Awax Schwarz would go back at that time to be the "on the ground" Inspector of Schools under a Departmental Head.

In the Sudan the British had secured the Abyssinian border and were now advancing South, destroying any blocking forces the Mahadists were putting in their way. By the end of 1897 the campaign would likely be over and by that stage she would have to set about creating an indigenous military beyond what was currently present. With infrastructure links completed it would now be able to move and deploy more easily and when riches were over the borders, others were often tempted.

She had received some assistance from both Rudolf, the Congo Office and the Army Ministry and a structure of eight "small" Regiments, each of two Battalions only and two more Independent Battalions. In addition, a small river force of four gunboats. By the end of 1899 hopefully the KuK Army would only have advisors and some logistical experts and officers left-the remainder would be local troops.

April 1897-Let's build a Zeppelin

15 April 1897, on the shores of Lake Constance, German Empire

Ferdinand von Zeppelin had his six engines, seven in fact since there was a space, plus his engineer from DMG. He had also enough money with his contribution that of the Austrian Kaiser and certain other individuals, as well as a public donation program. With the engines and the other materials largely on hand and the two separate designs completed, construction of LZ-1 and OLZ-1 could now begin.

His dream, that he had waited so patiently for, was now underway.

April 1897-Gun problems solved at Skoda

18 April 1897, Skoda Works, Pilsen, UHE

"Here they are Your Majesty, the first ten production models of the 7cm gun. We have solved the leakage issues on our little Děvka but she will be a difficult manufacture with very finely machined parts I am afraid. Range is 6400 meters. Here we also have the prototype of her sister, the 10.5cm, which will have a longer range. We will also be developing a howitzer example in the same calibre."

Thank God production was finally underway thought Rudolf, the Army reorganisation was almost completed with the exception of the artillery arm. All Jaeger and Cavalry Regiments had now been completed and only eight Infantry Regiments remained in the old structure, one of those changing at the moment and another in the Congo. In all he had taken some seven years to reorganise and reequip. By November the process will have been completed and then it would be the turn of the 52 regiments of artillery, the reequipping of which would be an expansive and time consuming task, but one that had to be completed non the less. In all 158 out of 166 Regiments had been completed and even the Landwehr had completed the process on it's Cavalry units.

Due to the fact that manufacture would be more onerous than usual, he would likely spread production of the new guns over all three manufacturers, not only Skoda, but also the Artillerie Zeugfabrik and Bohler in Vienna.

April 1897- A new type of automobile

20 April 1897, Ostrau, UHE

Daimler and Maybach had built their own track and the automobile had completed as many circuits as constituted 100 kilometers without a breakdown for the first time. Maybach foresaw that it would soon be ready for production. The chassis of the car was based on Maybach's new 36hp engine that had been so recently developed. It was a revolutionary design, moving away from the adaptation of a carriage layout and instead adopting the engine at the front, pneumatic rubber tires and was capable of speeds of up to 75km per hour on good terrain. Two models had been built, an (A) with basic fittings and a (B) with more expensive fittings and roomier back seat, a closed in cab and a glass front windshield to prevent driving rain effecting the passengers, as well as a rear running board that could accommodate a trunk. This was heavier and consequently slower but both models were now completed and ready.

Daimler was the more business minded of the two men and so had duly arranged the (A) model to compete in this years rally in France in July. It was in August that the Tsar of Russia was coming to visit both Berlin and Vienna and Daimler had already written to the Kaiser about the possibility of using a variation of the (B) model to drive the Russian visitors. Both would hopefully help promote the automobile. It had been the Kaiser himself that had suggested some of the features on the (B), in particular, like a windscreen, running boards and so on.

DMG 1898

May 1897- U Boat!

1 May 1897, Crescent Shipyard, Elizabeth, New Jersey, United States of America

It was a letter right out of the blue. From the UHE Kaiser no less! It may well do to save his struggling shipyard as well.

Dear Mr John. P. Holland,

I note the construction of your in my mind revolutionary submersible and your struggles to garner interest in such a vessel. To that end, I wish advise you that the KuK Navy would be interested in the acquisition of such a vessel as you are currently building. To make it more compatible with UHE specifications, I would only ask that the design be modified to use two Maybach 36hp engines, the general specifications of which are attached and these would be delivered to you in the USA, propulsion to be based on a twin shaft arrangement.

To facilitate and assist your yard, I would also like to potentially order one of your 175 ton torpedo boats, the design of which has also lain sadly neglected, with armament changes based on standard UHE fit. Would you perhaps be interested in such a contract of supply?

Rudolf IR et all

John Holland could scarcely believe his eyes. Such a contract would ensure the future of the Holland Torpedo Boat Company for the next two years at least.

May 1897-Dalmatian Railway

12 May 1897, Solin, UHE

Josip Strossmayer and Minister-President watched as Kaiser Rudolf himself drove in the final spike personally in the railway that now connected Dalmatia all the way to Kotor to the rest of the Empire, a construction that had taken two years and would now only require the completion of a spur line of just over two kilometres to the port of Split to be complete. It would be a boon to the people of Illyria and hopefully open up economic possibilities of what was one of the more impoverished areas of what was, in any case, a Kingdom that lacked much in the way of heavy industry and development. It was the last area of the UHE that was not connected to the State Railways.

It had been a battle to serve a full term as Prime Minister, there were so many areas that needed attention and the Kingdom's substantial Serbian minority had been suspicious of co-operation, yet things were gradually moving ahead and Vienna had been as co-operative as possible for a change, mainly due to the Kaiser's insistence that he bring insoluble problems with the UHE bureaucrats to him personally. He was thankful that half the cost of such a line had come out of the KuK Defence Budget otherwise it was doubtful the Illyrian government could have afforded such a rapid completion via it's own budgets, especially with the start up costs of establishing a Government.

In any case, it would soon be tested. One thing that the Kaiser had managed to gain approval from all four Governments for was standard four year electoral terms and in August all four Kingdoms would go to such elections, for Hungary the first under the new arrangements. Hungary should have had elections in late 1896 but had been happy to delay the changes- funnily enough, thought Strossmayer. Now they were only a couple of months away from such a vote.

May 1897-Torpedo problems

15 May 1897, Whitehead Torpedo factory, Fiume, UHE

Well, it had been worth a try thought Rudolf. The idea of a remotely controlled torpedo was an attractive one and was not as difficult to master as first thought, however, the reality was that to control the torpedo one needed to see the torpedo, or at least it's wake. At any sort of range at all, or in any sort of seaway, that became a very difficult task and that was when one's ship was not in the shock of combat. As it was on the trials, officers were altering the course of missiles that were on target, thinking they saw the wake elsewhere and the like.

No, it was an attractive idea that had failed. It might be useful in sheltered anchorages where shore launched tubes would be able to launch in calm water, but in those cases the changes of a "normal" hit were so good that any extra benefits of guidance were likely minimal.

His last stop before heading back to Vienna would be a Pola, where he would inspect the huge new battlecruiser Tegetthoff that was currently in the final stages of fitting out. He had thrown resources into the ship, which would have a very short period of trials before conveying him and his family to Spithead for the Diamond Jubilee review that the KuK navy had been invited to. He had high hopes that the bizarre ship with it's 17 main armament guns would panic the British even further down the wrong path, hopefully other Navys as well, serving to wrong foot various Admiralty's until he was well underway on his dreadnought program. He especially hoped the Italians would follow suit. Best to take the lead, it was not like the UHE could sustain a building program of any significance after all, even assuming they wanted to.

June 1897- Budgets

2 June 1897, on board SMS Tegetthoff, off Pola, Adriatic Sea

"Girls are both asleep. What are you doing?"

"Just going over the budgets and looking at how things are going. Do you realise that from 1890 to 1897 the combined budgets of all four plus the revenue from the KuK central receipts has risen from 9,352,000,000 crowns to 15,946,000,000 crowns? Both the Austrian and Hungarian governments have ran a surplus every year since 1888. Czechia the last two years. Illyria are running deficits, but that is to be expected really.

What has exploded is our revenue via the common budget, mainly though the application of customs duties. From 480,000,000 crowns to 1,402,000,000 crowns, mainly due to increased customs duties. The common budget is still running deficits as we try and stimulate industry and developments, but ones that are manageable with interest rates low. It had allowed us to increase common budget expenditure from 1,520,000,000 crowns to 2,962,000,000 crowns, even taking into account the Kingdom's larger budget share to fund the Congo and Colonial Offices, which they have come to recognize as a boon. It's been a great boon to the expenditure needed to modernize the Army and Navy and this year's budgets seemingly show the same rapid level of increase.

Things are happening and despite our spending on the military, on infrastructure, even on social programs and change, our common budget debt is quite sustainable and perhaps with the exception of Illyria the Kingdoms themselves have never been more prosperous. It's conformation that the events that we have put in place, well, they are working."

"Well, as you know, I have been running hugely big surpluses in the Congo as well. Yes, I agree, things are going well, but no more talk of business please. I am sorry things have been a bit..tense recently. I just want you to realise that I am a long way from a delicate flower. You can tell me things, all things."

Rudolf sighed. "Very well. I regret it to."

Stephanie smiled. "Well, now that we have talked budgets, perhaps you can assess this figure," slipping out of her robe.

Rudolf's eyes flashed. "Who said it was bad luck to have a women on a ship, let alone a new one, and to think I have three. Cursed..."

June 1897-Arriving for the Fleet review at Spithead

20 June 1897, on-board SMS Tegetthoff, Portsmouth, United Kingdom

It was just as well that they had left early with what had been an original intention to visit the Queen at Osbourne, however, the large battlecruiser had developed problems with her novel engines that had required a nine day layover at Cartagena at ensure a fix. It had been an annoying delay and indicated that he probably should not have pushed to have this ship ready after only the barest minimum of trials, a period where she was operating with builders still on board making adjustments to the power plant even before she sailed and subsequently broke down.

As it was, at least they were here now and hopefully the impact the ship would make would not be diminished by her mechanical problems. He duly took the salute from the bridge of the huge cruiser, passing and Edgar Class ship as she nosed into the harbour.
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20 June 1897, on-board HMS St George, Portsmouth, United Kingdom

Captain Horace Hogarth, RN turned to Vice Admiral John "Jackie" Fisher, his eyes seeming to pop out of his head. "Dear God Sir, what is that thing? It must be 500 feet long."

"Jackie" Fisher's eyes were like carved onyx. "That Horace, is our Austrian, or UHE friends."

Horace Hogarth looked over the huge ship, which made his new armoured cruiser look like a child's toy. If she was symmetrical and there was no reason to suppose she was not, the huge UHE ship carried fully 17 9.2 inch guns at a time when his own carried two. Not much in the way of intermediate armament he noted. Dear God, this thing could likely engage two to three, maybe even four like his Edgar Class cruiser. Her slim, arrogant lines hinted of speed as well. He did not fancy the chances of any armoured cruiser afloat against the monstrosity, only a battleship would do any good and maybe more than one of those would be needed. He turned to "Jackie" Fisher, who seemed tight lipped with fury.
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20 June 1897, on-board HMS Renown, Portsmouth, United Kingdom

Vice Admiral John "Jackie" Fisher's fury knew no bounds. His fist thundered down onto the First Lord's desk in his sea cabin. "He has brought the bloody thing here, knowing full well it would garner mass press attention, as well as that of our idiotic lords and masters in Whitehall. We invited the Austrians hoping to pry more information about their building program and the results of such a program are now plain for all to see.

This one has backfired badly. I mean have you seen that bloody thing? We invited them so we could gain more information on the ship, so we could find out where the 12 inch gun trials are leading. In the light of the Italians approaching us in regards an alliance, it paid to know more about the UHE program, not that the Italians would make a worthy ally in any case. I mean, if you cannot subdue a colonial power then you are the sort of ally that would need propping up, not be a positive help. He has outsmarted us by speeding up production and actually bringing the thing! What did they say? 'The cruiser Budapest that was was scheduled to come has engine troubles so we have replaced her with another cruiser?' Cruiser! Huh! It's bigger the Renown! It will be all over the papers and Whitehall. I can see the cries now - panic, panic, panic... They forget it is only one ship. One ship! There is no way on God's Green Earth that we can build 100 of those for trade protection yet those fools will be after us to do just that. The public expects and all that."

Admiral of the Fleet Sir Frederick Richards smiled a grim smile. "Leave the desk alone Jackie and sit down before you give yourself an aneurysm. You are quite correct in the essential points. The fat is indeed in the fire. All we can do is express our confidence in our current resources and likely lay down a follow on pair of our own as a reply to confirm the fact, much as we would prefer not to do so. I have heard the French have also laid a large design. It is not a good trend." Frederick Richards looked out the porthole at the Austrian ship and almost shivered. That thing would blow any known cruiser out of the sea. In two days time they would be on board her for a formal dinner. He had already arranged some NID officers to be in the party and tonight he would wire London to send some suitable 'ladies' to accompany them. Perhaps some honey could see some information leaked from the Austrian eagle.

SMS Tegethoff

July 2019-Arriving for the Corination review at Spithead

27 July 2019, Spithead, Portsmouth, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland

Karl gently knocked on the door of the cabin's bathroom. "It's time to go, love."

The door opened to reveal Edona clad in a pale green suit with her hair in an up-do, her eyes shimmering with tears. "Karl...I am not sure I can do this...whole thing. Take a salute. Meet...the new King and Queen of the UK for God's sake. At the end of the day I am just a farm girl from Albania."

"My darling girl, first of all you look absolutely beautiful, as you always do. I am going to be proud to stand up there with you. Secondly, you are Doctor Edona Hoxha, the girl who was strong enough after the loss of her parents to place herself through university on a hard won scholarship, which, let's face it are hard to find in Albania. The girl who learned two other languages, started her own business from scratch, charmed someone as important as well, .....me" Karl smirked.

She smiled a small smile back at him. "You know I am more comfortable in jeans than...well this. I probably look ridiculous. Magdelina said to tell them all to go to hell if they give me any trouble."

Karl smiled. "My sister talks a big game but she toes the line..mostly. You look lovely. Trust me."

"Don't worry about meeting Eddie. I have known him for years. He is a very amiable guy. Christina is a lovely girl as well."

"For you he may be Eddie and she may be Christina but for me he is Edward IX, King of the UK and Ireland and Queen Christina."

"If I had to pick three words to describe you it would be confident, intelligent, the second one scarily so, and lastly articulate."

"Not beautiful?"

"Of course beautiful. You don't know how much you intimidate me. My job, indeed what will be OUR job, well, it's just a job like any other. Different, yes, but still a set series of tasks within a defined series of protocols. In the UHE, as you well know, we are a disparate bunch, the House of Haspburg-Lorraine-Braganza, the monarchy, is the one unifying factor that ties our defense and foreign policy together. Whilst we may have limited constitutional powers now, the monarchy serves to remind us that we are still united, no matter our home city, language or for that matter ethnicity or religion. You also grew up under a Hapsburg monarchy, after all."

"All right then, panic attack is on hold. Let us go."

Edona did a double take when they came onto the bridge of the large 9,500 ton destroyer and all the crew came to attention. "It seemed slightly bizarre that as the heir's fiancé, they we now also standing for her. They watched the Royal Navy ships glide by in the Coronation review. Karl whispered "The KuK Navy first came here in 1897." He laughed. "Navies were bigger in those days, but they have been gradually getting smaller since the Great War."

"Yes of course. Thanks for quelling my nerves."

"Always."

June 1897-Artillery reequip

26 June 1897, Army Ministry, Ringstrasse, Vienna, UHE

Archduke Friedrich, in his full uniform as an Army General, looked around the room at the officers that constituted the section that dealt with Army contracts and budgets, then to a few artillery Generals.

"So, at this stage we have working final designs for the new 7cm gun and the new 10.04cm gun. We will further await the howitzer version of the 10.04cm and 15cm until the prototypes themselves pass testing and are available, likely in 1898.

Now, working on the basis of our Infantry Divisions, we will require enough of the 7cm guns to equip 26 Infantry Divisions and four more of Jaegers, so overall at 30 guns per division, 900 guns. Taking into account losses, training units needs and so on, 1100 guns. Of course, that does not include our planned reequip of our Artillery Regiments. For our 42 Field Gun Regiments, each will also require 30 7cm guns in five batteries of six. In all, another 1260 or say 1500. So, overall some 2600 guns. In regards the 10.04cm gun, again on the basis of our Infantry Divisions, we will require enough of the 10.04cm gun to equip 26 Infantry Divisions, so overall at eight guns per division we need 208 guns. We will require enough of the 10.04cm gun to equip our 14 Heavy Field Gun regiments, each will also require eight 10.04cm guns in two batteries of four. So, overall 112 guns. In all roughly 380 guns will need to be contracted.

With the howitzer designs not completed until next year, we will be required to wait to issue those contracts, however, it is anticipated that roughly 1800 to 2000 guns will be required. So, overall some 5000 to 5500 guns. At this stage it is proposed to contact 1000 in 1898, then 1200 in 1899-1902 to conduct a complete reequip. Our Fortress Artillery Regiments will receive some of the the older guns when they are decommissioned, where remaining stocks of suitable ammunition can be stockpiled so as to ease production ammunition for obsolete materiel.

Mountain guns will continue to be developed as they occur and finally the new 24cm 'Gretel' howitzers and the 30.5cm "Emmas" will likely be moved to a new Railway Super Heavy Artillery Regiment, even though the guns themselves are not rail mounted."

June 1897-Shipping developments

22 June 1897, Port of Split, UHE

One of the things that was changing in the UHE, thought Josip Siebenschein, was the sheer amount of money flowing through the country and that was reflected more than any other matter by the ports, which were more active than ever. Pola, Fiume, Trieste were all active and Josip Siebenschein was looking at where he could invest when the most remarkable thing happened. An employee of his bank, a boy of only 17 called Camillo Castiglioni, had shown him and taken him through detailed figures he had prepared for a proposal to invest in the creation of a shipping line to be based out of Split. The fledgling Illyrian government was looking at ways it could build the port to compete with Trieste and Fiume, now that it was connected the the UHE rail system. Both large ports had grown greatly in stature these last eight or so years as the UHE's overseas interests broadened and the economy fattened itself on the oil trade.

The UHE's merchant marine had jumped dramatically, from 14th place with 672,000 tons of shipping to 10th place and 928,000 tons. Austro-Lloyd, based in Trieste had, of course, purchased the African Steamship Company in 1889 and they had continued to expand. They ran routes to the Congo, via Cadiz, where they had the official mail contract. To Istanbul and the Levant and Egypt. Longer routes were to Alexandra-Aden-Bombay-Ceylon-Coco Islands-Singapore-Shanghai. They had an extensive fleet listing 136 ships of up to 6,800 tons and also did much business in the Adriatic. The second shipping firm Hungarian-American also ran a small route to the Congo and on to Capetown. However, it's main routes were Fiume-Kap Weiss-River Plate or Fiume-Kap Weiss-New Orleans, Fiume-Istanbul-Sevastopol-Poti and lastly Fiume-Aden-Ceylon-Perth. Whilst it was a much smaller concern, only 38 ships, it's vessels were larger(It's flagship Paris was 10,600 tons) and generally more modern.

It had been a combination of the fact that he had spare reserves from his businesses and bank, the competence, research and boldness of Camillo Castiglioni and the generous terms offered by the Illyrian government that had enticed Josip Siebenschein to launch Royal Illyrian Lines. The ships would be red with a black funnel, as opposed to yellow and black and green and black by Austro-Lloyd and Hungarian-American. The fact that Standard Oil had rapidly moved away from their 2,700 ton ships for the Trans-Atlantic oil run had allowed him to buy four at very generous prices. He had quickly put them to work on the Vlore-Durres-Split run transporting oil. Additionally, he had also purchased four older ships, in fact all more than 25 years old from the almost bankrupt National Steam Navigation Company for little above scrap price. Three more derelict clipper ships and a small steel barque had followed. These had been used to service runs from Durres-Bari-Split or Beyruit-Athens-Durres-Bari-Split, most carrying cargo but two refitted to carry some passengers. In all he now had near to 30,000 tons of shipping. Aside from the tankers all were old, but could be replaced in time.

June 1897-A trio of Tisza's

23 June 1897, Geszt, UHE

The three men, two older and one young, sat in chair on the balcony and watched the rosy glow of the sunset beginning to disappear. It was the younger, Istvan Tisza, that directed his question to both his father and Uncle. "So, with elections in August, which is a damned inconvenient time, what do you think will be the outcome?"

Kalman Tisza "We will lose seats to the Independence Party, of that I have no doubt, but we should still be able to form Government. Paradoxically, even though we will lose votes based on the loss of the Illyrian lands, we are better off electorally without them now that even the most base of peasants will be able to vote if literate. This is why I was able to bring myself to agree and implement the changes. I have always been opposed to too many Slavs inside our borders and for that reason alone I was not unhappy to see them go their own way, as long as we kept Fiume.

It is underdeveloped, witness the Kaiser desperately drawing money from the common budget to prop it up as an entity. No, electorally, I think we are better off to focus on the Romanians. The Slovaks all speak Hungarian, they are virtually part of the norm, witness why the Slovak People's Party get so little in the way of support. If we can develop some concessions to weld the Romanians to us then we will be electorally safe for many years to come, even with the Kaiser's Liberal changes.

Additionally so much, as you know, depends on Budapest and after the largess the Exhibition and Olympics doled out in terms of spending, public facilities and transport the public have reason to be well pleased. We have an underground railway and electric trams. Vienna cannot claim the same, although the later will soon be true. Additionally, with the construction of the three hydro electric schemes, Budapest, along with Vienna and Marburg will join Sibenico as electric towns. I am sure that it just a coincidence that the lights will be turned on two weeks before the election." Kalman Tisza smiled.

"No, let the Serbs and Croats go their own way. If it was up to me I would even remove some of the pure Ruthenian parts of the Kingdom and return them to Galicia. Even with peasants voting I am quite confident of our return. Our main concern should be the preservation of our Transylvanian estates. I note the Kaiser is looking at larger land taxes on bigger estates to try and break them up. We need to be united in opposition here I feel."

June 1897-Communications in rural Hungary

25 June 1897, Post and Telegraph Office, Letnya, UHE

Kristina Polyany smiled inwardly at the old lady, who looked at the telephone like it was a snake that would bite. "You are connected. Now speak in here, in this part."

Mrs Lemchenko looked at her like she was mad before finally croaking out "Hello???" She looked startled by what was presumably a reply. "Okshana, your sister is having the baby you must come quickly."

Afterwards the old lady smiled at Kristina. "I had though you mad when you said to talk to something not living...but this is a great thing for our little village. I do not have the money, but perhaps...." She bend down to reveal two chickens in a wicker basket.

Kristina Polyany smiled again. Such was the lot of a rural Postmistress. She would sell one chicken at the market to cover the fee for the telephone call and keep the other for eggs. In the last five years the railway expansion had seen a surge in the number of Post and Telegraph offices and also the telephone network, with a 50% increase in total offices, which were now pushing out into the most remote rural areas. Each of the four Kingdoms issued it's own stamps, as did each of the three small colonies plus the Congo. Whilst postage was cheap and telegrams affordable, telephone services were still expensive but the price was dropping every year as the network of telephones expanded, mainly due to the fact that most district Post Office's were availed of one.

The Congo and Coco Island stamps showed portraits of elephants, rhinos or exotic fruits, a new innovation. She had witnessed such a thing when she had taken a holiday with her husband to Vienna and seen the Nachtmarkt bulging with various types of exotic fruits and also drinks. Coconuts of all things. Amarulas, mangoes, bananas. It was quite remarkable.

July 1897-With Queen Vic

2 July 1897, Osbourne, Isle of Wight, United Kingdom

It was a fine day, a rarity in July in England, so Jackie Fisher walked with Rudolf in the grounds after his audience with Queen Victoria. "The ship was somewhat of a surprise."

"Yes, I am sorry about that Jackie, really I am. However, let's face it, we both know it represents no real threat to the Royal Navy, it is only one ship after all. It's more designed to overawe the Italian's now that the Ottomans are no longer a factor. As you know, the invitation to a Fleet Review at Spithead had never been awarded to the KuK Navy before and, after all, these things are a pissing contest. So, bring the biggest and best is very much the order of the day."

"I was surprised to hear that she was an oil burner."

"Well, she is, yes. As you know, we have rather a lot of oil." Rudolf smiled. "Jackie, I will not lie when I say that I think oil is the way forward. It's cleaner, easier to refuel, more powerful. All these are powerful arguments aside from the fact that most UHE coal is lignite which is unsuitable for marine propulsion."

"Well sir, I agree with you, however, England has no major oil reserves and being dependent on another power is...not acceptable at present."

"I can see your point. I can only see ships getting larger and more powerful, however, therefore the need for oil propulsion will develop even more. I think Parson's little stunt at the review was enough to catch the eye of some as well, eh?"

Jackie Fisher snorted. "Man's a damn fool in that it pissed many off mightily, however, it could not fail to attract attention and that was no doubt the aim. It is more expensive than a reciprocating system but I think also likely the way forward."
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The old Queen sat on the lounge and watched as the butler poured tea. Stephanie resumed the conversation. "It's seems the Mahadists will soon be defeated."

"Just as well to. I received reports as to what they had done to some of the prisoners. Frightful. They asked me about what we would do if our Army is defeated a second time. I replied that I am not interested in the possibility of defeat-it does not exist.

On another matter, I note that you have given the vote to women in your Empire."

"Yes indeed, I felt it only right for me, as a women myself and a Queen, to lead the way in regards giving fellow women a modicum of equal rights before the law."

"Yes, but women are not equal. I have always been most anxious to enlist everyone who can speak, write or join in regards to checking this folly of woman's rights with all its attendant horrors on which our poor feeble sex is bent, forgetting every sense of womanly feeling and propriety. Witness the scandalous behavior of suffragettes here."

"Yet surely it is a natural bent to wish to have the same rights and obligations as a man. You as a Queen must know this."

"No, not at all. I myself love peace and quiet, I hate politics and turmoil. We women are not made for governing, and if we are good women, we must dislike these masculine occupations."

"Yet you have done so these 60 years."

"Do not mistake duty and obligation for desire. If I had a choice, I would not have had so many children. You will find as the children grow up that as a rule they are a bitter disappointment - their greatest object being to do precisely what their parents do not wish and have anxiously tried to prevent. Witness my own son."

"I think you may be too hard on Bertie, his is a dutiful son and possess considerable charm that may help to win Britain diplomatic victories."

"Perhaps, perhaps. You have presided over so many changes in a short period of time. Do not forget what is good and right when moving forward. One thing I do admire is your work in Africa. No civilization is complete which does not include the dumb or defenseless of God's creatures within the sphere of charity and mercy."

"I am just trying to build something where all men will feel that they are part of something greater and the feeling that many have that the black man is beneath contempt will fall away. For the Congo natives themselves, I hope to foster that feeling to eliminate those feelings of tribal jealousy and factionalism that has brought conflict for centuries before the arrival of Europeans. It is a sad fact that many atrocities are inflicted by fellow Africans. At least we have stopped or at least suppressed the slave trade. I think that was the unfortunate fate of some of the Mahadist prisoners.

"Well, we agree on some things my dear. As my cousin I wish you well."

July 1897-Thoughts in Whitehall opposition

12 July 1897, Reform Club, London, United Kingdom

"CB" sat down in the leather chair at the club, H.H Asquith sitting across from him. "So, you met the UHE Kaiser then."

"Yes, clever beggar, far to sharp for a Head of State I would think. I think we have right there the genesis of not only their internal changes but also the resuscitation of the League of the Three Emperors. Either way, it had pushed us into a corner and the idea of Germany and Russia, as well as the UHE being together is a thoroughly repugnant one. It's a disaster for British foreign policy that the current dullards in Government seem ill equipped to cope with."

Henry Campbell Bannerman paused. "Just confidentially, it seems that I may soon be leader and if I am, then changes will be afoot. Can I count on your support to help not only reinvigorate the Liberal Party but also Britain itself?"

"Of course 'CB'."

"Well I think we have much to learn here. The UHE Kaiser and his wife, indeed their reforms are the darlings of the Liberal brigade and press world wide so we must take some learning's. You know my opinion on Irish Home Rule and if we are going to go down that track then we may as well grant the same rights and responsibilities to the Scottish as well, who will no doubt resent the Irish obtaining them if they do not. I have had someone discreetly sound out Albert Edward, who is not opposed. That leaves, of course, the Lords, where much reform is needed I fear. As yet I have no solution to offer in that regard.

We must do all we can to promote free trade. Expenditure calls for taxes, and taxes are the plaything of the tariff reformer. Militarism, extravagance, protectionism are weeds which grow in the same field, and if you want to clear the field for honest cultivation you must root them all out. Depend upon it that in fighting for cheap food and material upon which the welfare of the people and the prosperity of our commerce depend we are fighting against those powers, privileges, injustices, and monopolies which are unalterably opposed to the triumph of democratic principles. The old guard in other words. We have already had two expansions to the voting franchise. More will follow without a doubt, including no doubt women. It is already the case in the colonies. We need to be the electoral church the disadvantaged worship at, not the socialists.

I have ideas on Foreign Policy as well. Firstly this League of the Three Emperors that has been resurrected like bothersome zombie. I am wondering that, if given the opportunity, we should join it."

"Join it?" gasped Asquith, amazed.

"Well, our essential foreign policy had always been the some every since the Armada. To create and keep a disunited Europe. That was why Napoleon was such a threat. Why we implacably opposed both Italian and German unification. Over that time we have fought with virtually every European power against another as has suited us. Keeping these powers divided helps us stay on top of the game. It is a policy that has always worked well. Yet splendid isolationism is useless against such an alliance and against our desire to reduce military spending in favour of social programs.

Now, we have tried, ineptly I admit, to break up this alliance from the outside these last 2-3 years. This has failed and will likely continue to do so. I have no doubt the Austrian Kaiser views such an alliance as keeping the peace in Europe and he may well be right that no party would go against such a strong union. However, it is obviously not to our taste. Peace, yes, but not with Britain on the outside. However, if we were to join such an alliance well not a mouse could so much as fart without us knowing about it and at the same time we could work from the inside to ultimately break up such an alliance by setting these powers against one another, the failure of which would yet again bring back the balance of power in Europe where it belongs, with us, the other powers competing for our favour."

Asquith examined such a proposal. "That is a very interesting possibility and whilst we are in such an alliance would allow us to trumpet that we have solved the peace in Europe and then push through your Irish and for that matter Scottish policy on the back of public acclaim."

"Exactly dear fellow. It will blast the conservatives out of their prepared defenses."

July 1897- A wedding in Budapest

22 July 1897, Cathedral Church of St. Michael the Archangel, Belgrade, Kingdom of Serbia

With a simple "I do" Archduchess Elisabeth Amalie of Austria had become Queen Elisabeth Amalie of Serbia. Yet another Hapsburg was upon a throne, thought Rudolf. The ceremony had marked the culmination of a warming of relations between both Serbia and the UHE and the border, formerly tightly guarded, was now more fluid. Both countries had declared an interest in Mehmed-beg Kapetanović Ljubušak's Bosnian Republic and both had investments in the new state.

Rudolf had had some discussions in regards to Serbian minority rights in Illyria and at the same time the two men had also discussed UHE investment to build a railway from the Montenegrin port of Ulcinj into Serbia that the Montenegrin's could not possibly afford themselves. Alexander and his father Milan, who was also present at the wedding sans his wife, saw this as a guarantee of Serbian security to have access to a port.

In regard to Serbs in Illyria, whilst they were inferior in numbers to Croats, they could hardly say that they were unfairly represented. As the last Kingdom to come into existence as a truely independent entity, it, like Czechia, offered votes to most citizens, yet had also adopted plural voting. Again, like Czechia, to be able to hold at least one vote one must be able to read, to be of sound mind, not in jail and be over 21 in Illyria's case, lower than the Czech age of 24 that was required. Those are the only qualifications. Curiously enough, it made both Kingdom's much more democratic than either Cisleithania or Hungary, both of which operated under the Curia system. In fact, for Hungary, 1897 would represent the first such election even under such a system.

Both Rudolf and Nicholas II had been present for the ceremony, both sitting a three year old girl on their laps as the ceremony wound up, Lola whispering to Marie in broken Russian as Rudolf attempted to shush her.

Next he would travel back to Vienna for the elections in late August, the results of which would be most interesting indeed.

August 1897-Electoral discussions

4 August 1897, Ankerbrotfabrik, Vienna, UHE

"Well, who are you going to vote for then?"

Helga Braun looked at Anna Post as they sat down at the table in the company kitchen. "Oh, I am not sure. I think the Christian Social Party, despite the fact that my Franz has always voted for the German Progressives. What about you?"

"I think the Social Democrats. I admire their policies on education, the minimum wage. To think, us, mothers, voting at all!"

"Seem like Marxists to me. They hate our Kaiser, our whole country really. It wasn't the SDP that closed down the company stores, that stopped the issuing of tokens or bread to pay for work done, it was the Kaiser and his beautiful wife. Our Kaiser looks after us more than your SDP."

"It is not like that. You know it yourself. Yes, the early issues of Arbeiter Zeitung were more, well, radical. However, now we see ourselves as working within Government to effect change. Remember, here in Vienna we, the working poor, we only elect part of parliament, unlike the Czechs. I don't think anyone wants to threaten the position of our Kaiser so you just get off your high horse Helga Braun."

"Perhaps. Have you noticed how much cheaper it is to buy necessities since we have money to pay for them and not through the company store?"

"I certainly do. Have you asked Sophie who she will be voting for?"

"No one, illiterate poor dear. Ultimately, that is what we are doing it all for isn't it? Our children. I support the new education changes as well, the extra year at school. It will be a trifle harder, a year extra they cannot work, but I think worth it. Under the new laws whereby the dux of a school or the top 2.5% can gain state funded scholarships to either University or the Navy or Army as a Cadet-ships automatically, well my Werner can gain one of these if he keeps up his work. I mean my boy, a University student. Or an officer! That is the Kaiser, not your SDP."

"But the SDP supported such innovations."

"That is like saying you supported someone diving into the sea to save a drowning man. Everyone is going to support that."

August 1897-Diamonds and art

6 August 1897, Belle-Île, French Republic

The trip to Paris had been needed to work out the final details of not only the dispersion of the estate of Barney Barnato, who had died a mysterious death, but also the transfer of her diamond business. The meeting with Peter Carl Fabergé had been sufficient to convince her to apportion that part of the operation onto Faberge, who all Congo stones would go now through. Tiffany's would still be responsible for American sales and manufacture. Her only condition was the opening of Fabergé store in Vienna, which Peter Carl had been happy to accommodate. It was a change that would give greater access to the huge Russian market in any case.

It was then that she had made a private trip onto the small island off the coast of France to seek out John Russell. She had used the trip to buy many of Russell's works, but it was his portrait of Vincent van Gogh that she had really wanted. In all she had purchased 62 of Russell's paintings, ten more from those of his acolyte Henri Matisse, who was gaining a reputation and another from Claude Monet that had been left with Russell.

It had been a relaxing trip no more than a week in duration and she had taken Erszi with her, noticing her now almost 14 year old daughter's recent interest in some of the boys of the artist colony on the island. Whilst still a girl, she was commencing the transition from a girl to a woman, that much was clear. When she returned the elections would loom and then Laura Paton would return from Portugal in September.

August 1897- Schreck contracts

26 August 1897, STT Yards, Trieste

Admiral Rudolf Graf Montecuccoli had personally delivered the contract to STT in Trieste for the new 12 inch armed ships as speculation buzzed about the weekend's elections. There had been some last minute revisions to the designs based on the new oil fired power plant and by virtue of gaining the full technical specifications of the incremental changes Parsons had made to his turbines post Turbinia's unplanned expedition at Spithead. There had also been some changes to the lay of the triple turrets after firing tests on-board the big cruiser Tegetthoff. By the time steel was gathered and armour plate ordered, construction would likely not begin until 1898 in any case.

Tomorrow he would travel to Ganz in Fiume to similarly deliver a contract for the second ship. His instructions would be the same as those given to STT. All aspects in regards building the ship were to be of the strictest secrecy. These ships were designed to stand in the line of battle, withstand the shock of ship to ship combat and for that reason would use the standard Krupp armour, although test the Kaiser had authorised had shown that 0.1% of silicon into the normal Krupp armour would further serve to strengthen it and the new ships would accommodate this. They would also incorporate the top secret new development, the Voice Marconi system, provisionally called wireless. The battleships had abandoned the use of torpedoes and Montecuccoli had convinced the Kaiser to incorporate 5.9 inch secondary guns as against the Kaiser's desire for only 3.9 inch weapons. What he had been not been able to convince him to do was change the proposed name. Whilst the UHE had abandoned the German practice of naming ships only after launch, nothing could convince the Kaiser to change the classes names at all.

This first ship would be called Schreck, a bizarre name in Montecuccoli's mind yet the Kaiser seemed hugely amused when questioned. The second, Kaiser Rudolf was obviously more traditional, whilst the third and last, which would go to the naval arsenal in Pola next year, was to be called Heiligesdreieinigkeit, another unusual if conservative enough name.

August 1897-Elections and medical breakthroughs

31 August 1897, Hofburg, Vienna, UHE

Rudolf awoke slowly and felt Stephanie, still naked and pressed up against him. He smiled, remembering their run at 5.30am after waking before returning to the Hofburg and then doing that rarest of things, going back to bed and falling asleep. He looked at his watch. It was after 8.30am! His movement must have disturbed Stephanie, who rolled over and faced him.

"Hello."

"The children are at their lessons. How about we have a slow start to the day?"

"Very well. Be a good boy and bring your papers and the papers from your study and we can read them in bed whilst I get my correspondence off my desk."

A few moments later they were propped up in the large bed and reading, Rudolf the Czech and Hungarian papers, Stephanie the Germans ones.

"So, the elections", said Stephanie, here in Cisleithania we have:

Christian Social Party 83
Polish Club 68
United Social Democratic Party 66
German Conservative Party 29
Slovenian Club 23
German People's Party 22
German Progress Party 17
Italian Club 15
Ukrainian Radical Party 15
Radical Union 10

"Well one thing we can be sure is that the USDP will not gain supporters, or the German People's Party. It is likely that the Christian Social Party, the German Progress Party and the Polish Club will combine, maybe with the Slovenians to form a block and I will need to appoint a Minister-President that is capable of working with them."

'What about Hungary?" said Stephanie.

"Well there it seems the status quo is assured. The results are:

Liberal Party 255
Party of Independence and '48 83
Catholic People' Party 34
Romanian Nationalist Party 31
National Liberal Party 23
United Social Democratic Party 21
Slovak National Party 10
Serbia People's Party 4"

Rudolf flipped to a Prague paper. "In Czechia:

The Liberal Party 51 seats
The Social Democratic Party of Czechia 21 seats
Catholic People's Party 12 seats
Moravian Agrarian Party 7 seats
The National Party 7 seats
German People's Party 7 seats

The Liberal Party and the Catholic People's Party will likely rule so again no change."

"Well, lastly, what of the first elections for Illyria?"

"Well it seems we have:

Independent Illyrian Peoples Party 34
Party of Rights 33
Pure Party of Rights 4
Serbian People's Party 18

I cannot say how that will turn out, presumably one of the major two will need to approach the Serbs, hopefully the Illyrian People's Party."

Stephanie sat clutching a telegram. "Well, I have news as well. Beautiful news. Anton Weichselbaum believes that he has been able to synthesize penicillin in a workable solution and is preparing to start animal trials within three months. The main issue has always been to develop a grade of penicillin mold that provides sufficient concentrate and then to exclude impurities, the latter especially difficult. As you are aware this has taken nine years of research, funded at considerable cost by ourselves through Science and Technology. In mean, first we simply had the "mold juice" that we took ourselves. To carry out trials they needed to process up to 300 liters a week of mold and of course grow the mold itself in the first place in fermentation vessels. We may be able to start trials by 1899. What an incredible breakthrough that would be."

"I agree" said Rudolf. "Not exactly unprofitable either, I would think."

"No. Not exactly. It is your daughter's 14th birthday in two days. I will have a little surprise for you then as well."

"Very well. What exactly?"

"Just a couple of inventions I have had made."

September 1897-Girl's birthday parties and women's clothing

2 September 1897, Schonnbrunn Palace, Vienna, UHE

"Well that was a success", called Rudolf. Their daughter's present for her 14th birthday had been her own Lipizzaner that had been retired from the Winter Riding School, named Max. It had been love at first sight. He was concerned that the girl was involved too much in what was admittedly innocent flirtations with Prince Luis of Brazil, who was after all 19 years of age, as she had insisted that he be invited to her birthday party. She was strong willed, Erzsi, much like her mother, he thought. Where was her mother more to the point?

He crossed their bedroom and looked in his wife's study. No. The sitting room. No. Even the anteroom. No, again. Finally he knocked on his wife's dressing room and entered. She was facing a full length mirror looking at herself.

Rudolf was shocked. She wore only a a brassiere. Why had he not thought of that before? In addition, she wore the most incredible skirt that tightly hugged every inch of her toned rear, split from top to bottom with a zipper. A zipper. Why had he not thought of that before either?

"It's called a pencil skirt." Stephanie said as she bent over slightly more to look in the mirror. "Do you like it?"

He just nodded.

"I had thought this a few months ago. I have nothing against a corset mind you. In a few years I may need it's, well, pushing up qualities. The zipper only came to me a month ago and I had this made. It's a bit risque for general wearing, however, the concept is good as a whole. Now we just need to patent both and place it with a reliable manufacturer. Care to unzip me?"

"God yes."

September 1897-End of the Mahadist State

25 September 1897, Kaka, Anglo-Egyptian Sudan

So confident of victory were the Anglo-Egyptian forces under Kitchener that many had indulged the night before the battle. After defeating an enemy more than three times their size over twelve months ago, they had continued to advance steadily South until they had encountered the last stronghold of the Kalifa, the town of Kaka which had been hastily fortified by his loyalists. Now they outnumbered their opponents 9,000 to 8,500.

It was an all too brief battle. Kitchener had used his cannon to batter a number of holes in the makeshift walls and then ordered a general assault on the town. One of the drawbacks of conducting such a long military campaign in such a trackless wilderness was the sheer boredom of the men. Hyped up for battle and with drink the night before it was a recipe for a bad outcome and so it was to prove. The men advanced rapidly, taking some casualties, but slaughtering all before them. Witnessing some heads impaled in spikes and decorated with English pith helmets had not helped either.

Winston Churchill had rushed back from British India to view and participate in the campaign. He had seen many bad things during his time in Cuba, and in addition had heard about Kitchener's casual concern for the enemy in the previous large encounter where tombs had been looted and blown up and some captives seemingly killed out of hand but this was worse. Churchill was to later write "The victory at Kaka was disgraced by the inhuman slaughter of most of the wounded and there is no doubt that Kitchener was responsible for this. Women were taken against their will afterwards in an orgy of looting and the Khalifa was thrown into the Nile weighed down by chains to mark the end of the Sudan campaign."

Aside from some resistance from small groups of 100 in Dafur, virtual bandits, the Mahadist state had ceased to exist, Britain and Egypt regaining what they had lost in a Condominium, aside from what had been allocated to the UHE and France in the South.

October 1897-Cuba in his sights

2 October 1897, Cadiz, Kingdom of Spain

The two near sisters Anselma de Larrinnega and Maria de Larrinnega, both just over 4,000 tons, were ready to depart. For Prime Minister Antonio Cánovas del Castillo it represented an escalation no doubt. The recruitment of Moroccan mercenaries via the Spanish towns of Cuetta and Melilla represented a new face on warfare. Cánovas would not consider any concessions to autonomy. Spain had 180,000 regular troops on the island of Cuba alone and more than 50,000 irregulars, yet still the rebels stubbornly persisted.

Only the British had been inclined to assist the rebels by allowing the passage of food. Even his most implacable opposition, the weak Americans, were stopping shipments with their Coastguard. Yet still the opposition persisted. Well, if they had endured so far, they would now see just how far he would go to protect what was Spain's sovereign possessions. A little taste of true terror should suffice to break any remaining resistance and wrap up the campaign before any further American bleating in their inflammatory newspapers.

October 1897- Silencer

12 October 1897, Schonbrunn Palace, Vienna, UHE

"Well the boys are back in town, how about we leave the ladies to the children and take a little trip, I have something to show you."

Arthur von Gieslingen smiled at the Kaiser's boyish enthusiasm. They removed themselves to the back of the palace and quickly bundled into a new DMH 1898 36hp(b) model with a large trunk strapped to the back, two bodyguards crammed into the rear seats with Arthur's brother Wladimir. It was only a short drive to the edge of the wood surrounding the estate.

Rudolf pulled out what looked for all the world like a large and crude wooden doll and propped it up against a tree. "Now, if you both would like to turn around and face away from me."

God knows what this is for, one could often never tell with Rudolf thought Arthur. He heard one of the bodyguards say "Your Majesty.." and then heard a sound and started to turn. When he was finished Rudolf had in his hand a standard M1874 Gasser with a strange cylindrical tube attached to the end of it.

"Did you hear anything?" bubbled Rudolf.

"No, why do you have a pistol? And what is the thing."

"I call it a silencer. See, I fired two shots into the dummy whilst your back was turned."

Arthur von Gieslingen looked at the cheap wooden dummy. Indeed there were two impacts points that presumably were not there before.

Rudolf went on. "You see it screws into the barrel here."

Vladimir, back from Portugal only two days ago and due to take over from his brother at the Evidenzbureau at the end of the month looked at the contraption. "Could be useful for...covert work."

"That is what I thought", said Rudolf.
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"Oh Laura, they are beautiful. Karl and Agnes eh?"

"Well, Arthur already named his eldest after Vlad's father, so we compromised on Karl after his father's father. Agnes? Well with the red hair...it was my father's mothers name and even if he was a Scottish ass, well..it seemed appropriate."

"Talking of Vlad's father, how has he been."

"Well, we are living there at present and it has been....reasonable. I am just glad to be back. Vienna seems like home now."

November 1897-The railway comes North

1 November 1897, Cape Town, Cape Colony

Cecil Rhodes plans were well advanced. Zululand would be annexed at the end of the year, he had placed enough pressure on the Colonial Office to ensure that this was so. His railway was also well advanced, having reached Manda Hill or Lusaka as the natives called it. By the end of 1898 it would have reached Katanga to hopefully meet the Congo railway coming South which had almost reached Kolwezi. It would also allow access to copper and manganese found in Northern Zambesia.

The only fly in the ointment was the Transvaal and the Boers. He had a plan to deal with them as well, but it could wait until such time as the Zululand annexation was complete and then perhaps they could finally be dealt with.

January 1898-Meanwhile, in Havana

17 January 1898, Havana harbour, Spanish Cuba

Maximo Gomez looked at the young man again. "So, you know what this will mean even if you are successful?" The man nodded. "There will be no chance of escape yourself, none at all? It is an ascension day mission, you know this?"

"If it brings the Americans into the war on our side because they think the Spanish pigs destroyed their ship, this USS Texas, so be it. Anything to strike back at the Spanish and their barbarous methods."

"Very well, I Maximo Gomez authorise this mission in the name of a free Cuba. Go with God."

February 1898- Two bangs gain a war

5 February 1898, USS Texas, Havana harbour, Spanish Cuba

It was not difficult to gain access to the battleship with parties coming aboard for functions and locals bringing fresh and vegetables for the crew to enjoy. It had been easy enough to slip away and he had been briefed as to what to look for. The majority of the crew were topside. He placed the charge in the magazine. Then he ran, thinking the fuse may give him long enough, but it burned far faster than he could have ever thought.

In any case, the running figure attracted attention and the crew thought he was likely a thief, the enlisted quarters being forward in the ship and some sailors detained his headlong charge. By that stage the ship was a second away from coming apart around them. The detonation of the forward magazines blew the front part of the ship to pieces with 100% casualties. Machinery propelled by the blast also punched gaping holes in the starboard side and the remainder of the ship, not at battle stations, quickly capsized. Only 66 of her 374 compliment were to survive.

It, along with further reports of terrible atrocities in Cuba, was sufficient to propel the United States to the brink of war with Spain. The dismissive attitude of Spanish Prime Minister Antonio Cánovas del Castillo, who declared that he deplored the "vile suggestion of Spanish involvement" exacerbated the crisis.

It was the explosion that tore the USS Maine apart at Key West, Florida only ten days later that confirmed in President McKinley's mind Spain's guilt and on 1 March 1898 Congress supported a declaration of war. It was to take until two years after the war when it was confirmed that the Texas had not been destroyed by Spain at all but by Cuban insurgents. It was to take 75 more years until it was confirmed likely that the Maine's apparent cause of loss was in fact spontaneous combustion of coal in the bunker, itself next to the magazine, a process only poorly understood at the time and a quite likely occurrence in the small and poorly ventilated class of battleships.

February 1898-prelude to war

18 February 1898, Hofburg, Vienna, UHE

"So, these confidential reports indicate that there is no doubt that the Americans will go to war." said Rudolf.

"What about our position? What do we do?" asked his wife.

"Nothing I think, at least comparatively."

"Nothing? Surely we must do something?"

"The sources we have via the Embassy indicate that the Americans are overwhelmingly set on war and have already rejected Spain's protestations that the sinking of the ships had nothing to do with them. Over 500 men are dead. That is an account that must be paid off their national honor. Plus the press in America itself have been clamoring for war even before these incidents. Hawaii is an example of the fact that some sections of America dream also of Empire. I told them! I told them to sell the islands before this sort of thing happened. Fat lot of good trying to hold it will do now.

As for us, we must say to the Americans that of course we deplore such behavior and that if Spain is guilty we will of naturally support their position. To Spain we say we welcome the family ties that bind us and of course they have our full diplomatic support and if we are required to negotiate terms we will do so in good faith, but that we cannot be dragged into a war, especially one started by two such deplorable incidents."

"Did Spain do such a thing?"

"I really have not got a clue there. Whether they did or did not is almost irrelevant sadly. Our position remains the same either way. Family solidarity, even Catholic fraternity, demands that we not break with Spain. That we be on hand to offer a diplomatic solution if they desire one. Yet our own trade interests, the Congo oil pipeline and simple political and military reality demand that we offer the same to the Americans. Plus it does look bad. I mean two ships?"

"So you think America will prevail?" asked Stephanie.

"Most certainly. The Spanish outposts are all surrounded by sea. So victory will be inevitable to the power that controls the seas and can land troops. Spain has a navy of eight battleships, 19 cruisers and six larger destroyers, not counting gunboats and the like. America has four battleships, 18 cruisers and eight destroyers, again not counting gunboats and monitors and so on. It sounds even on the surface, however, the Americans will be fighting close to home with short supply lines. Spain thousands of kilometers from theirs. There is a huge gap between the relative power of the individual units and also the training of the crews. Lastly, Spain must split their fleet to cover Cuba, the Philippines and Spain itself. The United States Navy need only cover their East Coast and then create and concentrate a Flying Squadron to overwhelm the split Spanish forces one by one. It is an inevitable as we once knew it to be."

"I cannot see another power intervening on either side."

"Neither can I."

February 1898- Aguinaldo makes an approach

20 February 1898, Hofburg, Vienna, UHE

Stephanie came into Rudolf's study and placed the telegram that had come from Hong Kong on his desk.

"Your Imperial and Royal Majesty,

greetings, you likely know little of me and indeed I know little of you beyond what I have read in newspapers, the reading of which has largely been my fate this last two months. Yet in times of crisis one must by duty alone reach out and try and establish friendships that will assist in the liberation of all oppressed men and women and advocate on behalf of those that have no voice.

Here in the Philippines Islands, islands that I have been cruelly exiled from, we will no doubt see war. Whilst all the world's eyes turn to Cuba, we have already been pursuing a path towards freeing ourselves from Spanish occupation and establishing our own state where liberty and justice to all men is guaranteed. We fought a long 16 month war to evict such occupying forces that ended only some eight weeks ago.

Already the Americans have indicated via their Commodore Dewey that they will transport myself and my men back to the Philippines once that have finished assembling a squadron to deal with the Spanish fleet, so that I can again lead a campaign to remove our Spanish occupiers. What is our aim you ask? Nothing less than full independence in the government of our islands. We ask nothing more than to manage our own affairs, a task of which we are quite capable.

I anticipate that you are asking yourself a number of questions, no doubt among then the perennial one. Why me? Secondly, how could I assist and lastly why not enlist the Americans being the enemy of my enemy is my friend?

I do not entirely trust the Americans and perhaps I am doing them a disservice in that regard. Spain will not give in easily and I have no doubt that the USA will ultimately have to land troops. It is my experience that once Great Powers land troops they do not easily remove them. In addition, it is my reading of the situation that those inside America that agitated for this war are the same figures that yearn for overseas Empire, witness the events in Hawaii.

How can you assist? It is pointless appealing to Russia, who will claim no interest. Britain would want to establish a Protectorate, I have no doubt, likely to increase their Pacific influence. Germany also to increase their influence at the expense of the British. France likewise will see it as a valuable adjunct to Indo-China. Ultimately, whilst I hope not, I fear at some stage we may require a major power to speak on behalf of our independence, our capacity to self govern.

This brings me to my third point. I write to you to be that voice of reason on our behalf, which, if newspapers are to be believed, you have provided to the wretched peoples of Africa. That you are a person, like your speech at the Olympics illustrates, that believes in the basic equality of people. The UHE has no Pacific ambitions and therefore will likely not be fired by colonial ambitions here.

Your Majesty, one thing I pride myself on after living with Spanish administration for so many years, is that I know Spain and Spaniards. Ultimately, if Spain are to lose this war, which advisors tell me is likely, then Spain's honor will be more satisfied by granting us our hard won independence than ceding these islands as a Colony as the result of a loss in war to a hostile power.

I realise that, of course, you cannot do anything to militarily assist us being so far away from your own bases of power. I only pray to God as a fellow Catholic and ask that if and when the time comes that you and your great country assist us as much diplomatically as possible to find and fulfill our own destiny. In return, if we achieve our aim of a government in the Philippines for the Philippines people, we would be happy to consider provision of trade and coaling facilities on the most generous of terms.

Emilio Aguinaldo y Famy

Generalissimo"

February 1898-New dreadnoughts

26 February 1898, Ganz Shipyards, Fiume, UHE

Although the contracts for the construction of the new all big gun battleships had been let the previous year, the experiences in operating the large cruiser Tegethoff had necessitated tinkering with the design, especially in relation to the new oil fired power plant and their had also been developments with the new turbines. Even the triple turrets had shown some interdiction of the shells with broadside fire.

Gradually fixes has been worked in and a final design was again submitted on the 6th January. Material had already been assembled and the first steel was cut on the 20th January at STT, on the 26th January at Ganz and on the 2nd February at the Naval Fortress at Pola.

There would also be a contract issued for new series of what originally were to be light cruisers and were still at that size but were equipped more as destroyers, 1,900 ton ships with 7x3.9 inch guns and lavishly equipped with torpedo tubes, designed to overwhelm enemy torpedo boats and either act as a screen for the battleships or force an attack in their own right on an enemy's main body.

New light cruisers

March 1898- Another Whitehead

1 March 1898, Boston, United States of America

To: Herr Gustave Albin Whitehead

Dear Herr Whitehead,

It did take some time and inquiries before I was able to locate you in the United States. As a student in aviation circles, you are no doubt aware that here in the UHE we are conducting not only research but also construction of lighter than air powered airships to fully test the possibilities for flight with such vessels. It has been a passion of mine to see this country lead from the front in regards technical development and whilst we are looking at lighter than air craft, I myself am also interested in the possibilities of heavier than air flight as well.

We are fortunate that at present we have one of the most talented exponents of engine development in Maybach here in the UHE. To that end, I was interested to know whether you would be interested in returning to the German speaking world to take a position as head of heavier than air flight at Ostrau, which is also where the DMG engine factory and the airship construction is taking place.

It will, of course, come with a more than fair salary that would allow you to leave your current uncertain employment as a mechanic and keep your wife and new daughter in more relative comfort. If you are interested in such an opportunity and the chance to work with some of the best mechanical engineering facilities in Europe, please reply posthaste.

Your,

Rudolf IR

March 1898-Bukama and the mining industry

5 March 1898, Bukama, Congo Free State

The town had leap out of the surrounding plains, it's importance solely based on the river trade as the last navigable port on the river itself. Within two years the population had swelled from 600 to 7,000 as it became a major transport hub for the export of minerals as well as a shipbuilding facility. Four separate copper mines now existed in Katanga, two of which also produced high grade cobalt. In addition, there was a silver-lead-zinc mine and another of tin. The main issue, with the railway inside the Congo having reached Elizabethville, but with near 50km of track inside the Congo to go to the border and Rhodes railway coming North still 135km away from Katanga, was the transport of the raw materials.

For that reason alone Bukama had become of paramount importance. Although there were smelters now at Elizabethville, much of the mineral wealth poured into Bukama in it's raw form and needed to be transported down the river by a cumbersome combination of river transport and portage railway lines. The town was now building it's own paddle wheel steamers who duly towed tethered barges down the river containing both raw ore and copper matte.

It was a bustling frontier town with little in the way of ceremony, with 21 hotel licenses alone granted over the last two years and was the focal point for not only mining but timber cutting to feed the furnaces required at the copper smelters and the town was growing all the time. What would occur when the two rail lines linked was too far into the future to contemplate for many.

For the moment the town was prosperous. All rail infrastructure including steam engines had to be shipped down the river and assembled on site in many cases.

All of Katanga had mining fever. Combined with the discovery of gold in the remote Lado enclave, an area just liberated from the Mahadists and the already existing diamond mines and the oil industry, many were embarking to the Congo to attempt to make their fortune, large numbers of not only local people but particularly the poorer classes of Galicia and even Dalmatia were emigrating, even non UHE citizens were moving to the Congo in search of riches and wildcat claims were being pegged all over Katanga, stretching the ability of local government to cope with the administrative workload. Over 8,000 had come to Katanga alone in the last 12 months. On the 1st of January a separate mining Stock Exchange was opened in Elizabethville to go with the one that opened the previous year in Marienburg, even though the later dealt nearly all with mining stocks. In Vienna at the start of 1898, Congo stocks had also been listed and trade was brisk as many of the volatile stocks quickly boomed or busted with evocative names like "Silver Queen, Stephanie Verdegris, Imperial Tin or Copper Kingdom. All hoped to follow the celebrated example of Daniel Matongo, a essay office employee who discovered his own malachite mine, sold share in it, the company evocatively called Green Fire, and had overnight become a rich man. Elizabethville's closeness to three major deposits had caused some to give it the unofficial name of "Kupferopolis".

The main issue was transport of product and people saw the rail coming North as the break of that choke point.

Bukama port

March 1898- A coming battle

12 March 1898, Mirs Bay, Chinese Empire

Commodore Dewey had left Hong Kong on the 4th after the 72 hour expiry of the limit he could stay in a neutral port and had sailed to Mirs Bay where they had finalized stocking his ships with ample coal and ammunition in addition to finishing off the task of painting his vessels from peacetime white to wartime grey. He had originally intended to leave on the morning of the 11th but his progress had been interrupted by the arrival of the protected cruiser Baltimore on the night of the 10th, a welcome reinforcement, one which had steamed at speed across the Pacific from Hawaii to join his force, looking initially in Hong Kong for him. Another 24 hours had seen the cruiser also made ready, although she mostly retained her white paintwork. It was the morning of the 12th when Dewey left the Chinese bay, the 5,900 cruiser Olympia leading the protected cruisers Baltimore(4600 tons), Raleigh and Boston(both 3200 tons) and the gunboats Petrel(850 tons) and Concord(1700 tons). Dewey was confident, although he was aware that the Spanish Philippines squadron had been reinforced by the ex UHE centre battery ship Santisima Trinidad. He had been told that the Spanish squadron lay at Subic Bay but would disembark the Philippines rebels first and then proceed on to investigate first Manila and then finally Subic Bay itself.
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14 March 1898, Subic Bay, Spanish Philippines Islands

Rear Admiral Patricio Montojo y Pasarón reviewed the state of his forces. The 7500 ton battleship Santisima Trinidad, which had only been refitted recently and sent to the Far East, was in reasonable condition, although restricted in speed due to fouling. The second largest ship, the 3000 ton protected cruiser Reina Cristina was similarly effected and also plagued by boiler problems. He had five other small protected cruisers, all 1050 to 1150 tons. One had been towed to Cavite and was immobile. Another had severe hull leaks and was almost so. In addition he had four 500 to 550 ton gunboats. Of his eleven units, only two mounted guns larger than 4.7 inch.

His ships were ill trained, aside perhaps from his flagship, being also poorly equipped. None carried torpedoes that were operational and he had no naval mines at all. Discounting his two immobile units, his ships were good for no more than 10 knots as a squadron. Much depended on his flagship, if that was to be disabled the result of any encounter would be all too predictable. He had hoped to get a shore battery operational but that was not to be now that Dewey had sailed and all he could now do was wait and fulfill his duty.

March 1898-Victory?

17 March 1898, Subic Bay, Spanish Philippines Islands

Rear Admiral Patricio Montojo y Pasarón had received a small crumb of consolation that went partially towards saving his own and Spain's honor despite the carnage inflicted on his command. The Americans had steamed into the bay early that morning, carefully avoiding the only mined channel and then set upon his fleet in a series of passes. The first three had unusually ignored his flagship and gone after the smaller vessels of his command, which had caused great havoc. They had closed from 4,000 meters to 1,800 meters each time, keeping up a constant but none too accurate fire. Hits, however, had continued to accumulate. Seven such passes had been made, backwards and forwards in front of his fleet and the rising tide of damage to his ships was a constant. On the converse side, his own units seemed unable to gain much in the way of hits at all on the American forces, his flagship landing two 5.9 inch on the largest American ship, the smaller cruiser guns a couple of others.

The Reina Cristina was sinking, the Castilla in a similar condition. The Don Antonio de Ulloa had been abandoned and was blazing. The immobile Velasco had been torpedoed on the last pass by the large American cruiser and sunk rapidly. The Don Juan de Austria had been scuttled. Three of his four gunboats were sunk. All that was left was his flagship, herself now badly damaged and with two of her six 9.2 inch main battery out of action in addition to numerous smaller guns, along with the small cruisers Isla de Cuba and her sister Isla de Luzon, which had only taken two and three hits respectively. The gunboat Argos, held at the rear, was undamaged. Four ships left out of 11.

All that had saved his fleet from total destruction was the fact that on the seventh pass the Santisima Trinidad had gained a main battery hit on one of the American cruisers, producing an explosion and a large column of smoke that saw the cruiser sheer her bow clean off and rapidly sink. This had caused the Americans to withdraw, their large cruiser conducting an eighth and final pass to cover a withdrawal from the bay by launching a torpedo attack.

Casualties were heavy, 210 dead and 512 wounded. He had picked up 70 Americans from the waters of the bay in the aftermath. All he could now hope for was that they would not return. The Santisima Trinidad was perhaps capable of fighting again but had been badly battered, likewise his remaining two small cruisers but his command had been badly neutered and for that reason he would pull them back to Manila under the guns of Fort San Antonio Abad where he could effect some repairs.
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17 March 1898, off the coast of the Spanish Philippines Islands

Dewey had been shocked by the turn of events. All had been going handily until such time as the near end of the seventh pass, his ships only taking small caliber hits aside from two 5.9 inch hits on his flagship that had knocked out a 6 inch gun but otherwise not impaired her fighting ability. His ammunition expenditure, of which he had brought ample, did not exceed 30%. That was when the Boston had taken a hit that had caused the ship to explode, the bow sheering off and the remainder rapidly sinking.

Considering so little damage had been dealt to that point, it had been a shock and Dewey had revered course for a final run out of the bay, bringing his flagship in closer to launch his Whitehead torpedoes at maximum range of 850 yards, but this had missed it's target, one missile seemingly finding the ship next to the Spanish flagship. His ship had taken three more hits, one a damaging one from a large shell that killed nine men and wounded 17 more. So far from support, losses and indeed casualties were something he could ill afford. He had already detained many sailors well past their enlistment period and 85 of his men had already deserted prior to the engagement. Now he had another 19 dead and 52 wounded. Plus the Boston and her crew of 261.

With the large enemy battleship still combat capable, even if he had shattered the remainder of the Spain's Fleet, further combat against the ship and likely shore batteries seemed ill advised and he was also in need of port facilities. All he could now do was wait. Wait for reinforcements.

March 1898-Annihilation at Manila

20 March 1898, Manila Bay, Spanish Philippines

Aguinaldo's return had thrown the Philippines again into revolt and that had helped Dewey. He had left the Petrel to continue to blockade Manila with instructions to return if the Spaniards had sortied. That they had not done and two days at Santo Thomas had seen the nearby town already under rebel control. He had used that time to treat his wounded, conduct some cursory repairs and equip his flagship with her full compliment of six torpedoes again, three of which had been previously expended. He had also equalized his ammunition expenditure. It had also served to bolster the morale of his men, a number of whom were shocked at the fate of the Boston. They had to finish the job, however.

The Spanish were lying under the guns of Fort San Antonio Abad but their fleet now consisted of only two small cruisers and a gunboat aside from their flagship. His plan differed from the last. This time he would try and nullify the Spanish advantage in heaver guns by making their shooting, already unsteady, a more difficult task by attacking in the hour before dawn.

He had considered mines the main danger, but no ships had approached the channel and his force now slipped into the bay. He would use the Olympia and the Raleigh to close to as little as 750 yards to deliver their attacks and then use all three major ships to attack the Spanish flagship whilst his gunboats engaged the two smaller cruisers.

One would have thought the Spanish would have been wide awake, but he had been able to maneuver his ships to within 800 yards, already within torpedo range, before the first signs of alarm had become apparent, a flare or rocket being fired from the Spanish flagship. All this had served was a suitable aiming point and his ships moved into 700 yards before releasing a salvo of five torpedoes. Only one was to find the large Spanish vessel.
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20 March 1898, Manila Bay, Spanish Philippines

Rear Admiral Patricio Montojo y Pasarón had moved his ships under the fire of the Fort San Antonio Abad guns. He had little confidence in the shore batteries, they had even less training than his own battered crews, however the three 9.4 inch guns would hopefully be of some use. The other nine antique pieces of 3.4 and 3.2 inch he had less confidence in. His flagship had been badly battered, losing two of her six main guns and two of her five 5.9 inch secondaries. Flooding was controlled but still not fully eliminated. If the Americans only knew how weak they were.

His crew had needed sleep badly so he had given more than half of them the chance to take it. The American gunboat had shelled any fishing boats he had wished to use as pickets and there were no more mines to lay. He did have two harbour patrol vessels but these had missed the American fleet, coordinating their sweeps poorly and both had been one the same part of their runs.

When the Americans had first been spotted they had already closed to less than 800 meters. The a fool had fired a warning rocket off the stern of the ship. The Santisima Trinidad had not gotten a shot off from here main armament, but had scored twice with smaller calibers, when the torpedo hit. It detonated against the 22 year old hull, causing on onrush of water into the ship. By the time Dewy was able to steam past and return, the ship was already listing so badly that she was unable to bring any guns to bear, assuming her crew were concerned with doing so. For the small four inch armed cruisers left and the solitary gunboat, the results were more than predictable.
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20 March 1898, Manila Bay, Spanish Philippines

Dewey had moved his ships away from the shore battery now the pearl of the first dawn was over the bay. He had also used 45% of his ammunition. The Spanish flagship had capsized, a small cruiser had been sunk, along with a gunboat. The last small cruiser had beached herself. He had exchanged some fire with the shore battery but with two large guns in action, one of which had come close to a hit, it was now time to withdraw.

He would expend more ammunition in a bombardment of Cavite and then hopefully land Marines to take the fort now that their were no hostile ships to concern himself with. They may also be able to find more information in regards he survivors of the USS Boston. His ships had taken only five hits with one dead and nine wounded.

March 1898-Education in the Congo

25 March 1898, Moskito Bach District School, Kingdom of the Congo

Awaz Schwarz mounted his horse and prepared to depart. This was the most unpleasant part of his job without a doubt. The travel. Prior to this appointment he had never ridden a horse before and it showed by his sores. Now he was making long journeys between the Government Schools that had been gradually built during 1897 to open in 1898. The Congo had gone from 38 schools, those mainly in Marienburg, Cabinda, Elizabethville, Point Noire or Matadi to over 120, in fact 124. These rural schoolhouses had been constructed all over the country, in many cases one room establishments staffed by a cadre of teachers recruited the previous year.

Awaz Schwarz's job was to assist in the development of what was taught, and along with his five assistants, to check on how things were going in each school. It was a monumental task when one considered the distances involved. It was also one of some importance. In effect, he was responsible for all of the Congo's nascent Education System, since his own superior and Head of the Department of Education, ironically Herr Augustus Schwarz, was mainly concerned with school policy and the apportioning of money for projects. Whilst a quite pleasant fellow Awaz had discovered, he was notoriously parsimonious.

The schools were varied affairs, some located in quite large buildings, others, in fact most, one room schools. But it was a start and the teachers that were employed were in the most competent. Many were recent graduates of "white schools" in Cabinda and Marienburg. Technically the Congo's schools were not allowed to discriminate on race, however, the better schools charged fees and of course these could not be afforded by most local families, although this was changing, especially in Elizabethville. Near some of the rail camps in Katanga Province white children learned alongside black in some of the new schools.

For those going to the new State Schools, there were no fees, in fact clothes were generally provided, and as suspicion dropped as to their purpose, more families had elected to send their children. Lessons were a basic grounding in German, basic mathematics, simple social sciences and some outdoor activities. Those showing promise could later be offered a place at the fee paying schools, for which 4% of places were reserved for scholarship students.

It was a simple life but a rewarding one and Awaz Schwarz was glad to some home in September last year. He thought about his friend Rosa, still in the Army but due to gain a discharge in August. It would be good to see her again.

April 1898-Armoured trucks

1 April 1898, DMG Works, Ostrau, UHE

"It is only a prototype Your Majesty, you understand, in fact, I have rather thought how it may go if we place two engines to drive her considering the extra weight. We are working on a newer, more powerful engine than the 36hp. That may be a better solution as well. Unfortunately, the machine is quite cumbersome with the extra weight, no more than 18-22 kmph on the very best of surfaces. On muddy ground it does unfortunately exhibit a tendency to bog and is then quite difficult to remove due to the weight. Chains have, of course, been added in snow but there things are also difficult in terms of getting bogged. In cities and on clear ground it will suffice, even grass in summer conditions would probably be alright, but otherwise weight is a problem."

Rudolf studied the vehicle. It looked more like an armoured truck rather than an armoured car and indeed that is what it had been based on. "How thick is the armour?"

"Six millimeters Your Majesty, which equates to what was specified."

"How much is required to stop a rifle bullet at close range?"

"Possibly 1mm but better 2mm, the range is not so much a factor, at very close range the bullet tends to yaw and can break up on impact. Tests show 100 to 150 meters is the sweet spot."

Rudolf turned to Maybach and Captain Berhardt, the factory's army technical advisor. "Rebuild her using 3mm armour rather than the 6mm. At the same time, replace the 76mm gun, it's far too weighty. Use an older short 47mm gun. There are plenty surplus in both Army and Navy storage after the recent re-equipment. In short, lighten her up and see if her cross country performance improves. That is what we are really after, otherwise the armoured vehicle can only be used in a simple policing role."

"Very well, it will take some time I fear, perhaps a couple of months."

"Time we have at present. What do you call the thing?"

"Mammut Your Majesty."

Daimler armoured truck Mammut

April 1898-Letters

8 April 1898, Hofburg, Vienna, UHE

Stephanie worked her way through her correspondence. The sheer amount of letters received was very large and only those of import were usually gotten to.

The note from Andrew Inglis Clark had been welcome and she recalled what it had said. "It is largely thanks to the concepts gleaned during my time in Vienna and during our talks that we are now on track to a Federation of eight colonies and for that I must thank you. The UHE already has shipping ties to Australasia and I can only hope that the oncoming years will do more to create closer affection."

In addition there was letter from Carlos I of Portugal. "I wish to write to express my personal thanks at the sterling efforts of your oil exploration crews in finding two large field of oil near the Southern mouth of the Congo River and confirm African Queen as the company to exploit such claims at the standard 12.5% royalty fee. Thankfully, due to the fields proximity little in the way of infrastructure will be required aside from 40km of rail line and the construction of a functional deep water port, of which the town of Soyo exhibits the characteristics needed.

You offered to look for deposits on your own expense and now that these have been found it will do much to alleviate the difficult financial position that Portugal finds itself, where a repeat of the events of 1892 are to be avoided at all costs. To that extent I thank you and am pleased you will also receive some compensation for the money spent on our behalf."

Now that she did not have to spend money on railway infrastructure for the company, her share of pure profits from African Queen were skyrocketing and would no doubt rise even further when the Angolan oil fields came on line to join those of the Congo and the new fields in Albania. The question was, what to do with the money. The 5% royalties from oil sales in the Congo she had reinvested in schools and infrastructure. Formerly the money from African Queen was spent on new wells, port facilities, ships, but now these were operational, a river of money was flowing from her 10% stake in the company. Where to use it was the question.

April 1898- A sortie from Cuba

28 April 1898, Havana, Spanish Cuba

Admiral Pascual Cervera y Topete was not a confident man despite his orders. The Governor had ordered him to raise steam, break through the American blockade and steam to Puerto Rico, thereby to engage the American Fleet that had so cruelly bombarded the town. Since the Americans had departed with much of their forces and left mainly light screening units, the first part of his brief may be possible, however, if he was to meet the main American fleet on the high seas, he had grave concerns for his ships and men.

Additionally, what would occur when he steamed the 450 nautical miles to San Juan? There was no question that the Governor was badly spooked by the fact that Cuba itself was now out of touch with Spain, American Marines landing and, at terrible cost, destroying the Trans Atlantic cables from Cienfuegos to Spain, cutting the islands most precious asset in communication. Further troops had landed at Guantanamo Bay and there as little doubt more would follow.

His fleet was on paper powerful. Although two cruisers and a destroyer had been sunk at San Juan, he still had three battleships, four armoured cruisers, a limping protected cruiser, three destroyers and three 300 ton gunboats. However, his largest ship and flagship, the armoured cruiser Infanta María Teresa did not even have her main armament installed due to disputes. His three "battleships" were ex UHE relics that had not been modernised. Brought for prestige, they were only 3500 tons and carried muzzle loading guns, being capable of only ten knots.

It was with those that he left Havana that afternoon, brushing aside the American cruisers at the entrance to the harbour and making for the open sea and an uncertain fate.

May 1898- Purgatory at Puerto Rico

1 May 1898, 10 nautical miles North West of San Juan

Rear Admiral William Sampson's picket yacht had warned him of the Spanish approach and he had duly steamed to engage. In terms of ships he was well out numbered, 14 ships to five. However, he had three battleships, the Iowa, Indiana and Massachusetts, all modern ships, the armoured cruiser New York and the torpedo boat Ericsson.

Although later reports were to indicate that the American fleet's fire was not in itself that accurate, only 2 to 3% being hits at ranges that came at times down to 1,200 meters. However, much of the Spanish ammunition was utterly useless, either defective or simply filled with sawdust as a cost-saving measure for practice firing, perhaps as much as 70% of shells. The American ammunition had no such issues in it's lethality. In addition, the Spanish ships were hampered in their efforts to later flee. Having used all their high quality U.K coal, they had to resort to poor quality Cuban coal which badly slowed their already slower(with the exception of the armoured cruisers) top speeds.

It was a slaughter, as one sided as any battle may get. Three Spanish armoured cruisers were sunk, as well as two of the three battleships, with the third ship, Santa Maria, captured after striking her colours, as a did a Spanish gunboat. Of the fourteen ship Spanish fleet, only the armoured cruiser Cristóbal Colón and the destroyer Terror were to escape, ten other ships being sunk and two captured.

Since the commencement of the war, the Spanish navy had lost 4 of it's 7 battleships, 3 of it's 5 armoured cruisers and 12 of 16 protected cruisers. It's Navy had for all intents and purposes ceased to exist.

The Spanish had fought as bravely as they had been allowed to do by their hopeless supply, readiness and logistical state. Again casualties had been heavy, 808 men dead and 1617 captured and/or wounded. The Americans had come off much the lighter, 21 dead and 71 wounded with only light damage to their units, all of which were quite capable of staying on station. By the 6th May they had again established a blockade over Cuba, although all that remained in the harbour was six small gunboats, three tiny torpedo boats and civilian ships. The Cristóbal Colón had scuttled the destroyer Terror and made for the Canary Islands.

May 1898- A declaration of independence

4 May 1898, Cavite, Philippines Islands

Emilio Aguinaldo y Famy had largely achieved his objectives. Almost 60 percent of the island chain was under his direct control, most of the remainder if not under his control was in revolt against Spain. Only in Manila did the Spanish retain a significant military force.

He watched as the new flag was unfurled and the new National Anthem sung. The Act of the Declaration of Independence had been prepared, written, and read in Spanish and by the following morning the act of declaration of independence had reached European capitol cities.

May 1898-A Prime Minister is dismissed

6 May 1898, Royal Palace, Madrid, Kingdom of Spain

Maria Christina sighed. What was to be done? Antonio Cánovas del Castillo had left the room, the former Prime Minister had resigned in disgrace after the shock of a second crushing naval defeat. The Navy Minister had followed him. She would have no more truck with the Conservatives and would send for the Liberal leader Práxedes Mariano Mateo Sagasta y Escolar.

The only question now was how would Spain be able to regain her honour. Perhaps she should have insisted on a more thorough pursuit of Rudolf's original suggestion that the remaining Colonies should be sold. God knows it was not like Spain did not need the money and now the one thing that had kept her as a front line power, her substantial Navy, had been gutted. The bare fact of the matter was that without such a Navy, Spain could not hope to hold the Colonies in any case.

She would urge Escolar to go back to the UHE and see what terms may be available. Cuba was out of contact with Spain and sending more vessels was out of the question. It would leave Spain's main coastline completely exposed.

May 1898- A Spanish peace feeler

14 May 1898, Hofburg, Vienna, UHE

Rudolf had been due for a break and so she had been happy to see him go for a few days rest.

"How did the bird watching go?"

"I would not call it bird watching."

"What would you call it then?"

"Ornithology."

"The scientific name for bird watching in other words." Maria Mosconi stifled a titter.

Stephanie continued. "Well, how did it go, the quest to save the Passenger Pigeon?"

"Honestly, poorly. It turns out it can breed with the European Collared Dove and the result is fertile itself."

"So now they are now breeding themselves out of existence."

"Yes."

"Hmm, they sound like the Spanish Navy. Spain have asked us to sponsor peace talks. American forces have landed on Puerto Rico and Cuba and they have taken Guam. At the same time the Philippines have declared their independence. The Spanish have indicated that They are now prepared to grant both Cuba and The Philippines independence if they are prepared to pay a nominal amount towards purchasing the infrastructure built by Spain on both islands. They are also prepared to sell Guam and Puerto Rico for a nominal sum to the Americans if they retain an interest, which it seems from McKinley's utterances that they do."

"It sounds like the Spanish are looking to get out of the Colony business."

"It is more than that. They have also tabled an offer to sell the remainder of their Pacific possessions, as well as Ifni and the Spanish Sahara, plus their rights to Fernando Poo and Rio Muni. Effectively all of it. They will sell all of it for the right price."

"Well now that is interesting. In addition, it serves no good purpose to see Spain humiliated like this. If they have come to us it behooves us to do something to try and negotiate a settlement."

May 1898-Money for independence

20 May 1898, Cavite, Philippines Islands

Ambrosio Rianzares Bautista looked at the telegram and then at the UHE ambassador to China Moritz Freiherr Czikann von Wahlborn. So, the UHE would recognize his own as the official Government of the Philippines if they were to come to an agreement with Spain, who would also make such a recognition. 80 million Spanish pesetas. It was not an unreasonable amount to get rid of the Spanish themselves and would at least prevent wholesale destruction in war that would likely amount to more than that in damage to buildings and infrastructure in any case.

Moritz Freiherr Czikann von Wahlborn had recommended that the Philippines make an offer to the Americans of a long term lease on Subic Bay Naval Base that had been developed at great expense by the Spanish to try and forestall any attempt to seize the islands. They were not unreasonable offers and he would go to Emilio Aguinaldo and recommend an acceptance of them.

May 1898- Picking through the lots in a colony sale

24 May 1898, Hofburg, Vienna, UHE

Both sat up in bed reading. It was finally Stephanie who broke the silence. "So, we transmitted both the Spanish and the Philippines offer to the Americans. Now we wait I suppose."

"Yes, we also have the Spanish offer to think of."

"What are in the Colonial Office's summaries?"

"It is not promising reading. Starting from the top in terms of population we have:

Rio Muni: 140,000 population, small, only 25,000 square kilometers, completely undeveloped wilderness, only settled in the first place so that the Spanish could come late into the slave trade.
Caroline Islands: 36,000 population. Germany are after these I think. Small, no real resources, in the Pacific so a long way from us.
Fernando Poo: 25,000 population. 2000 square kilometers of islands. Some cocoa plantations and also used as a prison island, a number of Filipinos there as prisoners.
Ifni: Population 10,000. A small enclave inside Morocco. No known resources but semi developed at least. Probably desired by Morocco, who the Spanish would never sell to of course.
Rio de Oro: Only about 10,000 as a permanent population. A blistering desert with no known resources but large, some 180,000 square kilometers.
Marshall Islands: 10,000 population, small islands. Again, no real resources, in the Pacific and so a long way from us.
Palau: 4,000 population. A Pacific Island. Nice harbour, but again, no real resources, in the Pacific and also a long way from us.
Elobey, Annobón, and Corisco: 3,000 population. Three islands off the Rio Muni coast with little to recommend them to be honest.
Mariana Islands: 2,500 population. A group of small islands in the North Pacific, even further away from us that all the others. The Japanese I am sure would be interested, but I am not sure we should sell them to Japan after what you have told me.

In short, there is little to recommend any of them. Not exactly inspiring reading."

"Rudolf, there is more to owning colonies than what one can get out of them. Besides, if they were rivers of money, the Spanish would not be in such of a hurry to flog them off in the first place."

"'Flog them off?' Where did that come from? Yes, I suppose so and I take your point. However, if we are going to spend money to purchase these places, the Ministers will want to know why and prestige reasons alone will not be enough, let alone humanitarian."

"Yes I know. To be honest, I cannot remember anything about any of these places to recommend a purchase, that is not so say that obtaining them is a bad idea per see. I don't think the French or the Portuguese will allow further "border adjustments" after they witnessed our oil success."

"No" Rudolf laughed. "Let us do some more research then."

"What about their two North African cities?"

"They have not been mentioned so I think it unlikely they will part with those."

"Hopefully this will be decided before I take my Congo trip. Erszi will be coming with me this time."

"Don't worry, I can look after a five year old" said Rudolf.

"Can you now?" Stephanie smiled.

May 1898-Peace proposal on the verge of acceptance

28 May 1898, White House, Washington DC, United States of America

Vice President Garret Hobart leaned forward in his seat and addressed the President. "What are your thoughts?"

"Honestly, I wanted the Philippines as well. Why should we not get what we want after what those bastards did?"

"If we want the islands we have now been placed in a position where we will have to fight the local inhabitants as well."

"Yes, it's been played quite cleverly. Thankfully we have the Virgin Islands already so fools like Teller that are in the pocket of the sugar industry cannot complain that we are flooding the market further. Whilst we have landed in both Cuba and Puerto Rico, we will have to battle to take both capitals so perhaps it is best we end things now. Our friend Teddy will no doubt complain that we have robbed him of further glory. Those photographs of him nursing that shoulder wound have catapulted his popularity into virtual legend status.

So I think we end it and take the credit for a positive outcome and at the same time salve our honour in their total defeat. We annex Cuba, Puerto Rico, Guam then announce Hawaii as well. Spain have asked for $10 million to cover the transfer of infrastructure built by themselves on the two islands. Considering they have destroyed nigh on half of it fighting a war against insurrectionists that seems high to me, therefore, I suggest we take their offer on the condition that they throw in the Pacific Islands as part of such a peace deal. That will forestall the German ambitions. Maybe add a small amount for Guam.

At the same time we recognize Aguinaldo's regime and accept an offer of a naval base at Subic Bay on the 99 year lease arrangement offered, either $100,000 per month or $5 million up front, perhaps that later would be best as it's saves us money and gives his regime money up front to pay the Spanish as well. These measures should ensure our place as a Pacific power and tighten our control of the Caribbean where we will take over from the British as the preeminent power."

"I am not sure that Congress will agree to annexing Cuba."

"Well then we had better start counting heads and calling in favours. All we need is the Spanish to agree but surely that seems a formality now, surely. With no Navy all they can do is preserve themselves from further humiliations."

"So, we go back to the Austrians with this offer?"

"Yes, I think so."

May 1898-Offers, offers

31 May 1898, Royal Palace, Madrid, Kingdom of Spain

Maria Christina read the letter from Rudolf.

"I believe that the $15 million represents fair value for the Philippines considering Spain now only exerts local control over Manila and in light of her circumstances will not be able to fight a long colonial war to re-establish control of such in the face of American hostility. To lose the islands to an independence movement is surely more beneficial than losing them to a hostile power in war.

A far as the Caribbean is concerned, I believe that the Americans can be cajoled up to $12, maybe $12.5 million and at that price I am afraid one must accept. This is a war that cannot currently be won and now it is simply a matter of achieving the best outcome for Spain and the Spanish people.

I believe the Germans have already indicated their interest in Rio Muni, Fernando Poo and the African islands at 40 million pesetas. Again, it may be worth exploring if they would perhaps pay a bit more. In light of the lack of interest in Spain's Rio de Oro and Ifni territories, I have secured an intention from our own Colonial Office to offer a sum of some 12 million pesetas if such an arrangement is acceptable.

Overall, such an outcome will boost the Spanish treasury by some 200 million pesetas and at the same time remove Spain's obligation to maintain Colonial infrastructure and fight Colonial wars, no small saving in and of itself.

I await you reply and hold hope for peaceful solution that spares further bloodshed.

Your Cousin in friendship

Rudolf

Et all"

June 1898-Peace, a colonial carve up

14 June 1898, Hofburg, Vienna, UHE

"So, the Spanish and the Americans have agreed terms then?"

"Yes, it is to be a armistice until such time as a peace proposal transits the Spanish Cortes, but at the moment, after the surrender of Santiago, the fact that the Americans entered the harbours at both Havana, sinking a cruiser, a destroyer and three gunboats and battering the shore guns. Then the next day they did the same at Manzanillo, sinking a further eight ships. They know it is over. The financial details have also been worked out. The Americans pay the Spanish $17.2 million or 88 million pesetas and take ownership of naval base in the Philippines on a 99 year lease, Cuba, Puerto Rico and the Pacific Islands. The Philippines pay Spain $10 million or 51 million pesetas for infrastructure. The Germans pay Spain 45.5 million pesetas and take their Central African possessions. Lastly, we pay Spain 12.5 million pesetas and take possession of the Rio de Oro. Then we will have a Peace Conference. Here."

"Well, it's a war over at least." said Stephanie. "Plus we get to play the peacemakers, which will help our international stature. That is about 12 million Crowns out of treasury. What are we getting for that?"

"Well, I am hoping that we will not have to end up paying 12 million. In the Saguia el-Hamra region that is no border agreed. I suggest we agree a border, likely with Morocco. Whilst Spain would never sell them the territory, there is no reason why we can not. At the same time sell them the enclave at Ifni, it's a fertile area and a populated city. Make a new friend and cut down on our expenditure. As for much of the interior, I would suggest the same, let the French have it, they are always eager for new lands and they abut what we just purchased. That way, we may end up only paying a small amount for a series of coastal ports, even if they are in the most desolate part of Africa."

"Back to the buying and selling of Colonies?"

Rudolf smiled. "It would seem so."

July 1898- A Saharan carve up

2 July 1898, Schonbrunn Palace, UHE

"Rudolf!"

Ouch, thought Rudolf, that sounds like a dangerous tone. "What is it my dulcet darling?"

"Do you know what your daughter said to me?"

"Your daughter too I think."

Stephanie gave him a dangerous scowl. "Just your daughter so it would seem. I asked Lola to be good and that myself and Erszi will be away for a few weeks and that she had to stay with papa. 'Good' she says! Do you know why she says that?"

"Err, because she loves me?"

"No, because you give her everything she wants. A pair of wide open eyes, a tremble in her lower lip and you cave in."

"I do not." Rudolf then continued on in a lower voice. "I wonder where she gets that from."

"What?"

"Nothing. Look I know you are nervous, I know you don't like being away but we will be alright. Just make sure you are."

"Yes, alright. You are coming to Pola with us?"

"Of course, I can look at my ships as well."

Stephanie rolled her eyes. "What about the Rio de Oro?"

"Agreed it would seem. The Moroccans will purchase Ifni and accept the border division where we both gain part of the freshwater lake and then follow the meridian East from where the lake turns South. We have agreed on a payment of 4.5 million Crowns. I am afraid the French were harder to convince after coming out the worst in previous deals and we were only able to obtain 3.6 million for the interior, reduced to 3.5 million for transfer of all of the Kap Weiss peninsula.

However, it does mean will recoup 8 million of our 12 million outlay, reducing the strain on the Treasury. As it is we have half the lake and the only two other sources of groundwater that are currently known. What we have left is the coastal strip, a slightly larger bit in the North, which has some water and most of the rain and the rest contains land no more than 140 kilometers from the Coast, so we do not have to waste military energy trying to establish control of isolated desert oasis in the interior. We also keep the only significant town on the whole coast, Villa Cisneros.

Overall, there is only about 30 square kilometers of arable land out of the 87,920 square kilometers we have left to us. There may be minerals, but none are known. However, it does give us nearly 1,000 kilometers of Coastline that we can use for military or civilian coaling stations and, of course, there is fishing. The numbers of inhabitants are low, only around 5-8,000 permanent residents and maybe 100 Europeans, but most of those are Spanish and will leave. We incorporate our Kap Weiss Colony into it and our small grant from France and we have 88,225 square kilometers and we are left with one large colony, Sahara, and second small one, the Coco Islands and two very small, the Galites and Sazan. I am sure it will be enough to keep the Colonial Office active for some time."

"I am sure it will."

July 1898-Pre departure talks

10 July 1898, Villa Constantine, Pola, UHE

This was how Rudolf liked her best, wild and abandoned, her body, toned by regular exercise, twisting as she took him to completion, finally collapsing over him, the sheets sweaty.

"I will miss you and our girl you know."

"I know, I will miss you to, both of you, very much. Be careful there."

"Yes, we have plenty of quinine. There is ample stocks at the hospitals we have set up locally as well. Wish we could do more."

"Look, I know what you have done and it has made a difference. An enormous difference. What is the population there? 4.5 million or so? How many more would be dead if your father was still in charge of matters? I know from what you said before that you think your changes have not impacted the average person. That perhaps only say 200,000 of the 4.5 million have benefited. That is probably true, but one must consider other things. Are not some areas of the UHE itself more affluent than others and that after 3000 years of development. There will always be inequities. You can only tilt at so many windmills. Much of the country is still savage wilderness and will likely remain so. Yet I noticed newspaper speculation in the Marienburg Crown that Kurt Kazadi had been joined in the ranks of likely millionaires by a certain Leopold, of all things, no last name, of Katanga, the man that found the malachite mine. How many countries have black millionaires?

Seven years only you have been in charge. Europe did not emerge from the dark ages in seven years. Yes, some people's lives, probably the bulk of them, have not changed, yet they would be infinitely worse if your father's butchers were still raping and mutilating. Others are alive because of your hospitals, especially the use of quinine. It may take 30 years to make significant changes. What you have established is just the start of what could be a viable country. That in itself is a huge thing from where you were seven years ago.

Schools, small rural schools, will also bring change. It is easy to loose sight of the size, quite literally, of the problem. The Congo sits in the middle of Africa and is enormous, after all. Even after the patch you ceded to Portugal some 2,353,000 square kilometers. The whole UHE is only 652,539 square kilometers. Sahara 87,920. The Coco Islands 20.5, the Galites 8 and Sazan 5.5. It's huge and if 95% of the inhabitants still lead traditional lives it matters not."

"Yes, I suppose. I have always been used to getting what I want out of life. I grew up in an era that is short on patience I think. A 'me now' generation. At the same time I want to achieve the best. Always. At all I do. That is why I have always been hurt deep down by the fact that I have not been able to give you more children. That I failed."

"You know that is my fault, right? That without you we would both still be infected. It's not your fault that some things were likely already damaged."

"I know. That reminds me. It seems like they will be commencing trials on penicillin later this year. Human trials that is."

"Excellent. Your namesake will be the ship making the trip. Only nine years old and already hopelessly outdated."

"It is like she is my own private yacht. I invited Laura's friends, the two Army girls, to make the trip with me and Erszi."

"I guess my ear's will be burning then. Do not forget to tell them their Kaiser is a virtual God in bed."

"I am sure Erszi will love to hear that."

"Ha. Why did you decide to take her?"

"It is time she started to learn this as well as the UHE. One day she will be doing it, all of it. She is clever, very sharp. However, there are two of us and you know the workload, yet there will be only one of her. That is why I thought of splitting the Congo succession, yet there are so many disadvantages there as well. I can't decide. She is growing up, virtually a women now. You know she still indulges an interest in Luis?"

Rudolf sighed. "Yes, I know, but she is still a girl."

"I am sure all father's think that but not so much a girl I think, or if so not for much longer. I was only a year older when I met you and she has not led a sheltered life like I had. You know we need to decide not only the succession, but also when we will start to cede power."

"Ah, this democracy your American part is so partial to. The Wiemar Republic was a democracy, but weak, insipid. It led it's citizens to famine and humiliation."

"Yes, this is true. However, the Nazi's led Germany to ruin, defeat and utter disaster. Destroyed her international reputation, saw the country carved up and in the process fattened the red pig by giving it control of Eastern Europe."

"I agree, we will have to work something out. However, at the moment we have our hands on the tiller and we have knowledge, knowledge that no one else has access to. I think it incumbent on us to use that knowledge to try and achieve the best outcome. I just thought of something. Do you think there are more like us?"

"God knows. It's not like we can advertise now is it? 'Did you die and wake up in another body?'"

"Maybe. Or perhaps we can."

"No. Too risky. Just make sure the Peace Conference goes as planned. Stay cordial with Spain yet butter up the Americans. Mollify the British. Willie is happy just to get new lands so Germany should present no problem. Even the French think they have received something for nothing. I note you plan to open an embassy in Morocco after our recent contacts."

"Seemed like the right idea. Giving them that old decommissioned colonial cruiser cemented good relations and they have agreed to ship most of their export material via Austro-Lloyd after we offered more generous terms. That will annoy the French when they become aware."

"Yes. Now one final thing. No matter what keep your mother away from Switzerland for the remainder of the year. Order her to remain in Vienna if you must. Say you need help with Lola, you know how she dotes on her."

"Yes, of course. I am aware."

July 1898-A rapid escalation in wealth

12 July 1898, Villa Simposa, Marienburg, Kingdom of the Congo

Life was good thought Kurt Kazadi. Was it really only a bit over four years ago that he had made the trip to Vienna to show off his fruits and been granted an audience with the Queen, coming out with a 5% share of the Marula Trading Company? He still owned that 5% share, a 5% share of what was now a substantial business as the popularity of not only Marula Cream but also sweetberries had been well established.

He also had his salary as the Deputy Custom's Inspector, but this had not been the key to his success either. The very nature of his work meant he was well informed when any item of equipment came across the docks in either Cabina, Boma or Matadi. At the same time he was also familiar with all exports from the Congo. Firstly, he had leveraged his ownership of Marula Trading to secure a loan and invested that in African Queen shares, selling part at a substantial profit to repay his loan. After the Queen's faith it was the least he could do to show faith in her oil company. The opening of the stock exchange firstly in Marienburg and then at Elizabethville had been the huge opportunity. The various mining shares from the Congo had also listed in the Vienna, Budapest and Prague main exchanges also and large numbers of investors, but particularly speculators, had been desperate for reliable information as to what mining stocks were likely to boom and bust.

With unique access to information on the outflows of raw materials and the inflows of machinery and equipment, Kurt Kazadi had been well set up to be able to provide such speculators well founded advice and his reputation for reliability had rapidly been confirmed. He charged only modest fees for such advice and he was quite certain that most never even knew they were dealing with a black man since all transactions were via Private Mail Bag or telegraph.

He had rapidly built a solid share portfolio himself and even after the purchase of a substantial house still maintained an account of almost 650,000 Crowns, or 26,000 Pounds, a substantial sum for a man who just over fours years ago traveled to Vienna with 135 Crowns only. He could now think of a future, wife, children, things that had seemed so far away five years ago.

July 1898-Arms sales to Abyssinia

15 July 1898, 15 nautical miles off Port Sudan, Red Sea

Captain James Patterson was not pushing his new ships too far on what was her maiden voyage. The Arpad was a brand new freighter, some 8005 tons that had been built at Harland and Wolff specifically for Austro-Lloyd. There was no regular service to Zula, the only port maintained by Abyssinia but Austro-Lloyd ran a service when the need arose and in this instance she would be delivering some 118 older 87mm field guns for the Army of the Abyssinian Emperor that were surplus to the UHE army and coming back with a full cargo of maize in addition to a gold shipment that would pay for the arms. Hence the presence of four Kaiserlichepolizei. They also had four Army technical advisors on board and three doctors.

What a word. The Germans loved to jam words together to make impossible sounding appellations and then wondered why it took ages to learn their bloody language. Patterson was a Irishman that that had visited Pola, met and fell in love. Hence why he was selected to bring the ship and her sister ship out from Harland and Wolff, where both had been built.

Austro-Lloyd had been running a service to Zula "as required" for the last twelve months, once the port had been upgraded to be able to take ships up to 10,000 tons. It was a tricky approach that was usually only given to experienced captains. Still, it was a better assignment that that given to her sister ship Die Konigen, which was plodding along behind the battleship Stephanie on Her Majesty's Royal trip to the Congo, delivering third class immigrants hoping to get rich in the copper boom and mining equipment into the bargain.

July 1898-On the way to the Congo and Marxism

15 July 1898, Gulf of Guinea

The small battleship plowed through the gentle swell, the lights of the freighter Die Konigen twinkling astern as the four women enjoyed a small snack and some white wine on the aft deck, which had been covered to block the unrelenting sun, now just lowering on the horizon. Since the small ship had become a trials ship, dominated by the large 12inch gun at the bow, she was lightly crewed and often functioned as a virtual transport. It was Stephanie who spoke again.

"So ladies, it's to be the Congo for some time?"

Rosa Mguru replied. "Yes, I think so Your Majesty. I have been offered the position as District Medical Officer for country areas to be based in Marienburg. Whilst I enjoyed my time in the Army and it helped not only making friendships it also gave me the skills that I needed to archive my dreams."

Stephanie replied. "A worthy aim. Rudolf's sister is studying to be a doctor as well."

Agnes Schonburg spoke "I though both his sisters were married Your Majesty?"

"He has a younger one, she lives with Maria's sister actually. Born on the wrong side of the bed, but a lovely girl. We are helping her get what she wants."

"Oh."

"What about yourself Princess?"

"Well, I am joining your Army now Your Majesty. As you know, I have no contact with my family, so I decided to follow the Army as a career. I suppose follow Rosa as well, since she is my best friend. Again, as I am sure you know, Congo has recently established it's own completely independent command structure. One of the things that came out of that was the creation of a separate Medical Branch for the Congolese Army.

If I am to be honest with myself I am a fair doctor but my real strength is my upbringing. I am an excellent administrator and I have been offered a promotion to Major and an inspectorate as well as command of all supplies and recruitment, as well as training."

"Impressive. Ah, here comes Erszi."

Stephanie watched her daughter, at 15 she had her and Rudolf's height and had developed early, now wearing these last few month a full corset. She threw herself down in the empty chair next to her mother and sighed.

"Whatever is the matter?"

"This" Erszi stated theatrically, waving a book around. It was "Das Kapital" by Marx, much to the surprise of the others present.

"Well, how did you go with it?"

"Urgh. It is hard to read. Badly organized, very repetitive and horribly over-complicated. The man's analysis boils down to the question of who creates value and who reaps the rewards of that value. According to him, all value is created by labour, yet labourers don’t get paid all that value. What he called ‘labour power’ creates more than it costs and the surplus goes to the owners of the means of production, aka ‘capitalists’. All assets belonging to these presumably evil people have effectively been seized from labourers by paying them less than they deserve.

Price competition forces down wages and puts smaller firms out of business. As the number of companies falls, so does the number of capitalists, who have to join the labouring classes as they are stripped of their assets. The result? A world ruled by a smaller and smaller number of huge firms, controlled by ever more oligarchs, sucking the blood from an increasingly anemic proletariat."

"So, is he right?"

"Only in a basic sense."

"Well, what is wrong with this theory?"

"Well, without any money, without extra rewards above what one normally receives, what incentive is there to be productive, to achieve, to excel, in anything? However, the biggest weakness is not only that."

"Oh, go on."

"Well, when you look deeper, he is so entranced by the drama of the supposed forthcoming war between workers and capitalists, he ignored the third factor - the State. The State may intervene via minimum wages, workers’ rights, education, health, public transport… and so on. Some of which papa and yourself have already done. With fairer elections and Parliaments representing a broader section of society, there will be even more impetus to do this, surely? The kind of capitalism Marx was writing about was indeed not sustainable, but we have already evolved into something more than that. Too much business power doesn’t work for Governments or for workers. If that happens the State will surely step in as is our duty to recover any imbalance."

"A fair analysis liebchen."

"You let her read Marx?" said Agnes Schonburg.

"As an Army officer Agnes you should keep in mind an old saying. 'Keep your friends close and your enemies even closer'. One must know one's enemy, their motivations, their desires. How else can you know how to reach an accommodation, or, if that is not possible, crush them utterly."

July 1898-Congolese defence forces

18 July 1898, Marienburg, Kingdom of the Congo

Erszi flopped down on the bed next to her mother. "Is it always so exhausting?"

"To be honest, mostly. I like to work hard so that every now and then I can sleep in and then do something I want to do for a day, no distraction, but mostly yes, sad to say."

"I am not sure I can cope."

"You have your father and me in you, your own intelligence, you will be fine with a little more seasoning."

"You make me sound like a chicken."

More like a sacrificial goat, thought Stephanie. It felt like that sometimes. "Wait until you have annoying children as well." Stephanie laughed.

"Mother!"

"I am guessing the first one will be called Luis. Or Louisa."

"Oh you are so very funny mother."

Stephanie laughed again before she recalled some of her meeting today.

It was with the newly appointed Lieutenant General Samu Hazai, a Hungarian Jew of all things, that Rudolf had recommended. He had accepted a promotion from Colonel to take his place as head of the Kingdom of Congo Army from 1.7.1898. With the withdrawal of the last UHE units, it was now an Army that she had to pay for directly from the Congolese budget. There would be nothing fancy and she had simply followed the man's advice in terms of what was required and then trimmed it to take into account what it was reasonable. Rudolf had impressed on her the importance of having a competent and disciplined smaller Army as opposed to a larger one with neither of those qualities.

To that end, nearly all officers and a good percentage of NCO's would be "loaners" from the UHE Army, whilst the main cadre would be local troops who in return would be paid a more than fair wage, something needed in Cabinda and Elizabethville where the lure of prospecting was ever present, especially in the latter. It was to consist of three under-strength two Battalion Regiments at Elizabethville, Cabinda and Marienburg, a Battalion at Lado and Stanleyville and seven other Independent Companies and four more Independent Platoons. There was to a Medical Headquarters at Marienburg and also an Engineer, Rail and Telegraph Company at Marienburg, which would also house a HQ.

She planned to bring such a force up to strength over the next twelve months, where the planned end of year connection of the Katanga fields to Rhodes's Zambesian railway would swell revenue enough to deal with the extra bite into the budget. With each Battalion containing a battery of four older 66mm M1875 field guns that had been saved from destruction after retirement, four Maxims and eight small mortars, they would be reasonably well equipped for Colonial troops.

In addition, a small mine-layer, an old rigged cruiser, four torpedo boats and six river gunboats as well as two 5.9 inch shore batteries at the Congo mouth comprised the Navy. Between both services it represented almost 20,000 personnel. Yet she could see that it would also provide another career path for local people and, after a learning period, they would hopefully advance and fill command positions as they became available. This in addition to protecting the vast borders of the country.

August 1898-Changes in Split

1 August 1898, Split, UHE

Petra Monsacelli walked down towards the docks, strolling past the line of fashionable little cafes that had sprung up near the Put Firula. The city, long stagnant, was undergoing a period of change. She had six children, only one of whom was gainfully employed prior to three years ago. Now all six were working and the extra money had allowed the family to purchase a small vineyard in the expectation of her husband's retirement. Three had gained employment on the railway, one a guard, a second still on the construction crew working to link Banja Luka to Sibenico. The third had opened a small mechanical repair business and was doing well. Two more had work on the docks, which now bustled with activity. Her youngest child, Helene, worked as a governess.

Split was all of a sudden a thriving city again as opposed to the lethargy of five to ten years before. It had taken only three things, a move away of control from Budapest, the arrival of the railway and the basing of the Royal Illyrian Line in the city's port. Every day except Monday one of the 2,500 ton oil tankers would arrive from Albania, interspersed with chromium ore from Albania, silk and fruits, as well as passengers and mixed cargo from there, the French Levant, Athens and Odessa in Russia.

Wealth was coming into the city, so much so that Royal Illyrian had now ordered two new 3,000 ton ships to replace the eclectic collection of quite aged vessels they currently had in service, including a number of aging clippers that plied the Dalmatian coast.

For Petra Monsacelli it meant a life free from worry, a retirement that was adequate and peace of mind. There was even talk of bringing electricity to the city, like Sibenico, which contained the newly built chromium roaster powered by hydro electricity of all things. It had caused a change in political views from her own husband, who had no longer supported the Autonomist faction, but now the Pan-Illyrian one.

August 1898-Meetings

11 August 1898, Schonbrunn Palace, Vienna, UHE

It was to be the first overseas visit that William McKinley was to make as he was ushered out onto the balcony of the palace, Rudolf stood and introduced himself "Mr President, Rudolf."

"It is nice to meet you Your Majesty."

"Tea or coffee?"

"Coffee please."

"Thank you for coming, the conference is due to start in two days but I think it best that perhaps some prior meetings may help smooth the waters and hopefully achieve a consensus."

"I was eager to meet you. I must admit that I was not altogether happy that your Government saw fit to recognize the breakaway Filipino Government so readily, complicating matters in regards the United States taking possession of the islands. However, on reflection, I am not sure such a matter would not have passed the House. As it was, the Cuban annexation only just passed by two votes."

"Mr President, in all honesty, our position was not to stymie American interests. Why would we do such a thing? We have no Pacific ambitions at all beyond the maintenance of our commercial traffic to China and Australasia. In terms of commercial ties, if you consider the Congo as part of the UHE, only our trade with Germany trumps the volume of our trade with the USA. It is well in our interests to maintain a cordial relationship.

Yet at the same time we are not blind to the world at large. The Philippines government pleaded with us to recognize their regime. They had effectively taken control of their own country with popular support. How in all good conscience could I deny them their basic rights to the freedom that is part of your own constitution? They have proven themselves capable enough administrators and had infrastructure in place to make themselves a democracy.

At the same time it would be foolish to deny that I wished for a face saving outcome for Spain, a country that has a Hapsburg Regent. I also wished to see an end to a conflict that could potentially cause the loss of many more unnecessary lives.

Forgive me for asking, but re you more a Mahan or a man more like Carnegie or Harrison?"

William McKinley sat back and blinked. After all the bullshit of Washington at least this man was prepared to say it like it was. "Well, Your Majesty.."

"Just call me Rudolf, we are alone after all."

"Just call me Bill then. Well, Rudolf, I had thought more of the later, however, one cannot operate in a vacuum as far as public opinion is concerned. Now we have Cuba, Puerto Rico, Hawaii and the Pacific Islands as well as a naval base in the Philippines, I confess myself satisfied. God knows there are those who did not even want that."

"It does mean you do not need to fight a needless war and maintain a garrison on islands on the other side of that vast ocean."

"Yes, it is not what the coming man Teddy Roosevelt would have been happy with yet I confess myself content enough."

"What of Cuba?"

"At this stage a Protectorate."

"Would it be so outrageous to offer them Statehood? Has not the Republican Party been sympathetic to the cause of minorities?"

"Many will oppose on racial grounds. Like so many things, it rests not only on Congress but also the groundswell of public opinion."
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Mariano Trías y Closas arrived later that same day and was shown into Rudolf's study. "Your excellency, please sit down."

"Thank you Your Majesty."

"Would you prefer Spanish or English?" said Rudolf.

"Spanish is fine thank you."

"Thank you for this meeting. I wished to say that it would appear that things will progress smoothly and that on the surface of things it would seem that there is no barrier to a successful completion of an agreement as long as your government is prepared to honor your commitment in regards the $10 million to Spain and the basing rights to the Americans."

"Both are small prices to pay for what we achieve and having the Americans there may even be beneficial. If they regard some other power as threatening their interests they may well be prepared to step in militarily, where we are weak."

"A good point. Speaking of military requirements, we have stocks of surplus military equipment, ships and heavier guns, that we can sell at generous prices if you have any requirements."

"A generous offer that I will be sure to impart to our President. Some has been left by Spain yet we may require stocks of artillery and perhaps enough for a small Navy. However, my main wish was to thank not only yourself and your country but your wife for her diplomatic assistance. To that end, I wished to offer on behalf of our President a removal of Customs Duties from any exports and imports from the UHE for a period of 20 years."

"I will pass on your compliments to my wife, who is busy in the Congo at the moment and thank you very much Your Excellency."

"Your Majesty, thank you."

August 1898- An application of penicillin

16 August 1898, German University, Prague, UHE

Rudolf von Jaksch justified himself by the very fact that the patient had no chance of survival in any case without drastic action. The infection had moved steadily across the face and would likely block breathing within a week or two at it's current rate of progress.

He had heard about the trials that had been conducted and the indicative success on animals but for Martin Meyer the conclusion of such trials would be far too late. He had telegraphed Anton Weichselbaum at the University of Vienna, explaining the situation. Two days later the serum had arrived, conveyed by one of Anton Weichselbaum's recent post graduates, a young girl of all things called Maria-Katharina Berg.

He administered the solution whilst she watched. Perhaps this penicillin could cure the infection. All else had failed.

August 1898-Having a ball in the Congo

20 August 1898, Marienburg Opera House, Kingdom of the Congo

"Blyat". Erszi said as she was laced even tighter into the corset. Stephanie waved the maids away and came over to look at her daughter.

"What have I told you about doing that young lady? One of these days it will be someone that understands Russian and then the shit will hit the fan."

Erszi smiled. "Now who is swearing mother. Besides, it is so tight."

Stephanie looked her over. "Yes, Siska and Piska are quite compressed. You have more up top than me already." She turned to the ladies and switched back to German. "A little looser I think."

Then she turned back to her daughter as the maid loosened the stays slightly and then dragged the rose pink silk up her thin frame. "When we go back to Vienna you will formally come out as a lady in society and will then be free to attend social functions as we see fit in the context of your continuing lessons with Papa and myself. So treat this as a dress rehearsal. We are Austrians after all, so any social occasion will often contain music and dancing, or opera. Now is the time to start playing your part as an Imperial Princess. I would have liked to have a boy to relieve you of this but it seems unlikely now. It will be more difficult as a women but I believe you can shine. Also remember what I told you about accepting dances."

"Yes Mama, I remember."

Stephanie looked at her daughter. Still a girl in many ways, yet also not. She was pretty rather than beautiful, her mass of chestnut hair her best feature. Thankfully she avoided any of the Hapsburg "irregularities" at least. Her other daughter would likely be better looking, with blonde hair and delicate features. However, Erszi was more strong willed, more stubborn, but also more intelligent and had a more inquiring mind at the same age.

"Well, we had better go then."
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Stephanie stepped up to make the address. "As your Queen I cannot express my own satisfaction adequately in terms of the hospitality both myself and my daughter have received during the course of this trip. Every time I arrive I am amazed not only at the enthusiasm of the people here for life itself but also the fast pace of change.

This building itself represents that pace of change. As you are aware Austrians are fond of wine, conversation, music, dancing, opera, mountains, the outdoors, Mozart, Strauss and dare I say it pretty girls. This structure represents a chance to indulge at least eight of those ten things. On a more serious note, this building may be considered by some to be a waste of money with so much still to be done in this country. To some extent that point of view is a valid one.

However, one must always try and pick out the best from cultures where you encounter them and in many ways this building represents the best of Austrian culture, yet built using Congolese labour and with Congolese materials and will be used by Congolese people. Wood, not stone. It is a multi faceted building, for opera, for balls, for community meetings, perhaps for the new phenomenon, moving pictures. All citizens of this developing town, nay city, may come here, which is why we have invited selected members of the construction crew that built such a structure as well as our civic and community leaders.

Now before I officially open this building and we get on with the real reason we are all here, a ball, whilst you are all here and mine for the night, let me indulge you are with a few of my personal thoughts in relation to this great country. How do we go forward?

Firstly, we need to further develop critical infrastructure. The lack of modern infrastructure in such a large country will retard growth and the spread of technology at every point unless addressed. Among the systems we need to develop are an electrical grid, roads for the coming of motors, railways and communications. These systems will allow for more efficient production and transportation of goods, allowing for an increased economic output and a more even spread of wealth. Additionally, we need to work on establishing clean water and sanitation systems, which will result in improved public health. This is something we have done much work on, but much more is needed.

We need to develop our human capital. The people here are also a precious resource. We must invest in the skills of our people in order to advance their standard of living. Currently, most children do not go to school and this needs to change. We must work toward no child being illiterate. Congolese need improved access to education in order to work in skilled trades and earn higher wages and that is why we have commenced our schools program.

In addition, we need to build safety nets. We have no systems beyond the church that are established to help citizens who are living in poverty or have been negatively impacted by natural disasters. It is my hope that we can use the Royal Congolese Army to provide that assistance as required if natural disasters effect villages, leaving them without food and shelter.

A subject I am passionate about is that we need to lift women up in society. Education is most valuable asset to vulnerable groups. By empowering women and equalizing academic opportunity, both the country and the family unit can increase incomes. We can do this by investing in schools closer to rural areas so that the children of farmers do not have to walk hours each day to get to and from school, straining their parents’ time and resources in the process. Traditionally, it is boys picked to go and girls are passed over if the task of accessing such education is found to be too difficult. That way, neither parents nor their children would feel pressure to force a decision between farm work and schoolwork and the poorest populations can begin to make progress.

Lastly, it is imperative that the educated, the affluent, learn to choose their causes carefully in order to make the greatest leaps in not only economic but ecological and humanitarian development as well, to make this a good place to live for all of us. Our Government needs to invest in local Congolese businesses so that the people can more effectively improve their own circumstances without having to resort to the whims of external influences. Yet at the same time, we must use the resources that God had blessed us with, these oil fields, diamonds, copper, tin, lead, cobalt, gold and manganese mines. These forests and rivers. For international trade will bring the money that allows all other aspects of society to flourish.

Now, I am sure you did not come here to listen to me speak all night. I do officially declare this Opera House open and congratulate and thank it's builders and planners."
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Stephanie had made her way over Awax Schwarz who was enjoying a glass of wine, Rosa Mguru seated next to him in a simple red dress and leaning into him slightly.

"Awax."

"Your Majesty."

"Confirmed as a couple so I see?"

He looked sheepish. "Yes."

"Not dancing?"

He looked meaningfully at his missing arm.

"Nonsense. It seems most here are lacking the intestinal fortitude to ask their Queen to dance so I have only completed a set with the Governor and the Mayor. Come on, I will lead."

He looked back at Rosa who simply smiled and shrugged her shoulders.

"How goes the School Inspectorate Awax."

"Tiring Your Majesty so so very much work. Yet I feel I have found my niche. This is what I was born to do I think."

"That is...ow!..just follow me Awax, what is it with men that they feel constitutionally incapable of taking a back seat?"

Stephanie noticed a man in a Congolese Army Major's uniform dancing with Agnes von Schonburg. "Who is that?"

"I have run into him a few times at Rosa's. A Major Józef Piłsudski. The whole family is in the UHE aside from the oldest brother. All originally from Russian Poland. Nobles. Left due to persecution and came to Krackow. Joined the Army as an Lieutenant but kicked out after a scuffle with the wrong fellow who had connections. Came here on a promotion to Head of the Army Educational Office as he speaks seven languages. His brother Jan is here as well, works in the Housing Office. He seems to have taken a fancy to Agnes. Obviously they met through the Army. Seems a decent enough fellow."

Stephanie looked at Agnes von Schonburg, in a pure white silk ballgown rather than her Army uniform. It seemed the attraction was mutual.

September 1898-Motivations

3 September 1898, Schonbrunn Palace, UHE

They lay in bed the night after their daughter's 15th birthday ball. Between them was splayed out a four year old, her blonde hair a fan over the bed covers.

"Well, that was a successful night." said Stephanie.

"I noticed she danced six times with Luis."

Stephanie rolled her eyes. "I think we all noticed that Rudi. So, the Treaty of Vienna is signed, sealed and delivered."

"Yes, no surprises thank God. You know I don't believe I have ever asked why you do it."

"Why I do what?"

"This. This life. I mean, we are rich. We could leave this life. Live comfortably. We would not be the first Hapsburg's to abandon ship. Leave it all to Franz Ferdinand."

"Too ill tempered and with his bad lungs and hunting obsession? No. Why do I do it? If I do anything, anything at all, I must be the best at it or at least be seen to be the best that I can be. In this role I want to be remembered, remembered for all the right reasons. I want my name to be on the lips of every person world wide in fact.

In addition, we are in a unique position where we can change history for the better. How could we turn down such an opportunity? Now, why do you do it?"

"I love the position, the power, the fact that I can use my thoughts to change and effect events, that I can help shape the world. No one or no thing will change that and I will resist with any and all means at my disposal anyone that attempts to change it. I never really felt in my life that I belonged anywhere. Yet here, here, I belong. In this job, with you. With the girls."

September 1898- An imperial assasination

10 September 1898, Schonbrunn Palace, UHE

Stephanie came into Rudolf's study and it was immediately obvious that something was wrong. "What is it?"

"It is your brother in law, Franz Salvador, MV's husband."

"What of him?"

"He has been killed by an anarchist at Lake Geneva. I am sorry."

"What the hell was he doing there?"

"I don't know. Apparently the anarchist has been taken into custody crossing into the UHE. We have him at the railway station at Bregenz. An Italian anarchist called Luigi Lucheni."

Rudolf's face had lost all it's emotion. "Can you get your office to make contact with the Swiss and make arrangements to bring his body home? At the same time find out what the hell he was doing there. I will go to my sister and let her know."

"Then what do we do?"

"After that I will be going North to handle the situation personally. Can you also ask your office to summon a Major Sigwalt Roos, he is a specialist with the Kundschaftsbüro and arrange for him to meet me here."

"Rudolf, what are you doing?"

"Dealing with the situation. It's incumbent on us to find out all we can about these anarchists. Oh, and you had better let mother know as well. I have tried to protect one person from this and another has died instead."

September 1898- A bad cellar to be in

11 September 1898, Safe House, Innsbruck, UHE

Rudolf strode into the room. "So, this is the man?"

"Yes, Your Majesty."

"Excellent. You can wait upstairs for the moment and leave just myself, Mr Roos and his...umm colleague."

"Very good Your Majesty."

"Herr Lucheni I am willing to give you one opportunity only to tell me all your know of your anarchist friends. Every person who you have had contact with, every assistant. Every single one. You made a grave mistake crossing over into this country Mein Herr. I give you one chance to act like an honourable man and confess what you know in exchange for killing a man in cold blood that you knew nothing of, a husband and father, a man who had done nothing to you. In exchange you will have a fair trial and your day in court, that I promise you."

Lucheni spat on Rudolf's trouser leg. 'I will have my day in court all the same where I will name all of you people as targets."

Rudolf turned to Sigwald Roos. "Well then. I am not that sure I am unhappy that things have taken this turn to be honest. Get all of it, every bit of information that is contained within so we can chase it all down and sweep the lot up."

Sigwald Roos looked at Rudolf. "How do you want it to go?"

"By any and all means. No obvious signs of torture but it does not matter if he maintains control of his faculties. It will have to be fast though, he can't go missing for too long."

"Excellent. I will get Herr Hafner to work."

Rudolf looked at the man, then looked at a queer pear shaped metal device, a funnel, water in buckets and then finally a rolled carpet length and some thick encyclopaedias. Best not to ask. As he walked out the door he could hear the man's high pitched voice.

"We call this the Pear of Anguish...let me show you why Mein Herr."

September 1898-Aftermath

12 September 1898, Safe House, Innsbruck, UHE

Rudolf sat down in the small kitchen. "How did you go with our friend?"

Sigwalt Roos considered. It had been dirty work. The application of the Pear. The water and then, whilst the stomach was still full of water rolling the man into the thick carpet and beating at it with the large books. "Well, it is safe to say he is not smiling and laughing about events as before. He has told us all what of I believe he knows."

"And that was what?"

"Individually planned and executed. He wanted a trial and the death sentence to publicize his cause. His only external contact is a Bavarian in New York that he was in touch with via the mail that advocated such an act. A Johann Most, been in and out of prison all over Europe and cannot come back to any country here so he resides in New York. A violent proponent of this "Propaganda of the Deed."

Rudolf got up and paced the room. "It would likely provoke more of a reaction if he was to have an accident than letting him stay there in relative isolation. How is our friend?"

"Not a mark on him externally. The man is an artist in his own horrifying way."

Rudolf closed his eyes. "That will be all thank you. Best get our friend back to Vienna and ready for a closed trail. No publicity at all."

"Of course."

Now he had to get back to Vienna and explain where he had been, thought Rudolf, feeling all of a sudden deflated, defeated.

September 1898-Aftermath 2

13 September 1898, Schonbrunn Palace, Vienna, UHE

One of the problems of not having separate bedchambers was that when you wished to sneak back in it was a lot harder when all that was there was one bed only. Despite his best efforts at slipping underneath the covers without being noticed, he rapidly noticed his failure when his wife sat up and glared at him.

“Where the hell have you been? I have had your sister here distraught, wanting to speak to you and all I can tell her is that I have no idea where you are. Does that seem very fair to you? She needs you, hell I need you and you are where I may ask?”

Shame wormed his way into his psyche that he had failed both his sister when she needed him most and his wife. Yet he still felt he needed to justify himself.

“I had to do what I had to do to make sure there were no other threats.”

“Other people could have done that.”

“Other people are not me! I must look after my family! I am the man! It is my responsibility.” Rudolf yelled.

“Yet you failed that. You sister is distraught, her children are confused. I am left alone with only Erszi for support. Lola does not understand where her Papa is. You are worrying about being the man, yet it is me who has had to be strong whilst you waltzed off on a personal crusade. I’ve been the one that has been the man. You have run off on a quest for vengeance and failed not only us but MV as well.”

Rudolf seemed to deflate before her eyes. “I am sorry. I am sorry to have left you here by yourself. I worry about…myself. It seems that sometimes there is something…dark. Inside myself. I have tried to suppress it. Tried hard in fact. Yet at times it…well it breaks free.”

Finally Rudolf did something she had never seen him do. Cry. “I know I am not good enough for you, or the girls. I know I am a flawed person. I have this dark heart, with a Jewish ancestry to complete my damnation. There is just so much anger, yet mostly I can suppress it, contain it, bury it deep. With your help, with your help.

Yet if anything were to happen to you, I don’t know what I would do. It’s my love for you that grounds who I am and without that, without that to ground me then I think, well I think I would be afraid of myself.”

“Rudi. I…. Rudi, we all have our own inner demons. I think virtually every person alive has aspects of their own personality that they secretly despise. I know I do. I think that is why I clash with Erszi more than Lola. Erszi is more like me whereas Lola is a sunny little soul. I see things in Erszi I dislike in myself.

Just lie down next to me and hold me. We can talk in the morning if you like. Or, if you would rather not, we never have to talk about this again.”

April 1899- The fall of Rhodes

1 April 1899, Savoy Hotel, London, United Kingdom

April Fools Day indeed, though Cecil Rhodes. He had already been forced to resign as Prime Minister in the Cape Colony due to his little adventure in the Transvaal that had backfired so badly and now he was seemingly to bear the blame for the fiasco with the British South Africa Company as well. He had already done the numbers and would not have enough support to allow Fife to stay on as Chairman which meant his own tenure as a director would also be terminated. Of course, he would retain his enormous influence via his ownership of such a large parcel of the company. He had delayed coming to London as much as possible, citing health reason, no more than the truth.

It was unfortunate, he had pushed the railway through to obtain the riches of Katanga late in 1898, not that Stephanie had assisted him when he required it, "deploring the circumstances of the Transvaal adventure". As usual, he had set up the ball to be hit out of the park but would not be around to supervise the rewards.

Yes, it must be admitted that it had created a particular form of embarrassment with the Foreign Office and the Colonial Office attempting to repair the damage in relations with the Boer Kruger. If only the fools would take a harder line then the riches of the Transvaal and the Orange Free State would be there for all to exploit. As it was their fawning would only encourage the Boers to further discriminate against the British subjects inside their own boundaries.

He had delivered his railway to the Katanga mineral fields and the BSAC was already fattening itself on the profits these last four months. He would also not be around to influence the spread of his other great design. The Cape to Cairo railway was well under way. Inside the Congo the line had spanned the Luvua River and reached Gwena with less than 100 kilometers to run to Lake Tanganyika. In the Sudan the line was pushing South to Sennar. When both were completed this year only 1100 kilometers would remain for a connection at the top of Lake Tanganyika, 900 of it on British territory. Only The Congo stopped an uninterrupted pink map of Africa, an unfortunate occurrence to be sure.

April 1899- Five states of being

6 April 1899, White House, Washington DC, United States of America

Teddy Roosevelt leaned forward. "I am more than happy to step into the breach if Garrett's illness make running again on the ticket an impossibility. However, I firmly believe that we should take steps in regards the Caribbean territories we have acquired. Not only them, but I would also take steps to admit Oklahoma, New Mexico and Arizona, hell even Alaska to confirm it's part in this country. Increase the number of states from 45 to 50.

It will be electorally popular, it will cement our control in the Caribbean and it will finally allow this country to take it's place on the world stage."

"What about the Indian territory?" asked McKinley.

"Well Mr President, I believe that they can be convinced to join in the form of one state, Oklahoma."

"Cuba and Puerto Rico?"

"Combine them into one Caribbean entity with the Virgins. Call it Carabbinia if you like. The important thing is that we take steps to stifle the independence movement and integrate the islands before the anti American resistance that seems to be firming gets underway again in the same way it did to the Spanish."

"There will be uproar in the Congress and many of the same factions that opposed the annexation will oppose this. The Southern Democrats will be outraged at the idea. More blacks, more Spanish. Not exactly a rallying call."

Gareth Hobart chimed in. "Yet it would surely deliver a Pro-Republican state with around 14-15 electoral college votes. We do need to do something Bill."

Teddy Roosevelt spoke again. "We need something concrete to show that we are not the Spanish yet at the same time maintain the control we need."

William McKinley sighed. It seemed administration of these territories would be more difficult than what it had taken to obtain them. "Well, I guess we can look at it, at least as a theoretical exercise."

April 1899- Railway and Mining boom

12 April 1899, Hofburg, Vienna, UHE

Stephanie looked again at the almost incredible figures that were coming out of the Congo. Now that a two smelters were built copper-cobalt concentrate was being railed South all the way to the Cape. Only very small quantities were still using the seaborne route along the rivers via the port of Bukama. A third smelter serviced tin and was able to smelt to 98.8% purity using local coal that had been discovered nearby. This was mainly going via the river route, firstly to Bukama and then on to Matadi. Katanga was proving to be one of the most mineral rich areas so far discovered.

The Congo accounts for March 1899 showed an explosion of wealth and Johann Salvador, who had returned for a two year term as Governor, could scarcely believe the changes that had been wrought in such a short period of time.

Immigration to the country was at an all time high, large numbers of Galacians from the poorer areas of the UHE pouring into the country in addition to technical experts and fortune seekers in general, not only due to the promise of employment but also that perennial attraction, gold, which had also been discovered at Moto to the far North-East and also in the Lado enclave. The sheer number of Europeans in the Congo was straining the ability of the government to build infrastructure, which Stephanie had formerly planned to be a gradual process. It was a strain on resources available more than the budget, which had exploded as mineral wealth surged past that of even the oil industry. The latest income figures were phenomenal. They were, in Crowns:

Copper/Cobalt 674,000
Crude Oil 416,000
Tin 242,000
Rubber 202,300
Diamonds 115,600
Ivory 84,100
Gold 56,300
Fruits and fruit products 31,500
Palm Oil 21,400
Palm Nuts 19,000
Coffee 8,900
Port Fees 6,500
Malachite 6,000
Acacia pods 2,650
Philatelic and Numismatic Sales 880
Company Taxes 19,760
Miscellaneous 5,500

TOTAL 2,010,000 Krone approximately

Expenditure had, of course, also gone up but a great deal of infrastructure expenditure as now being driven by the mining companies themselves and shareholder money and she was able to focus more on school, sanitation, health, defense and public buildings and less on rail. Most large mining companies now in Katanga were now the "Such and Such Mining and Railway Company" and private lines abounded. What had commenced was the cutting of reliable land tracks and the provision of rest stops along such tracks between outposts that did not have the railway. The only railway development that was currently being funded, at least by the state, was the line to link Lake Tanganyika that would complete her promise to Rhodes.

April 1899-Sahara's new Governor

20 April 1899, Kap Weiss

Captain Ludwig Ritter von Höhnel looked over the facilities at the port. It was essentially set up for one purpose only, to coal visiting ships. There were very limited facilities for the loading or unloading of cargo.

For a man that had cut his teeth on African exploration, the appointment at Governor had been a radical change, yet he was determined not to stay cooped up in Dakhla. Already he had held meetings with the leaders of two tribes that comprised the almost over 80,000 square miles of territory that remained to the UHE in an attempt to promote harmony in relations.

What he was hoping for was the possibility of mineral exploration in this trackless wilderness. It was not so much the heat, to be honest that was bearable, especially on the coast where there was a breeze and the sea gave a calming presence. It was more the lack of rainfall. Dakhla, the former Spanish capital, no more than a town of 1500 really, was located on a headland and probably received more rain than any other part of the country, some 120mm, however, it was the only part of the whole country that seemingly received more than 70mm per annum and parts received as little as 30mm. Aside from a small area around Dahkla and around the small lake in the North where he had ordered a settlement built, there was no arable land.

Aside from the fishing, which was rich, the only possibility aside from use of the ports that may bring wealth was mining, hence his eagerness to begin exploration.

For the moment, the main decision was whether to move this current port installation at Kap Weiss. The port itself was unable to handle the new large 10,000 ton African Queen tankers. Not even the 5,000 ton older varieties. However, on the other side of the headland, perfect conditions existed for a sheltered port that faced into the bay, with water up to 12 meters deep for a likely jetty that would allow the accommodation of the largest commercial ships.

In the finish it was an easy choice and by the end of 1899 facilities had moved to the new location, named Port Stephanie and Kap Weiss quickly lay abandoned. Along with Dakhla, Cape Bojadour and Nordwuste, it would constitute all of European settlement in the large coastline country.

April 1899 - Lost plans

24 April 1899, Hofburg, Vienna, UHE

Stephanie walked into Rudolf’s study to see him surrounded by papers. She laughed.

“How do you work like this? Do you even know what is in here?”

“Of course I do. I know exactly where everything is. Everything is in it’s place.”

“Oh good” she smiled. “So, why are you moving everything?”

“Well as it so happens I do seem to have misplaced the revised plans for the Schreck Class battleships that incorporate some changes including provision for Marconi’s implements on the bridge for squadron communication and changes to the rigging and the like.”

Stephanie smiled again. “It seems like those changes have already been approved.”

Rudolf frowned. “Been approved? By who? They are Top Secret!”

Stephanie unfurled the plans from behind her back. Written in neat but shaky script in the right hand corner was “approved.”

Rudolf looked baffled until Stephanie said “Lola likes her time with her father and seems to be a good imitator.”

Rudolf roared with laughter. Stephanie finally continued on. “What are you working on?”

Rudolf sighed. “Just looking at Army figures. The Infantry and Jager Regiments have been reequipped with the new artillery and we have started on the Artillery Regiments themselves. In two years, maybe three, we will have a modern Army and Navy.

I am just a bit worried now that when we launch the new ships that it will spark an arms race. We have taken quite extensive measures to ensure secrecy and keeping them on the stocks rather than launching them and fitting them out has been part of that. That way we can say to de Brassy’s that we have modified the design to accept uniform 310cm guns in place of a mixed armament. I am hoping, even though it is more cumbersome, that we can keep up the deception until after the class has been launched. Certainly both the Navy Department and I have been pestered by Tom Brassey about the details.

It is important to gain a jump, as we will not be able to afford to build many such ships.”

Stephanie sat down. “Well, it’s late.”

“Yes, it is.”

“Come to bed you poor old man.”

Rudolf smiled inwardly. Things were on the mend. There were parts of his own personality that other parts of his psyche did not like, yet at the same time those elements also helped to focus him, to motivate him and to sharpen his insights and his appetite for work.

“Old man?”

“Wrong side of 40. Lagging behind on our run.”

“We shall see young lady. Let us go to bed indeed.”

"Oh, news from St Petersburg as well."

"Yes?'

"Nina has had twins. Alexander and Nicholas. That makes two girls and now three boys."

"Well, they are certainly ensuring the succession."

May 1899- A prelude to the Cisleithanian 1901 elections

1 May 1899, Hofburg, Vienna, UHE

Alfred III, Prince of Windisch-Grätz listened as the Kaiser continued to talk.

“It must happen at the end of the day. There is little choice in the matter. We are becoming an increasingly industrialised country and a consequence of moving away from a rural based economy we see more people in the cities, better education and greater access to propaganda.

Workers read newspapers and they are quite clearly aware of the fact that Czechia and Illyria have already moved to universal suffrage whilst here in Cisleithania and also in Transleithania we still use the Curia system. Hence why strikes are on the increase, a development we can ill afford with the economy booming and labour at a premium.

It is not only increased wage and conditions that people demand, it is a voice in their own future. I do not think that this is an unreasonable expectation.”

“You know that there are elements within the Herrenhaus that will be opposed, some violently opposed. Even as Speaker, I only have so much influence.”

“I am aware” said Rudolf. “However, much of the steam has been taken out of the movement blocking this by the very fact that it’s biggest supporter, Franz Ferdinand, now sits in the Czechian Upper House and has come to grudgingly accept that even in Prague it has not exactly spelt the death blow to civilized society.”

“This is true Your Majesty, but there are still those who oppose and no doubt will continue to oppose.”

“To be sure. I don’t want to bully the Herrenhaus, but this is important and it is most definitely my will that it happens. Can you please canvass members of the chamber and pass this along. I could force it through, I could move to curtail the Herrenhaus’s ability to block such change or even God forbid I can if need be create enough new nobles to ensure the passage of such a bill. Do you really want to be sitting in the Heerenhaus next to Victor Alder? Plus the way it would cheapen the office itself.”

“Well I will try Your Majesty.”

Rudolf reached over and handed a sheaf of paper. “This is the final proposal. Full voting based on an electorate system. First past the post voting system. Universal suffrage for all over 24 that are literate enough to read the ballot. Those over 21 eligible to vote if legally married. We still retain plural voting and as an incentive for this to pass, we have added the following:

One extra vote for every property held to a maximum of ten extra votes

One extra vote if the holder of a University degree

One extra vote if the holder of a University doctorate

One extra vote for nobles holding the title of Edler and above in seniority, two if the title is tied to the Herrenhaus.

In summary, it is quite possible to cast as many as 15 votes, although some are tied to property so may be in different constituencies.”

“Well, we will have to see how it goes Your Majesty.”

“Hopefully well. If these can be used for the 1901 elections, then it will place pressure on the Hungarian Parliament to effect a change as well as the only territory left in the Curia system.

May 1899-Labour laws

5 May 1899, Hofburg, Vienna, UHE

Stephanie sat with Laura von Gieslingen as Victor Alder was shown in. She had noticed his request for an appointment and was gratified to see that perhaps enough trust had been built to forge a relationship since it was no doubt that universal suffrage would bring a larger SDP presence. "Victor, it is pleasant to see you. Would you like a cake?"

"Thank you Your Majesty."

"What can I do for you Victor?"

"Your Majesty, it is the labour laws."

"What about them?"

"Well, workers in all Kingdoms except perhaps Hungarian industry are, on balance, the beneficiaries of relatively advanced social legislation for their protection, second only to Germany and perhaps not even then. Since Taaffe, Austrian law requires industry inspectors to monitor labor conditions, mandates Sunday as a day off, insures workers in case of sickness or injury, and prohibits child labor in mining. This has been strengthened further by the Kaiser and your own policies that have led to a maximum of 12 hours a day or 48 in a week before overtime and the provision of six days sickness or annual leave per annum, in other words annual leave may be taken if sickness has been unused.

So, in short, I have not come to complain, as many of my Parliamentary colleagues would say, about conditions in regards the law, although more could of course be done. It's the problem that such progressive legislation exists on paper only and is essentially unenforced. I am afraid as far as the labour laws go we live in a permanent state of illegality."

"And you wish me, or me via Rudolf to do something about this?"

"Well, I see you have introduced laws that mirror our own in the Congo and for the most part they seem, on the surface of things, to be enforced. Of course, in the far flung areas it is harder to say."

"Victor, surely you must know better than that."

"Your Majesty?"

"You are a Parliamentarian now, you must know how things work. In the Congo, there is no law beyond the ones that I make. There is no Parliament, only what I care to enact and enforce. Not very democratic true, but it does serve the purpose of being able to enact changes without resistance. Here, there are four separate and often disparate Kingdoms, each with their own laws, Parliaments, power-brokers and agendas. Nothing is ever done easily. As the head of one of only two parties that spans all four Kingdoms your should realise that.

It is not as easy for us to intervene as you would think. The Kaiser can intervene and force change as the product of his very will, but each such instance of doing so will almost in all cases be resented and each such case consequently chips away at his own power and authority. Therefore, it needs to be a large issue for such intervention to take place. Have you tried appealing to the various Departments?"

"Well yes, but it has mainly been obstructionism, excuses and delaying tactics. Here in Vienna the man was actually quite helpful, but he only has enough resources to catalogue such cases, not to pursue them. It seems to be their policy to block efforts at every turn."

Stephanie nodded. "Do not mistake lethargy for policy Victor. If there is one thing that unites this Empire more than any other it is the difficulty of the bureaucratic process. I suppose they gave you their four standard excuses."

"Four standard excuses?"

"Yes. Firstly that yes, there is a perfectly satisfactory answer, but for security reason it cannot be exposed. Secondly, that cuts to staff and supervision make a speedy resolution to the problem problematic. Thirdly that it has all been tried before and the outcome of such actions are still uncertain. The data from such is being analyzed by specialists, who will provide a report and it would be foolhardy to proceed before then. Fourthly, that all such events had occurred before the full facts were known and could never happen again. Believe me, I have heard them all.

However, on a more serious matter I agree that something should be done. Have you tried via the courts?"

"The courts are reluctant to act without a case being brought by the Departments, who are either resistant or so poorly staffed, likely deliberate, so that they cannot spare the capacity for such a case. In addition, it serves to only alter the state of affairs in one Kingdom."

Stephanie thought. "You keep tabs on such cases, have details of them?"

"Yes, of course."

"Do any effect a worker that worked in two or even more Kingdoms?"

"Three or four I would think, I can think of at least two."

"Well then. One of the consequences of the Kaiser taking possession of Science and Technology and gaining Navy as a Minister in 1889 was the establishment of the Reichsgericht in Graz in 1890 as the final arbiter for decisions involving the military and civilian interaction, diplomatic, UHE public service, customs and excise, currency matters and matters crossing over more than one Kingdom.

Get your man to lodge his case there would be my advise and make sure you specify the Kingdom's Governments as complicit to the person's employers as not enforcing the labour laws, it matters not whether this is due to inaction or incompetence. The successful outcome of such a case with monetary penalties will make all four Governments sit up and take notice and force the allocation of inspectors so each Kingdom is not put in such a position again. I would imagine the SPD is large enough and well funded enough these days to finance such a case?"

"Yes, yes indeed Your Majesty."

December 2017-I have met a girl

12 December 2017, Hofburg, UHFE

“Dad?”

Kaiser Otto looked up from the notes he was reading over and a wide smile moved across his face. “Son.” he called out. He tossed the notes on his desk and stood, moving around his desk to go greet him.

“Sorry to interrupt,” he said, his smile matching his fathers as he stepped into his office.

“You’re not” he chuckled. He pulled him into a tight hug. “You know you can interrupt me anytime.”

“I know,” he nodded. He had always dropped everything for both him and his sister; had always been there for anything they needed.

“What’s up? Your mum is at a meeting but she should be back in a bit” Otto offered. He hadn’t known Karl was coming by and he wasn’t sure if Charlotte had either.

“I know,” he smiled. “I was actually hoping to talk to you."

“Okay,” the Kaiser said as he slid into his seat at the table across from Karl. “Want to tell me what’s up? The last time you were so quiet was when you had that car crash in Albania, no not even then , I think before that…..the Olympics.”

“That awful story that they ran in Die Presse,” Karl groaned, rolling his eyes.

“You were shitfaced at the swimming” Otto lifted his eyebrows.

“Oh, I know” Karl nodded, closing his eyes and screwing up his courage. “So did the entire world.” He grimaced as she remembered the pictures that had run and how hard the press had come down on him. “Luckily this isn’t anything like that.”

“Okay…” Otto drawled, his head tilting to the side. “Then what is it my boy?”

He took a deep breath looked up. His eyes lifted to his and something about the look in them made Otto pause as all of his attention was drawn directly to him.

“Dad…I’ve met someone. It’s actually been going on for a little while. It started…..fast.”

“Yes?” Otto's voice was soft, encouraging him to keep going.

“Yeah,” he nodded. “I think…I think we’re ready to stop hiding it, but I wanted you to know first. It’s going to be…it’s going to be a big story, Dad.”

His head tilted to the side as he regarded him. “Who is it, Karl?”

“It’s a girl I met in Albania…Edona,” he said, clear and precise before he clarified further, “No one royal, not at all.”

"I should hope not. Marrying cousins is not all it once was." Otto’s eyes narrowed as he took in his son's expression to his small joke. He sat back in his chair, his gaze holding his son's the entire time. “Wow. Seems serious. Look it does not matter if she is not royal, not at all. It won't be like your Grandfather, that was so long ago, there will be no more 'Jewish peasant from Lemberg' type spite. Your Great Grandmother married an Emperor, obviously you know about your Grandfather and I suppose my own marriage to your mother was more……traditional but we have come a long way, even from that.

You have cousins in Albania, in the Congo, in Spain, in Serbia, in Luxembourg, in Liechtenstein, in Brazil and in Belgium. Let's face it, we are spread all over the globe. After the Great War, well, birth was important, but not in the same way as before. Now, well even less so."

“Dad, it’s not just some fling” he rushed to assure him. “It’s not a rebound either from Christine. Maybe a little at first but…”

“Okay, okay. I get it.” Otto chuckled, holding his hand up to stop him.

“Sorry.”

He smirked and then took a deep breath, some definite questions on his mind about a relationship that had big potential to be an explosive news story – as well as big potential changes for his own family. “So, if it’s not a fling then I’m assuming it’s serious like you say.” His eyes were interested and Karl relaxed, realizing he was comfortable.

“I…I’m in love with her,” he said softly, his voice catching as he spoke the words. “I tried so hard not to be. But I couldn’t help myself. She just…” He shrugged and the look in his eyes and on his face wasn’t even a little bit lost on Otto. “As much as I tried to insist that I wouldn’t, I went on ahead and fell in love with her anyway. Dad, she is just so beautiful and so…, so strong. Mags has met her.”

"Has she now? Well if your sister did not approve I am sure I would already know and since I know nothing…..." Otto was quiet for a few moments, letting the information settle before leaning forward and meeting his gaze. “And does she love you?”

“Yes,” he answered immediately, his voice filled with such certainty and pride that Otto couldn’t but smile. He knew that look; that certainty in his voice. He’d had the same look, that same certainty once. When he’d met and fallen in love with his mother. And he knew; this was it. As much as he hadn’t been expected it, as much as he hadn’t gone looking for it, it had found him anyway.

“Well…” Otto said slowly, picking up and shuffling some state papers. “I suppose there is only one thing to do then.”

Karl's eyes were only slightly wary. “What?”

“You’ve got to bring her home, her, to the Hofburg, not bottled up in the Hermesvilla. It seems that this girl and your mother and I need to have a talk.”

May 1899-Income tax reform

19 May 1899, Hofburg, Vienna, UHE

Baron Max von Thielmann went on. “Yes, Your Majesty, discussions are essentially complete. We find that an extension of our current Customs Union to include both Liechtenstein and Luxembourg would not present any difficulties.

In regards to the extension of a dual taxation regime across all four countries, again we find ourselves in agreement, however, such a regime will be impossible to commence unless or until such time as here in the UHE a general system of standard income tax is introduced, which would allow for reciprocal arrangements.”

“Thank you Baron. We are attempting to make some progress in this area and I am hoping that we may have something in place before the end of the year, or century as you will.”

Modelling had shown that this would produce a net inflow of money into the UHE so signing such a treaty was desirable and beneficial to the UHE and it was best to get it done whilst the Germans still agreed. In addition, it would do much to foster closer ties between all four countries, no small regard in and of itself. In fact, it represented a tax and customs union across the German speaking world excluding the Swiss of course; always eager to chart their own course.

If only he could get general agreement from the four Kingdom governments, particularly the Hungarians. He did not want to get into a race to the bottom, but if such a new agreement could be put in place and the UHE offered lower taxes than that of Germany, it may be an incentive for some companies to move their headquarters. Already he had talked to Arthur von Weinberg about the possibility of relocating his enterprise to the UHE in exchange for an exclusive contract to manufacture penicillin for a ten year period now that trials had proven successful.

Max von Thielmann continued. “Well Your Majesty, we to will have some work to perform, but if you are able to introduce such a taxation system this year, I see no reason why such a convention could not be signed by the middle of 1900.”

“Very well, thank you Baron.” It looked like taxation would be the main concern during 1899, if no other wars broke out, which would very much hopefully not be the case.

May 1899-First flight of LZ-1

24 May 1899, on the shores of Lake Constance, German Empire

Ferdinand von Zeppelin watched as the giant airship LZ-1 made her landing. She had carried four people, reached an altitude of 500 meters and flew a distance of some 10 kilometers in 24 minutes before one of the engines had failed. The airship had still been able to make a controlled landing, however. She had comfortably averaged 26 kilometers per hour, easily beating the record of France's La France at 6 kilometers per hour.

The next step was to get her airborne again, along with the UHE machine OZ-1 that was virtually complete and would likely fly in two months or so. It followed a different layout, being constructed with triangular girders instead of flat ones.

U-1 and U-2

29 May 1899, Crescent Shipyard, Elizabeth, New Jersey, United States

John Holland watched as the two submarines, U-1 and U-2 were winched onto the deck of the freighter that would take them to Pola. In his yard was under construction a third of a modified design, not as powerful as the first two that mounted fully three of the new 60 hp Maybach petrol engines, but the new vessel would have diesel engines instead and be able to run on oil. In the final stages of fitting out was a second torpedo boat that he had constructed for the UHE Navy. The submarines would have a crew of eight and mounted a single torpedo tube with two reload torpedoes.

The funding had been critical in keeping his shipyard afloat and for that he was grateful as his designs had finally attracted the interest of the United States Navy, which was being funded with more generous contracts in the aftermath of the Spanish war. Now that America had taken overseas possessions, naval expansion would no doubt follow.

May 1899-Consolidating the railways

12 May 1899, Hofburg, Vienna, UHE

Rudolf signed off on the bills for both acquisitions. He had relentlessly badgered all four governments to pursue a policy of "buying back" the railways and to that end these acquisitions, both to take effect from the 1st July 1899, were very much the fruit of such. Royal Hungarian State Railways were purchasing KsOd and Imperial Austrian Railways were purchasing the Emperor Ferdinand Northern Railway and StEG whilst Royal Czechian State Rail had also purchased the Austrian Northwestern Railway.

At it's completion it would represent total state control over all railways with the exception of the Sudbahn between Budapest-Vienna and on to Trieste. He had made the promise in 1892 that he would quarantine it from nationalization in return for assistance from the Rothschild's at that time and would not go back on his word now.

Developments were still underway and currently 41,859 kilometers of track were laid, compared to 1,916 in 1854 and 15,645 at the start of 1879. Nationalization had helped, as had the construction of the Illyrian Coastal line. Also the large scale development in the formerly poorly served Galician region. In any case, over 26,000 kilometers had been laid in the last 21 years alone, no small achievement and whilst it had been a budget strain to "buy back the farm" as it was, it was now virtually completed and only 4,822 kilometers of track were now not state owned, only 12% of the total.

June 1899-Taxation, income tax

10 June 1899, Hofburg, Vienna, UHE

Rudolf eyed all four men, the most powerful in the UHE after himself. All had come to Vienna with their own teams and each had their own Finance Minister with him. They were Alfred III, Prince of Windisch-Grätz for Cisleithania, Baron Dezső Bánffy for Transleithania, Eduard Grégr for Czechia and lastly Josip Strossmayer for Illyria.

"Gentleman, thank you all for your attendance. The reason we are here is really quite simple. The time has come to implement an income tax here in the UHE. Yes, I know that all of us abhor new taxes, however, we also need to be fiscally responsible and at the same time broaden the base of taxation to provide all four Governments and the common purse a steady income stream. This is a path that the United States, that the United Kingdom and more importantly Germany have already embarked on.

Now, as you are all well aware, we have a chance to sign agreements in regards to dual taxation with Germany, Liechtenstein and Luxembourg, as well as the Congo and at the same time create an effective Customs and Dual Taxation Union between all five powers.

What that requires if we are to accomplish such a mutually beneficial arrangement is that we move to a system of basic income tax as Germany has already done. I need not remind you of the financial advantages for the UHE, indeed for all of the UHE. There are other benefits as well. We have invested heavily in infrastructure these last ten years, we have purchased back our railway systems and modernized our rolling stock. We have expanded our school system, settled Colonies, founded the first pension and welfare systems, upgraded and modernized our military and lastly founded two new Kingdoms and the infrastructure needed for such.

All of this has seen the economy surge ahead, unemployment fall away and saw us use women more in the workforce. These are all good things. However, the down side of such adventures is quite simple-cost. We have exceeded our income, it is really that simple. Therefore, this proposal's timing is quite fortuitous. Cisleithania's net debt is at 73.5% of yearly income. Transleithania's is at 98%, Czechia's is at 51.5%, Illyria's is at 122%. We need to bring this down to both more manageable and more normal levels in the region of 45-55%. A basic income tax will help us do that.

You will have seen the basic figures. All four Kingdoms agreed a basic minimum wage some years ago. This is set at 1.5 Krone per day for day labour or approximately 460 Krone per year. Now we have no intention of taxing the basic toiler at this stage. What is proposed is 1% income tax on those earning 2,000 to 10,000 Krone per annum. 2.5% for those earning 10,000 Krone to 50,000 Krone, 4% beyond such amount, but discounted to 3.75% for incorporated companies, setting us at a slightly lower level for company tax than Germany.

I repeat again. This must be universal, set at the same level across all four Kingdoms. Yes, it will not endear you to those it applies to and that is why we should move now to do this to have it in place for the 1st January, giving ample time between it's implementation and the next election. Electorally it may be unpopular but people will not run to the socialists because of it, bearing in mind they favour even larger taxes. In fact, I see no reason why we cannot lower land taxes and general excises to a degree as partial compensation.

Now, I will let the experts go into more detail."

June 1899- The seeds of change in Russia

24 June 1899, Catherine Palace, Tsarskoe Selo, Russian Empire

Nicholas watched his five children play and turned to his wife. "I have come to the conclusion that granting what many have been asking for, a Constitutional Assembly, may be the best move for Russia. As you know, I have corresponded extensively with Rudolf on the matter and although his opinions on the matter are diagrammatically opposed to those of Willy, for instance, I think that both he and Edward are correct. We already have such an arrangement in Finland and it works with little problem, therefore I would hope to model such an arrangement for Russia on the Finnish pattern.

Rudolf has written that he intends to strengthen the powers of the Diet of the Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria and appoint a fifth Curia to represent the peasantry. I think we can also take such steps to re-establish the Polish Sejm and establish such bodies in the other two autonomous regions, Georgia and Armenia. I am hoping it will be well received by the people and by the autonomous regions although, as usual, I fear demonstration and the need to then involve the police."

Nina looked at her husband. "We have both traveled abroad. Russia is different, yes. However, one cannot hold back the tide. We also covet what we see and to that end as people travel more, see other country's freedoms the desire for change will only build. When you look at the Finnish body, it will still be the right people making laws and at the same time it may take some of the crushing burden of the office away from you."

"Yes, perhaps it may. I plan to make an announcement within the month to take effect from 1901."

July 1899-Zeppelin OZ-1

31 July 1899, Ostrau, UHE

It was well known that the huge airship would make her first flight on this day and the city was buzzing with excitement at such a prospect. OZ-1 gracefully took to the air half an hour late after the various ceremonies and handshaking were completed. Ferdinand von Zeppelin watched her reach an altitude of 680 meters and fly some 30 kilometers on a circuitous route before she was to make a controlled landing back near her hanger. She had proven difficult to manage at low altitude and speed due to her bulk but she had proven almost as fast as the German machine and had been able to manage 24 kilometers per hour on a much longer trip, remaining aloft for almost 75 minutes.

Gustav Weisskopf was happy the trial had gone so well, he had spent some time with the developers of the airship. He was, however, convinced himself that it was heavier than air craft that represented the future and to that end he was still in collaboration to produce his first such craft which he hoped to trail next year. Currently he was working on the best gliding structure and then they could then look at fitting Maybach's new power plant.

August 1899-A new drug empire

3 August 1899, Frankfurt, German Empire

Arthur von Weinberg had made the decision, the commercial opportunity was simply to lucrative to pass up. His brother in laws would pay him out for his share in Cassella and he would go into partnership 1/3 each with a young man not even yet 20, that seemed to have access to a remarkable amount of capital, a Camillo Castiglioni. The last partner would be Johann Evangelist Zacherl who controlled the sale of Dalmatian Pyrethrum. Together they would found a drug manufacturing company, although there was no doubt that the centerpiece of their enterprise would be the manufacture of the new wonder drug, penicillin.

A large production facility was planned to be built at St Polten and should be operational by the end of the year.

August 1899- Rockets red glare

20 August 1899, Schonbrunn Place, Vienna, UHE

Stephanie came into her husband's study. "So, what are you working on?"

"Just reviewing our new taxation policy."

"And to think I thought accountants were boring."

"Plus doodling a few ideas of what we may be able to do with ships when the new battleship are ready."

"So, taxation policy is approved?"

"Yes, we have general agreement on a 1.1.1900 commencement. The percentages are as agreed and I have contacted the Germans who have also agreed. We will be visiting Berlin and signing in late September. It will create a sort of proto, what did you call it, EU, even though one country is in Africa. Customs Union, Dual Taxation Union and in addition there is a caveat in terms of funded University places as well. So a solid German block if you like, excluding the Swiss, of course. Despite the difficulty of dealing with Wilhelm when he gets personally involved, I see it as a large plus."

"I agree. Now remember it is your daughter's 16th birthday in a fortnight and she wants..."

"A ball. Yes, I know. I said yes but just not to trouble me with the arrangements. I assume you have made the arrangements?"

"Of course. The Brazilian delegation will be coming of course, along with large numbers of Officer Cadets."

"Marvelous. Lots of drunk children at the palace."

"Oh Rudi, don't be so grumpy. What are you planning with your ships?"

"Oh. Well old ship, the Hapsburg is likely too old and the electrics are just about shot, but that the other old tub, the Stephanie...."

"Careful."

"...well that other old tub, it is only ten years old. l was thinking we could attach it to the amphibious squadron as a bombardment ship. However, I was thinking you could equip her with a modified, more modern and larger version of Hale rockets. You know, for shore bombardment. On 5000 tons she could carry a large amount of them and minimal modification would be required."

"Like Saving Private Ryan!"

"What?"

"I have seen it in movies. Landing craft go in, they fire rockets. Whoosh. Boom! Everything is fubared."

"Fubared? Where do you get this stuff? I assume that means destroyed. Somehow I don't think it is quite that easy."

"Nothing is ever quite as easy as it is shown in the movies."

"How do they fire them in these movies?"

"Oh, I don't know. They just say fire and they fire. There is no little man behind them lighting them if that is what you mean."

"I imagine that may be slightly dangerous."

"Well, I don't know. They are mounted on rails."

Rails?"

"Thin metal rails. That is all I know except they look impressive."

"Hmm, very well."

"Remember we are going to the Gieslingen's after church."

"Yes, I know."

"Plus it is your sister's graduation as a doctor on Monday and we said we would be there."

"Yes I know."

Plus I have that speaking engagement after and you said you would take Lola."

"Stop mothering me woman! I have a Private Secretary for that. I am a grown man."

"I think we can both agree that I perform functions that your Private Secretary cannot." Stephanie said, smirking.

Rudolf smirked. "You are impossible women."

August 1899- Dreadnoughts hit the sea

31 August 1899, STT, Trieste, UHE

Rodolfo Iezzi, STT's Chief Constructor watched as the huge crane moved the large triple turret into position on the battleship, itself launched only a few weeks ago. The three 12.2 inch guns would follow over the next month and then the two twin rear turrets would also be fitted. The battleship had stayed on the stocks longer than it really needed to do so and he was uncertain as to the reason why.

He was even more uncertain as to the large security presence at the yard and most of all why he had given de Brassey's a design that was not correct in all details. It was only today that he was to send a "corrected" design with apologies. Of course, already it was too late for the design to be placed in next years Annual.

Today clearly represented some sort of pivot point, as the all pervasive security had been downgraded to what normally was present at a military shipyard. Two weeks ago the second ship had been launched at Pola, the third at Ganz in Fiume hitting the water only two days ago.

Iezzi was quite confident that Schreck would complete first. His construction crews were more experienced, even if both the other yards had larger and more modern facilities and he anticipated that the ship would start sea trials at the end of next year.

He would be unable to grasp what the implications of the arrival of such a revised design at the same time as reports that the ship was armed with all big guns would do in creating shock-waves around the navies of the world, especially in London but also Berlin.

September 1899- Dancing, Brazilian inheritance

2 September 1899, Hofburg, Vienna, UHE

All too soon came the words I had been dreading: “Meine Damen und Herren, alles Walzer”.

“You ready, Erszi?” Luis' hand landed in the middle of her back. Her top was bare, and his palm was hot against her nearly-bare flesh.

“Yes,” she replied, agreeably, but her throat was suddenly dry, and her voice rasped over the single syllable.

She walked to the center of the room, stepping lightly on tender feet. When she reached the pool of dim light provided by the room’s lone light, she stopped, took a deep steadying breath, and closed her eyes. The whole room's focus was on her.

The Blue Danube started, only this time when Luis' hand landed lightly on her right shoulder, the music coming seemingly from everywhere in the room in the half dark. Letting the music take her, Erszi moved her head from side to side. His warm hands pressed against her back,

Then she was spinning, the centrifugal force pushing her away from him; however, before she went too far, he was pulling her back, his hands pressing against her chest, pressing her against him. He rocked her back and forth, and she let him, listening to the music.

His hand slipped down a fraction of an inch. They were cheek to cheek now, so close she could feel her lashes catching against the roughness of his shadow. For the briefest of moments, she thought he might kiss her.

She trusted Luis, liked…she might even…she might even be…

Their eyes caught and held, and the look on his face nearly halted her feet mid-step. The room spun around them, but they continued to hold each other’s gaze. He seemed to be trying so hard to communicate something to her. She wished with everything in her he’d just say it, but her brain was insisting that she was way too young for him, and he would never be able to see her as anything more than a little sister. Their spins were slower now, more deliberate, and since he refused to look at her, she was given a rare opportunity in which to study him.

His brow glistened with sweat. A single lock of sandy hair was stuck to his forehead, while the rest of his hair stood, charmingly, in some disarray. His eyes stared, unseeing, over her left shoulder, and the muscle in his tightly-clenched jaw jumped every time their wide, sweeping turns caused her thighs to brush, softly, against his. Finally, the music slowed. As the song’s final notes drifted in the air around them, he stepped forward, into her space. She sucked in a breath.

She knew beyond the shadow of a doubt that, this time, she was not imagining the look in his eyes. She couldn’t have possibly conjured up such a raw emotion. It scared her, but at the same time, it comforted her, because she knew it was real.

She felt it, too. He stared down into her eyes, his grip on her biceps tightening. Her lips felt suddenly dry, her eyelids heavy…hooded, and she blinked slowly and licked her lips to alleviate the feeling.

His eyes dropped to her mouth. Nervously, she bit her lip, working it between her teeth, self-consciously. He was nervous. She made him nervous. Erszi stopped chewing her lip. It couldn’t be. He couldn’t…could he?

Hesitantly, she reached up and placed her hand against Luis' cheek. She was taking such a risk here…but she’d never been one to back down from a scary situation. She held her ground, waiting for him to make a move, or to shrug her off, or to start struggling to find gentle words to let her down easy. She was meant to be a woman, now, capable of making decisions about her own life. She wouldn’t say the word. If he wanted to stop this thing that was happening between them, he was going to have to be the one to say it.

He stared down at her, his eyes wide with shock and dawning realization. Fuck,” he whispered, softly. Then he changed to subject, but to one of interest none the less.

"My brother Pedro, you see him there?" She nodded. "He is in love with Elsa Dobržensky. So much so that he will announce such a fact soon and give up his position to marry her. Then the responsibility will be mine."

Luis went on. "I cannot just sit back and do nothing. Like my Grandfather did. Like my mother does. I just…cannot. Brazil….the Republic. It is run like a criminal gang. Effectively a plutocracy. There are many junior Army officers with a will to resist. Virtually the whole Navy, now that they have been frozen out of power. Poverty, corruption, the poor without the slightest of advocates. Less than 2% of the people can vote. The office of President is brought and sold.

There is no middle class. We export grain whilst peasants starve. The power of the Coronelismo need to be broken."

"What are you going to do?"

"Finish, graduate as an Austrian Army Officer. Then, for the sake of my own and my country's honor I must try. Try and change things. There is much support for such change. I am in contact with.....parties."

Erszi looked at him. "Well, you have my support for what it is worth." Finally she looked up and saw her mother and father staring at her. "Err, I think we must make room for the next dance."

Luis looked a flushed. "Yes. You look beautiful by the way."

"Thank you Luis."

September 1899-Heartburn at the Admiralty

15 September 1899, Admiralty, Whitehall, London, United Kingdom

“Well this is a fine cock up.” Jackie Fisher raged.

Admiral Walter Kerr sighed. Three weeks as First Sea Lord and already the fat was in the fire. The situation was as ugly as sin, no doubt about it. The only thing that would make it worse was if these ships were under construction by France, Russia or Germany.

“Yes, it does put rather a spanner in the works. A bad show all around.”

“Naval Intelligence!” grated Fisher. “There seems to be little in the way of intelligence to be had there.”

“No good crying over spilled milk. You did indicate this UHE Kaiser is a clever fellow. This has all been quite oh so cleverly disguised. However, the question remains, what we do ourselves?”

Fisher harrumphed. ‘Well, we will need to build more of the bloody things and sharpish to, no matter the cost to the budget. Bad enough we had to spend a fortune in coin to build those ridiculous huge cruisers. The Mars Class. Shocking waste of money.

However, these things are another matter altogether. They are building oil fired turbine all big gun battleships. We are building coal powered chuffers. We have fully twelve battleships under construction, likely every one of them now obsolete. 12 million pounds worth of warships, all obsolete for God’s sake! That is not mentioning those freakish four cruisers at a million pounds each! All obsolete, the lot of them!”

“I would not go that far. Besides the ships are too far advanced to not proceed. Thankfully the UHE budget will likely not stretch to more immediately. No, our main concern must be what it always has been, maintaining the lead over the French, Germans and Russians.”

“We have no designs at all with these sort of specifications, have only just started to think about turbines and have not given a thought to oil burning ships. You know how difficult that will be with coal facilities spread all over the globe. For God sake that will be yet another enormous cost and our only oil source is small scale operations in Burma. The uniform heavy armament we can do and of course our yards can push ships through faster than any other.”

“Well there is only one thing to do Jackie.”

“What on earth is that?”

“Head back to your old stomping ground and see if you can beg, borrow or steal your way onto these new ships so that our own Naval Constructors can start work on a design that may do the job for us.”

September 1899- Postal arrangements

30 September 1899, Austrian State Printing Office, Vienna, UHE

Chief Printer, Engraver and designer Thomas Macinak looked over the designs again. This was going to be a lot of work. The UHE had been working on designs to fit into the new UPU structure that mandated postage stamp colours, red for standard postage rate, blue for postcard rate, green for printed matter, violet for large letters and orange for registered mail.

Of course, each of the four Kingdoms issued it’s own stamps, as did each of the four Colonies. In addition the Congo issued it’s own stamps. Plus the office would print the stamps of Liechtenstein.

Now in addition to a Customs Union and a Dual Taxation arrangement, all four countries(not their Colonies outside of Europe or the Congo) had agreed to an extension of postal facilities where postage internal to all four was considered to be not international.

The Austrian State Printing Office was the official printer for all four Kingdoms and therefore new stamps were required for all ten jurisdictions, a huge task to design, print and prepare. Within the UHE there would be new postal rates to bring the country into line with Germany.

New rates were 5 Heller for postcards, 6 for printed matter/town deliveries, 8 for international postcards, 12 for postage or large letters second class, 20 for large letters and international letters, 25 for registered letters and 30 for registered international letters. Of course, this was the UHE, so it was Heller in Austria, Filler in Hungary, Haler in Czechia and Haller in Illyria, all going to make up; 100 of which to a Krone.

For simplicity, in all cases aside from the Congo the stamps showed the Kaiser’s head up to 20 Heller, then local scenic views from 25 Heller to 10 Krone, the top value. In the Congo, the portrait was that of Queen Stephanie and the stamps ran as high as 50 Krone, a huge amount, but used none the less to facilitate the postage of gold parcels back to Vienna, an increasingly common occurrence. In Liechtenstein the stamps would of course show Johann II.

He did not envy the Post Office, who also needed to work out the various mail route arrangements for delivery of mail into Germany and beyond.

October 1899-War clouds gather on a number of fronts

12 October 1899, Hofburg, UHE

Well, things in South Africa were moving much like previously thought Rudolf. There had been agitation and unrest for a number of years in regards the treatment of British citizens in the Orange Free State and Transvaal. The British did have a case by any fair standards. Their citizens were indeed treated as second class in both the Transvaal and the Orange Free State, denied a say in government or the franchise. Needless to say, they conveniently ignored that the same fact existed in their own Colonies. Of course, that involved coloured people. Oh well, it was not Rudolf's job to play world policemen. At least that fool Willie has not dispatched a letter of support to Kruger this time, at least as yet. It could be a good time to try and nip that stupidity in the bud at least.

As it was, Rudolf would be surprised if war had not occurred before the end of the year, perhaps even within weeks. Talks had been suspended just the previous day and if events followed like before, Kruger would mobilize for war within the month.

It was not the only ructions in what had been a volatile October. In China, the Dowager Empress had seized power and ended the reforms there. Six days ago a priest in Shandong Province had been stabbed to death, provoking a demand from France and others for a formal apology and punishment of the guilty parties. The Chinese response had been terse and dismissive and the situation was rapidly deteriorating. It seemed the Boxer Rebellion would also play out much as it had in the history he was familiar with, no great surprise since UHE influence in the Pacific was essentially non existent and little in the way of change should likely be expected from what had occurred in his memory.

The third event was only four days old. President McKinley had conjured his Statehood Bill through Congress for five new States to bring the total up to 50. Congressional approval had been obtained, the bill had been passed and all five were slated to become States on 1.1.1900. What had rocked that process was the revelation that it had not been Spanish action that had destroyed the battleship Texas so comprehensively, but Cuban, or Carrabinia, as the new state was meant to be known, home grown terrorists. It was a revelation that had shocked American sensibilities and demonstrations, in some case virtual riots had broken out, not only in Cuba but in a number of mainland cities as well as ugly feelings had escalated rapidly.

The Spanish, of course, now denounced the "Acts of American aggression" that had started the war in the first place.

War was on the horizon on a number of fronts, none of them at this stage likely to pull in the UHE, but it was likely to prove an unpleasant business none the less as the Century drew to a close.

October 1899- Battleship angst

30 October 1899, Pola Naval Shipyard, UHE

"Jackie" Fisher was accorded all the respect a former Admiral in the UHE Navy would normally be afforded as he was firstly offered a tour of of the battlecruiser Tegettoff. She was a large ship, with an incredible theoretical firepower thought Fisher. She was also not far off the size of the new battleships under construction. However, such a design was also a floating ammunition storage and with so many turrets, fully seven of them, she could be subject to catastrophic damage from a penetration. Yet at the same time she was also clearly fast and Fisher shuddered to think what such a ship would do to smaller cruisers if she ran them down. Captain Kloss was more than accommodating in regards showing the ship, although he had indicated that some small parts were closed for painting.

The oil fired plant was similar to the new class of battleship. That in itself was a key technical innovation. Of course, the new battleship were to use turbines rather than the reciprocating plant of the large cruiser.

He was also able to tour the progress of the new battleship Heiligesdreieinigkeit. She had been launched a month before and was busy fitting out at the dry dock. Again, he was given complete freedom to view the turrets and the new 12.2 inch guns that awaited them, as well as basic designs.

When he returned to London the Naval Constructor would have to set to work sharpish and new ships would have to hit the stocks as soon as possible. Turbines. Yes. Oil, not at this stage. Just too difficult a fix in such a short period of time. A change to oil would require changes to basing infrastructure all over the globe and that could not happen quickly.

Finally he sat down with the Kaiser himself. "My congratulations sir, you seem to have stolen a march on all of us."

Rudolf smiled. You have not seen the new wireless Jackie, he thought. "Well, we have been working on such a design as a theoretical exercises for quite some time and these ships are simply the result of that."

Fisher snorted. "They are going to cause a firestorm. Already have, really."

Rudolf sat back. "Jackie, I am sorry that this will place the Royal Navy in a sticky situation, but progress cannot be held back."

"I would not be concerned about that. Truth is the service needs a good trimming. Not with snips either but with an axe. Far too much in the way of obsolescent ships. Floating coffins for all intents and purposes. You saw that here. I see it in the U.K."

"Very well. By way of good faith, here are the plans for the oil burners we have employed. Make of them what you will."

"Thank you Sir. Now. Heiligesdreieinigkeit. What sort of name for a ship is that?"

"One her opponents can't spell Jackie."

"Quite."
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
30 October 1899, Navy Ministry, Berlin, German Empire

"How do they manage to do this, I ask you that?"

"All Highest, I cannot conceive. They have gone from a seafaring backwater to a leader in innovation."

"You realise that this will make our latest class of battleship named after my father utterly obsolete?"

"Of course."

"Well, we have to have some of these new ships, these Schrecks, immediately. Scrap our existing ships that have just been laid down and we will have to draw up plans for something new. Coal we have aplenty whereas oil we must import. What about these turbines?"

"We have already manufactured the guns for the new class and paid for them. The shipyards..."

"Damn the shipyards. They build what we pay them for and there is little point in paying for meaningless ships. We have ten old center battery ships in commission, yet the UHE have removed all theirs from service. We must do something! We are being left behind! I will not have the second best German speaking Navy!"

"Well we can commence plans for a new class. However, I would recommend that we use the 238mm inch guns we have accumulated as we need to test a new class and at present we have no reliable design for a heavy gun."

"Cannot we ask Rudolf's lot? They are meant to be our allies, are they not?"

"Only if you want to admit that we cannot develop such a design ourselves. Plus, if they refuse, we will be humiliated All Highest."

"Why do we have no valid designs for large caliber gun? What has the Navy been doing Tirpitz?"

"Well this has all been so unexpected, emerging from the last place one would suspect."

"I suspected it! He is like a fox, this Rudolf. Very well, come up with such a design that at least tries to incorporate some lessons from what we have seen before us, even if it will be outclassed. We must have something to build upon."

"Very well Your Majesty, but I cannot see how we will have a workable design before this time next year."

November 1899- Happenings in Albania

2 November 1899, Royal Palace, Durres, Kingdom of Albania

King Eugen of Albania contemplated the situation. He was 36 and now a father with two children, a boy and a girl. He was still Grand Master of the Teutonic Knights. Of course, his former Army career, where he had advanced rapidly to Major-General, was a thing of the past. Instead he had organized a small Albanian Army, numbering some 5,500 men and at the same time purchased four torpedo boats and a tender off the UHE Navy to establish a small base at Durres, the port facilities of which had been much improved by African Queen money and could handle 5,000 ton tankers on the oil trade.

He had mastered Albanian, no small feat in itself and in a general sense was happy. He had never contemplated marriage before, not really certain if he liked women or men to be honest, but to be King required a dynastic succession, so in some sense the choice had been made for him. The defining feature of his personality was duty and he had at least found in his wife a companion he could share fully with and trust. Anna, was tall, beautiful and intelligent and those were useful traits to have.

He had found the Albanian people to be warm once relations had progressed and trust established. He had made many suggestions and taken it upon himself to build the Armed Forces, yet at the same time was happy to let Ismail Qemal conduct the daily business of Government. Nearly all of Albania's economic ties were with the UHE via the oil business, the export of chromium(in itself now a full production) and what he had toured today, silk. The oil and chromium business had built the rail infrastructure in the country.

Silk from Albania had been promoted heavily out of Vienna. He had been surprised when he first saw the signs. He saw signs of silk everywhere, especially in and around the northern city of Shkodra: leafy mulberry trees festooned with large bland white berries, silver-embroidered sheer blouses in second-hand shops, village women with black curls wrapped in rizat, their long gauzy headscarves, selling material in the village markets. Rough silk, shiny yet rough and slightly stiff, and unevenly woven. Had they made it at home? Yes, village women had told him, they’d always raised silkworms. It was an obvious choice for an expanded industry and so it was to prove. The factory now in Shkodra made silk sheets and exported the rest in raw form to the Vienna fashion houses, employing almost 1500 people.

He had entertained doubts when first appointed, how could he not? Most considered Albania to be a poor, lawless and backward country, even more than Russia, and some opinions was scathing, especially the press. Yet he could see signs of change everywhere. Now he had a responsibility to his children George and Danika, hence he had even taken steps to give George the name of Skanderbeg, the legendary Albania hero. Gestures like that counted, he felt.

November 1899-Boer War policy

4 November 1899, Stadtschloss, Berlin, German Empire

"Willie, if you want the details on the new ships, you only have to ask. They were not built to blindside Germany. It is highly unlikely they will ever leave the Mediterranean after all. To be brutally honest, they were built to blindside everyone. In the UHE we do not have the money, especially the naval money, to not be on the cutting edge of development. What we build will have to last longer than what you do, as we do not have the capital that Germany has to spend on a Navy. You can see that surely?"

"Yes, yes, but we are allies."

"We are also allies with Russia, but I did not give the plans to them either."'

"Yes, but Germanic solidarity...."

"Only goes so far. I still have to look at what is best for my own country. Now I am sorry if this has caught you on the hop, but I am happy to provide whatever details you require if you or indeed Tirpitz are desirous of having them."

"Well well. I will ask Tirpitz to contact your Navy Department."

"Now whilst we are on the subject of Germanic solidarity, let me delve into this Boer problem. Kruger has declared war and launched an offensive against the British."

"Small wonder with the provocation and sabre rattling that has occurred."

"You remember that I advised against signing that telegram of support after the English Raid."

"Of course" said Wilhelm.

"Well the clever play here is to do nothing as well. Support for the Boers may be a popular theme, so best not to come out in support of the English. On the other hand, it is not difficult to envisage who the winner will be in this particular conflict, so best to keep the English on side by not opening supporting the Boers either."'

"It seems that is your solution to everything. Do nothing." Wilhelm huffed.

"Sometimes it is the best option Willie. Doing nothing at the right moment can be very effective. It also helps to keep all and sundry wondering where your true feelings, where your true policies lie."

November 1899- Death of a President

26 November 1899, Cedar Lawn Cemetery, Patterson, New Jersey, United States of America

William McKinley bowed his head. Garrett Hobart had been more than his Vice President, he had been his friend. Hobart had deteriorated badly from announcing at the start of the month his effective retirement from public life to dying on the 21st November. Now he would have to face another campaign in 1901 without his old friend. Teddy Roosevelt was the obvious choice, despite their differences, yet he had not spoken to him at present. The current furor in regards the Texas incident was bad enough. Had they blown up the Maine as well was another question.

The question of the former Spanish Colonies becoming United States States was now an explosive one, even more so as the date for such an event 1.1.1900, moved even closer. President McKinley had not even noticed the figure at the funeral, which was well attended. No one noticed the gun until then gunman pulled it out when only 15 feet from the President. Hiram Davis unloaded two shots into McKinley from that range, one of which killed the President instantly, the second hitting his left arm.

It was rapidly established that he had submitted a number of letters violently protesting the proposed new States, yet, despite many theories, it seemed he had acted alone. It was to leave a country in chaos, with no President or Vice President and deeply divided opinions.

November 1899-The plight of fatherless children

28 November 1899, St Theresa Catholic Orphanage, Vienna, UHE

It was an ongoing problem within the UHE and would likely continue to be one unless something was done, which was what she was attempting to do. It remained an unsolved issue as to why in the UHE 13.7% of all births were illegitimate. In Germany it was 7.4%, in England 4.5%. It could not just be the cold, thought Stephanie. There seemed to be no reason to suggest that Austrians, Hungarians, Croatians and the like were hornier than any others, so why?

It was such a disadvantage in life, especially in position conscious Catholic lands, which the UHE certainly was. She had ordered an informal survey of the prostitutes of Vienna. 75.7% were of bastard origin, a damning statistic right there.

There were many reasons but it was best to attempt to prune away as many as possible. It was almost impossible for an illegitimate child to advance. They had no social standing and were often the targets of fierce bullying, even in adulthood. It was well nigh impossible for such children to rise above the class of their mother and UHE law certainly did not help. A subsequent marriage could cause the child to be legitimized, yet if the original parents wished to get married subsequently, there was no hope for legitimization, a bizarre fact. Even the church discriminated, charging more for the Baptism of such a child. It was madness really.

The changes she had proposed had already drawn the ire of the Catholic Church, namely Mariano Rampolla who was busy trying to block all such actions. They included allowing marriages between faiths to be conducted by the State rather than in a church or synagogue. A proposal that any subsequent marriage between the parents automatically legitimize the offspring. That the father be required to support in some small way the offspring, at the very least paying for the cost of the confinement. That the child, if given the fathers name with his consent, have the full right of inheritance. That the official birth certificate not specifically show illegitimacy. Lastly, that no official discrimination be made within the school system against illegitimate children and finally that the State provide a small stipend to those willing to adopt orphans to encourage such acts. For so many single mothers, abandoning the child to an orphanage was the only way.

Ideally, a form of sex education would be of the greatest help, but she was under no illusions of any possibility of that occurring. It was simply too scandalous for the time. Mariano Rampolla's barely contained hate filled letter made it quite clear that he regarded her as a "dangerous Liberal", that he considered her ideas "borderline subversive and heretical". To think that fool could become Pope if the present incumbent was to die. Luckily Rudolf was able to veto such an appointment if it was to occur. That was a happening that would likely wipe the smile off the man's face.

The Church considered allowing mixed faith marriages an assault on their religion and a weakening of their power. They regarded steps to assist orphans as implied criticism of their orphanages. They regarded assistance to single mothers as condoning fallen women. To be fair, that was only the Churches Conservative wing. Yet those were very much the factions of the Church that held power. For all that, she owed it to the horrors she had seen, the abuse and neglect, to press on.

December 1899- Bedtime conversaions and Boxers

2 December 1899, Hofburg, Vienna, UHE

Rudolf finished the draft of the letter that he would give to his Private Secretary tomorrow. He scanned it again.

"On behalf of my government I wish to offer Her Britannic Majesty's government the unfettered use of a UHE Empress Elizabeth Army Medical Corps fully equipped unit to be able to deploy in the field to assist your troops as required. In making this offer I feel it only fair to point out that I also intend to make President Kruger a similar but smaller offer of assistance via medical units.

I am doing this because, as you well know, war makes no distinction between troops and civilians on so many occasions. It is surely unfair to watch good and loyal soldiers of any persuasion suffer when wounded for merely doing their duty as it was seen to be at the time. It is doubly unfair to have civilians exposed to the sort of depredations so often the case in wartime.

On behalf of my own government I extend my sympathies that such a conflict has occurred and wish only to extend the hand of humanitarian friendship to minimize casualties on all sides in this terrible conflict.

Your

Rudolf, et all"

Rudolf put down the paper and pencil and turned to his wife. "Finished. You?"

Stephanie sniffed. "I have not even started yet, I am still reading this material about Royalties. God there was a time when I would not have been interested in this sort of thing. I sometimes wonder why I am now. I want to get back in shape."

"You would be the fittest women in the Empire now and God knows you have made me the fittest man! You have even been dragging our daughter out on these morning runs."

"There is the 1900 games in Greece. We could do with a Grecian summer holiday next year. It might be the last chance to have Erszi with us. She will be 17 then, a women in all but name. We could take your sisters."

"Very well. What about your letter?"

"I will just copy yours and add that African Medical units may be more politic considering it is an African conflict."

"Very well. You are aware that I recreated two Battalions of Naval Marines a few years back?"

"Yes of course. It may seem like I am not listening when you drone on about the Navy and Army, but I am."

"I am going to draft orders for one such Battalion to move to China on board a battlecruiser. It should be a good mission to test the capabilities of the Tegettoff, actually. I can still see the Boxer Rebellion happening and I cannot see any option but to support the other seven powers. In fact, there is no other option that I can see if it all happens as per what we know. We need to protect the Legations otherwise it was be a unmitigated slaughter and that may mean full scale war and a full partition of China and God knows what hornets that will bring to life."

"True. I hear from sources that my father has been bad mouthing me around certain quarters in Paris and has now bizarrely formed a liaison with a Romanian prostitute that he is squiring around Brussels. I am not close to my mother either but I can feel her shame."

"It all serves to paint the man as a lecher and a fool, tainting any vitriol he may pour out against you."

"I suppose."

December 1899- Italian thoughts on dreadnoughts

5 December 1899, Royal Place, Rome, Kingdom of Italy

Prince Tommasso sat with the King and reflected. "It is worse than we ever thought Umberto. They are so far ahead of us technically I am not sure that we can ever close the gap. There are certain idiots at the Navy Office that will insist that we have 10 battleships and six armoured cruisers whilst they have only four armoured cruisers but but is not as simple as all that. Their ships are larger, more capable than ours and faster than ours, the later a feature we have traditionally relied upon.

These new all big gun ships they have, these Schrecks, they could destroy anything we have. They have the firepower of any two previous ships. Our present class of battleships is six years into it's build and still likely 18 months from completion. There is a horrible level of inertia and complacency with little to really back up such a feeling."

"Money for any new construction will be a problem, but I agree, something must be done. Libya is proving to be a drain on resources, not a boon. How soon would we be able to obtain a design worth proceeding with?"

"I think at least a year at the quickest. We have not even looked at turbines."

"Get one ready as soon as possible then perhaps we can look at funding a trial unit."

June 1900-A new mountain gun

1 June 1900, Schonbrunn Palace, Vienna, UHE

Rudolf looked at the design again. He had held it up long enough. The guns was far from adequate in his own mind, but he was no expert and he had already held it nine months as he tried in vain to get the problem of the proposed mountain gun's high elevation and the fact the provision of barrel recoil systems such as has been perfected was currently impossible as the breech would recoil into the ground. So, in the finish, all it would have was a spade brake.

He was also concerned about the gun being in bronze. It did have some advantages in the fact manufacture could be spread to other constructors. Bronze had some advantages inherent to mountain guns as well, namely the fact that it was more flexible than iron and steel and therefore could be cast into thinner barrels, which made for lighter weapons, useful in an alpine setting where the guns would be moved by pack mule or man. However, the softness of the metal resulted in increased wear, greater windage and subsequent loss of accuracy. In addition, the power of the charge that the barrel could physically take was less than that of steel.

Despite all these issues, compromises had to be made. Already, since November 1897, 2715 new guns had been manufactured for the Army, near half the required amount. The new 7 cm Gebirgsgeschütz M 99 was far from perfect, but would have to do and Rudolf authorized a purchase of 300 of the new gun, along with 60 of the 104mm larger variant. He was still hoping that by the end of 1902 the Army would be fully equipped with a modern artillery park.

Things in China were still looking bad and he had deployed two ships and a Battalion of Marines based at Port Arthur where the Russians had provided facilities, as well as deploying as many as possible directly in the legation under Moritz Freiherr Czikann von Wahlborn's command as the Consul.

In Southern Africa, the early success of the Boer offensives were now a thing of the past. The British were flooding the area with troops and the regular Boer Army was now a shadow of it's former self, falling back to Pretoria which was now in severe danger. They had, of course, rejected his offer of medical assistance and he had been unable to deploy such a unit in support of Kruger's forces either as Portugal had refused permission to cross their East African territory.

June 1900-First Flight

3 June 1900, near Ostrau, UHE

Gustav Weisskopf could feel the immediate pain in his arm and his precious aircraft was firmly lodged in the tree. His arm was painful enough but not that painful that he could not marvel at his achievement. He had flown at an estimated 12 meters high at times and covered a distance of at least 600 to 700 meters. The steering gear had failed, however, hence why he as wrapped around a tree, heading straight into it, much to his horror.

It was finally his little daughter Rose's voice that brought him out of his reverie. "Papa, Papa! Are you alright?"

"Yes Rosie. Can you get your mother to bring me a set of good clothes."

"Of course. Why papa?"

"I think I have disgraced myself."

June 1900-The British react

4 June 1900, Admiralty, Whitehall, London, United Kingdom

It was ridiculous, thought Fisher. The cost of these new ships was astronomical compared to the old. The Formidable's(the last two of which had been cancelled) and the Duncans had cost 1.05 to 1.15 million pounds each. The Cressy Class armoured cruisers 800,000 pounds and the new Monmouth Class, which would now number only four of the planned ten ships 900,000 pounds.

In exchange for the 6.75 million pound savings by cancelling six Monmouth Class armoured cruisers and two Formidable Class battleships, he and the Navy had been able to find the funds to lay down only three of the new Lord Nelson Class battleships and two of the Warrior Class armoured cruisers. The new armoured cruisers, built for a class of new guns, the 10 inch 45 caliber, which existed only on paper at present were even more expensive than the battleships and it had required the voting of over a million pounds extra funds to build a second unit. All the new ships used turbines and should be fast at 20 knots and 26 knots respectively, but still retained coal power although the new armoured cruisers used water tube boilers.

At least at this stage the UHE were the only other country building the things, although others would no doubt follow. Lord Nelson, the first such ship, was laid two days ago and the others would follow between now and January with Priority One build times. With weights over 18,000 tons no wonder the things were expensive, thought Fisher and it brought into question the age old problem. With these ships so expensive, how were the Royal Navy to build enough cheap cruisers for trade protection?

Lord Nelson Class

Warrior Class

June 1900- Presidential election on the horizon

9 June 1900, White House, Washington DC, United States of America

John Hay secretly wondered whether he was doing the right thing. He had continued in the Presidency as he considered it his duty, but already some eight months in the chair had seen his health take a turn for the worse. He was not so much worried by the 1900 election, which he was confident he would win well, but more the burden of the next four years.

One thing that had least taken a turn for the better was the chaos the new Statehood Bill had wrought. The public, shocked by the assassination of McKinley, had turned their spleen to the nationalist groups that opposed the Statehood of the Caribbean Islands and although deep divisions still existed, things were not as bad as they had been in late 1899. Taking Teddy Roosevelt as his running mate had been necessary. Roosevelt was a man that Hay had little enough in common with but he was enormously popular and that had a charm all of it's own.

Both Roosevelt and the Vice Presidential candidate for the Democrats, Admiral Dewey, were all clamoring for a larger Navy in the wake of the Pacific War but Hay had demurred. He had no desire to get into a naval arms race with England and was far less keen to spend money on such matters as he was on infrastructure and establishing trade ties.

June 1900-Final voyage of the old flagship

11 June 1900, Pola Naval Base, UHE

The old Hapsburg was going to make her final voyage, thought Midshipman Georg von Trapp. She had played her part in the Balkan Wars but was simply too old and not worth the cost of repair and refit. She had been disarmed at Pola and her new status would be an an accommodation ship at Fiume attached to the Naval Academy. Assignment aboard the old ship had not been a popular one over the years, as she had managed to fatally electrocute at least two of her crew with her 800 volt DC power installation, giving her the fleet nickname "Alte Elektrisch Aal". This in addition to her reputation as a terrible roller that left even the most hardened seasick in heavier seas.

Her replacement was fitting out in the dockyard, a huge and unmistakable silhouette in the early sheen of dawn. She was not the only battleship undergoing a makeover. The older Kronprinzessin Erzherzogin Stephanie had had her armament reduced and was being fitted with a most extraordinary array of metal rails on the decks.

Truthfully, none held all that much interest for him. It was the three small boats, the Holland submarines, that he secretly longed to embark in to plunge the depths of the sea.

Kronprinzessin Erzherzogin Stephanie

JUne 1900-UHE and Russian joint task force puts to sea

18 June 1900, aboard SMS Tegettoff, Port Arthur Naval Base

Captain Dern gave the orders. The conversation with the Russian Admiral Dubasov had been short enough. It appeared that Edward Seymour’s international force, numbering some 2,200 men, including 250 UHE troops, was in trouble and trapped in the city of Tianjin, where they were under attack by not only Boxers but Chinese Imperial troops. In addition the Bieyang Fleet had also sortied in support of the rebels and had driven off the light forces deployed in support, with telegraph reports indicating “three large battleships”.

Port Arthur was only 100 nautical miles from Bohai Bay and in addition to his large cruiser and the light cruiser Prague there were two Russian armoured cruisers, the Rurik and Rossia in addition to five torpedo boats. They were much closer than comparable Royal Navy or French forces.

They were to raise steam and proceed at all speed to Tainjin to not only remove any naval opposition but to relieve Seymour’s force, which had been attempting to break through to Peking, where a company of UHE Marines was trapped with other international troops in the Legation Sector and had been for fully six days.

His own ship was more modern and much larger than the two 12,000 ton Russian ships, a fact he was quite conscious of as he gave the orders to raise steam and prepare the 17,500 ton battlecruiser for sea.

June 1900-Cornering a spy

18 June 1900, Basement, Butterfly Brothel, Vienna, UHE

“I swear to you, I had not passed anything beyond basic duty rosters on foreign embassies. Nothing more than that.”

“We believe you Captain, surely we do. However, what you were going to pass on to our Russian friends, well, that would have been unfortunate, you see. Very unfortunate.”

“I am loyal. I am perhaps the most loyal. I…this opportunity. I bless the name of the Kaiser.”

“Yet you give secrets to the Russians.” Alfred Redl was a hard enough man in his own way, yet the empty eyes of the Major, Roos he thought his name was, the way he looked through him like he was investigating a particularly interesting bug, made him shrink away.

“Captain, Captain, let us lay our cards on the table. We are fully aware that despite your recent marriage you have certain…proclivities for shall we say ‘other’ company. Oh yes, we are fully aware of every single aspect of your life. Have you ever asked what your little Cecile does when you are not at home, which is most of the time? She works for me and it seems that some of her talents have been badly wasted on a man of your…..choices.

Plus, at the end of the day, there is also the money. It is so often all about the money. Of course, you know the penalties for homosexual activity, but I fear the one for treason is far worse. Your poor parents, sister, well, the shame.”

“I will do anything, I will never do such a thing again. Never! I will tell the Russians to fuck off.”

“Oh my dear Captain Redl, we could never be so impolite to our Russian friends. They paid for a service from you and I believe they intend to collect. So, I am afraid you will just have to keep giving them information and taking all that money.”

Redl stared at him in astonishment. “You want me to keep giving them information?”

“Indeed I do. Simply tell Cecile what they are interested in and we will arrange for you to receive it to pass on to them. You can do that, can you not?’

“Yes! Yes, I can.”

“Good, because now you must continue on. You must not alert our Russian friends. That way you can continue to do your duty to your Kaiser, still earn some money and keep that dreadful secret we just shared.”

“Yes.”

“For if you don’t do this, well, things could go badly. You will be picked up, jailed, a high profile trial will I am sure bring out the whole sordid story and then I fear a long drop on a short rope.”

“I understand, really I do.”

“Very well them. It may be best to go home and rest. You look like you have had a stressful day.”
------------------------------------------------------------
18 June 1900, Evidenzbureau, Vienna, UHE

Vladimir Von Gieslingen sat with Rudolf. "Redl?" said Rudolf.

Vladimir Von Gieslingen grimaced. "Done. I fear I don't have the taste for this sort of thing."

"Necessary none the less. Besides, another 12 months or so in this job and I think my wife wishes to make you Governor of the Congo along with a raft of reforms there, so you may go from the frying pan to the fire in any case."

June 1900- The final destruction of the Beiyang Fleet

19 June 1900, aboard SMS Tegettoff, 12 nautical miles off Tianjin

Captain Dern looked again astern, seeing the light cruiser Prague. On the flank was the Royal Navy torpedo boat 101 that had also joined their force. They had split from Admiral Dubasov's two Russian armoured cruisers, the Rurik and Rossia and their five torpedo boats. He could hardly believe his eyes. His opponents would be the older Austrian ironclads that had been sold to China, he could clearly see the form of the old Custoza at the head of the enemy's line. The Chinese force consisted of three battleships, two cruisers, six gunboats and one larger and four smallish torpedo boats.

Dern's 17,500 ship had a formidable broadside, 13 9.2 inch guns were capable of flinging two tons of shells every 20 seconds, possibly more since he was confident that he had one of the better trained ships in the Navy. Yet his ship was vulnerable due to her thinner armour and for that reason he would engage initially at 5,500 meters and close the range only after he had hurt his opponents larger ships.

Dern watched the Chinese ship, ablaze from stem to stern, slowly turn over and sink. There was an element of sadness in watching the old ship go, her propeller slowly rotating. At 4,500 meters his gunners had found the range on the older ex-Austrian Chinese ship and with the Chinese line proceeding at only ten knots he was able to cut across their bows and mercilessly rake the largest Chinese vessel. With the flagship disabled, the Chinese line had dissolved into confusion and he had steamed parallel to the main line, pumping broadsides at 3,200 meters into another Chinese battleship, which had rapidly caught fire.

The Tegettoff had taken a 10 inch hit that had killed four and wounded seven as well as two 6 inch hits that had done little damage, being defeated by the main belt. The same could not be said for the enemy line. One capital ship had capsized, two more were burning badly, disabled and no longer in the battle. A cruiser had fled with a torpedo boat, another cruiser had sunk, as had three torpedo boats. All that were left were six old gunboats, two burning and low in the water and four others that had struck their colours. The battle was effectively over.
--------------------------------------------------------------------
19 June 1900, aboard torpedo boat 101, 12 nautical miles off Tianjin

Lieutenant John Marriott, RN, looked over the devastated remains of the Chinese Fleet. He had been shocked at the shooting of the UHE ships, which had opened fire at 5,800 yards yet by 4,600 yards were able to regularly land hits on the Chinese battleships to quick effect. The enormous broadside of the Austrian ship had to be seen to be believed, some 13 guns firing at once producing a cloud of smoke that when initially seen made him think she had exploded. This salvo firing was new to Marriott. The ship was consciously delaying her fire to allow all main battery guns to fire at the same time. Certain guns seemed to miss a given fire order, but most fired regularly every 20 seconds, spitting an enormous volume of shells at the Chinese ships. It was a sobering thought for a Navy many had dismissed as small and inconsequential.

As if that was not enough, his torpedo boat had been redlining it's gauges at 25.5 knots as the Austrian ship skipped along seemingly with ease during the course of the engagement.

June 1900-Legation quarter

22 June 1900, Legation Quarter, Peking, Chinese Empire

The Salvator-Dormus M1893 was a gun that was not used in the UHE Army, yet had been purchased for the Marines. It was a difficult weapon to use, but the crew were experienced enough at handling the weapon and the Maate directed a scything stream of bullets at the wave of men charging the prepared position.

At the same time the Linienschiffsleutnant blew his whistle and the light cough of the two small mortars, two of three such weapons the Marine Company had brought with them, was heard. The mortars further disrupted the attack, the cobblestones of the legation quarter providing many deadly fragments when blown apart by the mortar bombs.

Linienschiffsleutnant Nagy mopped his brow. It was hot work. Hopefully a ceasefire could be negotiated as the groans and moans of the wounded men that dominated the cobblestone square in front of his position were becoming loader and more persistent.

The UHE Marines provided 130 of the 539 defenders of the Legation quarter, in all UHE troops were the largest contingent of the multinational force and aside from a civilian Chinese doctor and a civilian Italian one, the UHE Army Medical Unit of one doctor and four nurses were the only medical staff on site to treat the wounded and they had duly established a quasi-hospital in the Italian Embassy. His troops had now been surrounded for eight days and relief seemed a very long way away.

June 1900-Electrification

24 June 1900, Schonbrunn Palace, Vienna, UHE

Rudolf read the telegram again. So, the Chinese had been smashed. That would be a nice little prestige winner for the Navy, not that he really agreed with the other seven powers in relation to their Chin policy in the first place. However, he had to be pragmatic and at the end of the day he would be a lone voice in the wind if he suggested the Chinese may actually be right to reject European influence and European opium.

The technicians worked around him. Electricity had first came to Vienna in 1895, nine years after Budapest and eleven years after Timisioara, which was the first city in the UHE and indeed in Europe itself to have electric city lighting. From that time development had been rapid. Electric trams had arrived in 1897, he had arranged the Hofburg to become electrified in 1898, saving a fortune in candles and the labour required to light them. In 1897 he had fought and won a battle with the Army in regards the Stadtbahn, which had commissioned as a fully electrified system in 1899.

Now the Schonbrunn would follow and he had plans to build a large hydro electric scheme to generate power to expand on the two small stations already built in the last ten years in Carinthia.

June 1900- Rail developments, Lake Tanganyika

26 June 1900, Schonbrunn Palace, Vienna, UHE

Stephanie looked at the map again. Rail now linked Katanga all the way North as far as Lake Kivu, as far North as Goma. A branch line had been constructed near Bukavu to a new tin and gold deposit and significant manganese deposits had been discovered 120 kilometers from Kolwezi that would also require a branch line. Diamonds had also been discovered quite close to Stanleyville. Another large project would be the construction of a line East from Tikwit to Helena, however, the largest would be the line North to the gold mining areas of Lado and the border with Sudan. There would be a side line into Uganda to keep her promise to Rhodes of a Cape to Cairo link. In the Sudan, the line was already South of Khartoum.

The revenue from the mines was opening up the rail network, allowing her to keep large crews of well paid men on it's construction. In turn it was opening up the country to both civilization and mineral exploitation and at the same time providing a means of transporting the riches found. She estimated that there was likely another 8-10 years of rail infrastructure building to be completed and then the next phase would no doubt be an attempt at road building, a more difficult effort than rail in a country with so much rainfall. At the very least, she wished for such an arrangement between Marienburg and Cabinda, which was why the rail bridge over the Congo River was built with capacity for such.

The other part of the picture that was vital for the movement of both people, animals and minerals, was the river network. The Congo had been blessed by large tracts of navigable rivers and they were currently full of traffic. Construction of a new type of vessel, a wooden 60 footer powered by twin 35hp petrol engines and weighing 11 tons, had allowed more vessels to be constructed along with those produced by traditional shipbuilding means and a variety of craft from 11 to 405 tons plied the river trade, in total over 5,500 tons of domestic shipping, not counting un-powered craft such as barges, small cogs, outriggers or her own River Squadron consisting of four small gunboats and four more motor launches.

This, of course, was purely internal and did not count the larger ocean going vessels that docked at Matadi, Cabinda or even Point Noir.

June 2018-Congo 2018

10 June 2018, Marienburg International Airport, Kingdom of the Congo

The Embraer Linage 2000 descended gently towards the airport and Edona was still in somewhat of a whirl as they were escorted quickly through the diplomatic entrance to the airport and out to a waiting limousine. It was when she slid into the car that she noticed the figure already inside. It was a women, mid 20's she would have thought, light coffee coloured skin and hazel coloured eyes and dressed in a smart coral business suit.

"K-K-K-Karl." laughed the girl.

"Callie."

"Edona, this is my somewhat cousin, Princess Callista. She lived with us in Vienna for five years so we are somewhat closer than one would normally expect."

"So, you are the girl Karl has been squirreling away yet seems infatuated with?"

Edona blushed. "Well, he seems to have kicked a goal outside his league."

"Thank you. K-K-K-Karl?"

"Long story. He was stuck blind and dumb by Kate Beckinsale a few years ago and seemingly forgot his name. Could only get the K part out."

Edona laughed. "That I would like to see. So, Karl did not explain fully. How are you two related?"

"Well, Karl's Great Great Grandmother and my Great Grandmother were sisters, hence the House of Hapsburg-Lorraine-Braganza and the House of Hapsburg-von Gieslingen-Lorraine. Or the House of Hapsburg-Lorraine-Skanderbeg or the House of Braganza-Hapsburg-Lorraine. All related from the Hapsburg line, all what the British would call left footers. Three of those four dynastic houses are descended from the same two people."

"Rudolf and Stephanie I know. It's woven into Albanian history as well. So, you are the heir here in the Congo."

Callista laughed. "Good heavens no. I am just a girl. That would be my brother. Government would have a conniption if I was to inherit. Things are still difficult here if you are a women. It is still a traditional society. It was different years back when we were virtually a colonial possession. Control came from Vienna and not from Marienburg. So our Queen was who we were told it was to be. Without wishing to diminish the extraordinary changes wrought in the early colonial years, back then expectations were low and the horror of the brief Belgian period still lingered. People saw this place as being somewhere different in Africa, a step outside the norm. However, after the Great War the country became more and more independent of the UHE, whilst still retaining our ties and we obtained our own parliament in 1932 and our independence in 1948, so it has been a long time. There have been hard times and good times, yet we still remain. It has been a difficult balancing act. We have 120 million people, almost 3 million are white and a similar amount or more have white ancestry. These comprise the more affluent members of society and we must work every day to correct the imbalance, whilst at the same time keeping in mind there are ever those like the almost 1 million pygmies that simply wish to lead an untroubled tribal life. We have no wish to be another Angola."

"What do you see as the greatest challenges?"

"Don't ask her that. She is an economist. She will talk all day." said Karl.

"Let me see. Well, despite Congo economic growth, the country faces high levels of poverty and inequality, especially in rural areas and in the remoter East and Northern part of the country. It is expected to make only slow progress on poverty reduction over the medium-term, with poverty falling only slightly from 13.0% in 2013 to 11.8% in 2018. Accelerating poverty reduction will require bold decisions on our behalf that encourage greater private sector job creation, higher value-added agricultural production and services, credit expansion and lower debt.

While our social sector expenditures have been quite generous, they have not yielded the impact one might expect. Our education expenditure, for example, is among the highest in the world at about 8.2% of GDP and includes the provision of universal free primary education to age 13. However, the sector has not created a fully skilled workforce. Unemployment has remained stubbornly high at nearly 15.6% and, in consequence, our income inequality is still one of the higher ones in the world. Now, it is not as stark as one might expect in a Tier 1 economy as here in a Tier 2 country there are ever those who want no part in the modern world and value traditional living. Whilst "poor" by our measures they live quite fulfilling lives. The challenge is providing the means to leave that or stay as the person decides, no easy task.

The HIV/AIDS pandemic has exacerbated the situation. Our HIV/AIDS adult prevalence rate remains where it has been for some time, at 4.2%, contributing to education and health outcomes below those of other upper middle-income countries, although thankfully we have avoided the disasters in Southern Africa, Botswana and the like and we have a very robust health system.

There is no doubt our wealth inequality is holding the country back, making it difficult for sustained growth to lead to rapid poverty reduction. Depressingly, poverty remains high in rural areas, female-headed households, and those with low levels of education. Alarmingly, poverty is concentrated among children and youth, with significant implications for social inclusion and inter-generational effects. By contrast, there are some very rich people indeed here and we have had to balance our taxation policies around that without strangling growth initiates.

We have high levels of vulnerability, with approximately 20% of the population just above the poverty line. A broad range of shocks could push this group back into poverty, significantly eroding what is effectively a century's worth of hard-won gains. Worryingly, our significant social expenditures seem to have had little impact on inequality and vulnerability, suggesting mismanagement over the years. No one can deny that. Yet we are not some kleptocracy like many other African nations.

We now face a key policy dilemma of how to grapple with the predicted decline in our previously buoyant mineral revenues. Projections for future revenues are uncertain: while resources will not be exhausted, areas like diamonds and the main ore bodies in many mines are past their peak. Thankfully offshore oil has plugged the gap but like all things this will not last forever. We have made some progress in reducing its dependence on minerals in the past few years, but the level of economic diversification needed to offset diminishing mineral revenues remains a challenge. We have some of the best beaches in the world yet it is only in the last few years tourism has made strides. The very idea of coming to Africa for tourism and whether the country will be safe has dogged development and this has been the area that much of my family has involved itself.

Our economic model will need significant adjustments if it is to meet the population’s current and future needs. Our current policy has delivered important results, but it has also generated strong state-dependence and little in the way of innovative value-added manufacturing or services in the economy. More importantly, it has not facilitated private sector-led job creation, which in turn has exacerbated inequality. Policies designed to facilitate a stronger investment climate for private sector-led growth, the more efficient management of social sector spending and strengthening our human and physical assets are essential if our future development wealth is to be spread equally."

"I told you not to ask her." said Karl.

"Karl!"

"Not everyone's version of reading is Tom Clancy's latest techno-thriller you know. Yes, we have the second biggest population in Africa, we have an economy larger than the Netherlands or Mexico for that matter and a per person GDP only a bit less than 20% less than Mexico. It is not all bad news, not at all."

The limousine pulled into a large walled complex, with a large timbered building in front of a similar sized stone edifice, the Marienburg Palace. She had seen the pictures before and whilst not as large as the Hofburg or even Schonbrunn it was very tastefully landscaped. The two week visit promised to be interesting.

June 2018-Congo vacation

20 June 2018, Tonde, Kingdom of the Congo

Callista von Hapsburg levered herself up on the towel and looked at the girl next to her on the beach in the red bikini. While not perhaps a supermodel figure, she had a very engagingly beautiful face and her smile lit her up. A mass of lustrous black hair that rivalled her own and a happy, sunny disposition to go with obvious intelligence lead her to think that Karl had done well for himself.

This was all to the good. It had been her pleasure to be able to take a small break and host Karl and Edona. All three of her elder brothers and then herself had been educated at a tertiary level in Vienna, aside from her youngest who had spent three years at the Ludovica in Budapest. Being of an age and sharing many of the pressures their roles had given them, they had quickly became close. The paps had tried to link them romantically as well, but it had never been like that.

Karl had always had an interest in the Congo as well, he had spent some four days investigating the activities of his own funded rural schools program.

Congo still had close ties to the UHE, especially via the oil trade and African Queen. The Hapsburgs, either those in the Congo or the UHE, no longer had shares in the company, those being gradually sold in 1952 via the Marienburg Accord and the money being invested in art or property instead. Most of the money went directly to the Congo government and people(50%), 25% to the UHE government and 10% each direct to the dynasties in Vienna and Marienburg and 5% to charitable organisations.

They had then spent four days here at the beach resort in total privacy, a blessing in itself.

Edona opened her eyes and looked at the girl in the yellow bikini. “Thank you for this. It is nice to get right away. No paparazzi thank heavens.”

“No problem. To finish off perhaps a safari?”

“I don’t think I could bring myself to shoot an animal, sorry. Goes with the territory as a veterinarian.”

“Don’t worry, you won’t be. We will only be shooting them with cameras. Hunting here in the Congo, aside from traditional hunting, is only legal between mid January and the end of February. Plus, it is expensive, very expensive. The rich and famous pay well to do what they do. The remainder of the season is camera only.

We have fairly strict policies here. We have the large populations of elephants, lion, black rhino and three of the four gorilla species. It is important that we do nothing to change that. Poaching, here, but mainly from residents of other countries is a problem."

"What do you do about it?"

"They are well armed. We shoot them. For larger groups, often on sight."

"That seems...extreme."

"If we do not give the rangers the means to fight back we would be unable to win the war on poaching. It is just a sad fact I am afraid. In addition, we need to protect our borders. We have seven neighbours. All of them have been unstable at one stage or another, four you could say still are. Sometimes to protect your own charges, you need to be harsh with others."

July 1900-Luis steps up to 2 i/c

9 July 1900, Chateau d'Eu, French Republic

Dona Isabel, Princess Imperial of Brazil, looked every one of her 53 years. "Well, your brother could not wait to sign his position away to marry that girl so now it falls to you Luis."

"I am fully ready to take up the responsibility mother."

"You have always been so good at all you do, some would say the perfect son, dutiful, hard working, intelligent. Yet I worry for you none the less."

"How so?"

"You convinced me to allow your brother to marry and exclude himself from the succession on the promise that you would make a dynastic marriage. It took much convincing of your father. You say that I have given no hope to those that wish to see us restored in Brazil, yet for all that a strong succession is essential. My main worry is still for Brazil. I worry that you will try to engineer a return to our former positions and that such an approach may not only get yourself killed but even worse plunge our long suffering country into civil war."

"Yet what is the alternate mother? Coronelismos? Rigged elections? Two States dominating one country? Intimidation? A plutocracy? Do you realise that malnutrition, parasitic diseases, and lack of medical facilities limit the average life span to only 26 years?"

"Yes, of course. I had thought my abolishing slavery would be the end of it, the best we could do for Brazil."

"It is not the best we can do. We have support in the lower classes, the junior officers, the Navy. We need only reach out and access that support. We have support here for that matter."

"If you are talking about the dalliance that you are having with the Hapsburg girl then do not expect that to amount to much. She will have much bigger fish to fry than helping penniless royals secure a long lost thrones to do good half the world away."

"Firstly, it is much more than a dalliance. Secondly, we must do something. De Campos Sales' Presidency is weak, corrupt and bleak, with endless fiscal restrictions and a crushing of the will of the masses. We need to appeal to that will. We monarchists must convince the laborers that the truth is that in the case of a restoration their situation could only improve. We must convince the States that we will break the centralist stranglehold. We must raise people up and work to create some sort of middle class. "

"I see you are not to be dissuaded."

"No mother I am not."

"Well for better or worse then. I will isolate myself from your attempts to preserve our legitimacy if they fail. If they succeed, I will abdicate in your favour."

"Thank you mother."

July 1900- An assasination and future questions

30 July 1900, Schonbrunn Palace, Vienna, UHE

Stephanie put the newspaper down and sighed. "Terrible news about Umberto. It will likely mean even more disruption in Italy."

Rudolf turned towards her. "Yes, these anarchists are a constant menace. If they had some sort of worthwhile agenda...but they do not even have that! They should be stamped out with utter ruthlessness wherever they are found."

"Hmm. I also feel like we should be doing something for the women and children in Southern Africa."

"I tend to agree. However, realistically, what can we do? I offered them medical assistance and this was refused. All I can see that might be effective is to mobilize those forces inside England that will be horrified at the brutality of such conditions for the Boer women and children."

Stephanie sighed. "That is all true. People also forget all to easily about the huge number of native inhabitants of the camps as well. However, you are correct. I will just have to try and reach out to see who I may be able to influence. I have developed some ties with women's groups and suffragettes. Sadly, you are right though. They are unlikely to be influenced by anything we say or do and if we trumpet the conditions in the camps we will just draw the ire of the British. Dammit. This is hard at times."

"There are not always easy solutions."

"It may seem frivolous, but I still want to take this holiday in Greece and attend the Olympics. It may be our last chance to do so as a family."

"How so?"

"Your daughter is becoming a young woman now, not a child, hence why I have her spend so much time with us and this will only grow when we terminate her formal education next week. We need to have her prepared Rudolf."

"Yes, that still does not explain how it is perhaps a last chance at family."

"Luis, Rudolf. Luis. It is getting only more serious and soon she will have her own household. This could be the single biggest threat to what we have planned for, far more than anything else. What are the implications of a stateless and nigh on penniless Brazilian Prince marrying our heir?

If such a marriage was to take place would he dominate both our daughter and UHE policy? The Congo's? Will he get us into a war over his desire to return to Brazil or even achieve a restoration in Brazil? Will this get our own girl killed if she follows him there? Remember your Uncle in Mexico. These are the things that we need to address. Go knows if such a fairy-tale does happen what does that even mean? We cannot realistically have a single person as the Sovereign of three separate nations on three separate continents. Just the logistics alone make such an arrangement quite impossible.

These are all very real questions that require an answer."

January 1901-Current events

16 January 1901, STT Shipyards, Trieste, UHE

It had been an interesting year so far thought Stephanie. Australasia had come into being on the 1st January 1901. A week ago oil had been discovered in Texas, which would unfortunately for her do much to depress the slight but steady rise in the product.

Queen Victoria lay perhaps dying at Osbourne, may-hap bringing to the end an era that had lasted over 60 years.

However, that was not why they were here today, on a bitterly cold January morning. The new battleship Schreck lay at her moorings, fully completed. To be honest she wanted to just get out of the biting cold, despite Rudolf enthusiasm. It was not like the ship’s band was exactly Taylor Swift either, despite the fact that they were playing the anthem for her and Rudolf’s sake. None the less, she stood with Rudolf and Erszi as the last strains died away.

It did look like an impressive ship, no question of that. Hopefully it would not be needed. In South Africa, thankfully the fighting had not affected her own mineral exports via the Southern railway. Kitchener’s concentration camps had proven to be unpopular in the international press and steps were being taken to alleviate conditions, sadly too late for many. The Boer Regular Army had been soundly defeated in the field, but now a guerrilla war still raged via Commandos. The Transvaal had been annexed. No doubt the Orange Free State would follow.

In America Hay had assumed the Presidency after a divisive campaign that had been quite close, yet there was little doubt that it was the popularity of Teddy Roosevelt that really carried the Republican incumbent over the line to victory. Cuba was still the scene of occasional revolts and recently two soldiers had been shot and killed.

In China, the legation quarter in Peking had been relieved, the Russians had effectively finished an occupation of all of Manchuria by the end of 1900. It had been a bloody business for Chinese Catholics, with well over 30,000 killed.

Now the Chinese themselves were at the mercy of the occupying armies, with people being executed as Boxers on the slightest pretext. She had influenced Rudolf to try and reign in as much as possible the local UHE commanders, but what was really required was a treaty of understanding with the Imperial government, a treaty that currently they seemed ill inclined to give, although many local Governors were now actively assisting the European occupying forces.

Raping and looting were sadly the order of the day and all efforts to suppress such behavior half a world away were essentially ineffectual. It was cold comfort that their own forces were perhaps the least to blame in that direction.

They had previously enjoyed good relations with the Chinese Imperial Court. All they could hope for was the continuation of such relations. Russia taking Manchuria was a problem, a problem that would likely provoke a war like in 1904 unless addressed. Such a conflict would place the UHE in a highly invidious position, likely directly opposed to both Britain and Japan. Or, if they failed to tacitly support Russia, it could break the current Three Emperors Alliance. The question was how to get Russia out of Manchuria? It was a hard question to answer, she thought, as she watched her daughter move the bottle of champagne forward to christen the ship.

January 1901-China concessions

18 January 1901, Hofburg, Vienna, UHE

Well the Boxer War was as yet unfinished, but it had not taken long for the British to carve out a new set of concessions in Tientsin, admittedly with the assistance of all other powers. Rudolf had simply made sure that the UHE's portion was larger than that of Italy and indeed it was, with a good set of land very close to the main city itself. It was the Japanese and the British that had benefited the most, the USA abandoning it's own concession claim, which had gone to Australasia.

The UHE had seemingly obtained another colony without much need to press for one.

January 1901-Panic versus overconfidence

22 January 1901, Navy Ministry, Rome, Kingdom of Italy

Roberto de Vito leaned forward more to emphasize his point. "I say we are in trouble. Very much in trouble. All this no cause for panic rubbish is just that-rubbish. Our one main advantage over those bastards is that we have always had a superior Navy. Can we honestly say that now? I mean we have three small and one large armoured cruisers, they would tear us apart there. There is no point even counting types like the center battery ships. That leaves seven battleships that are hopelessly outdated and three that might be able to put up a fight."

Thaon di Revel snorted. "That is still ten battleships. What do they have? One of these super battleships with two more building. I hear they have mothballed their other two antiques. Yes, they have four of those big cruisers, but they could not win a fleet engagement with us, even with these new ships. We have too much firepower for that. Far too much."

"How can you say that? Soon they will have three of those things plus that other huge unit that decimated the Chinese. Plus the other three Prinz Eugen Class ships. That is seven ships."

"Yes and we have ten! Plus four more building and two more just laid."

"Four more building? Two of those ships were laid down in 1893 and they are still not completed. One is still a year from completion! They will be obsolete before they commission. The other two may be more useful but all of them are hopelessly outclassed. These new UHE ships have a broadside of seven 12 inch guns, twice what our units have! Those three ships of theirs will have a throw weight equal to more than five of ours."

"There is no need to panic. Besides we laid down the new class last year in response to their large cruiser. That will only give us a larger advantage again."

"You don't seem to understand what I am saying. We are constructing six capital ships that may be nothing more than targets."

"You are being hopelessly dramatic. When these are constructed we will have 16 battleships and be the premier Mediterranean power. We have nothing to fear from these coffee swilling, schnitzel eating landlubbers. Nothing at all. There will never be another Lissa."

January 1901- An after action report from Peking

26 January 1901, Army Ministry, Vienna, UHE

Linienschiffsleutnant Nagy sat entranced. Just about the last person he had expected to see was the Kaiser himself when he had received a summons to provide an after action report on battle the via the Navy Ministry. His unit had not been back from Peking all that long, suffering 12 men killed and 30 wounded. It likely would have been more but for the presence of the Army doctor and nurses that his own foolish self had previously scorned the need for.

"So, Imre, may I call you Imre, what can you tell us of your encounter with the Chinese Regular Army and the Boxer irregulars. Also, what can you tell us in regards the equipment and tactics used by the other seven powers that were defending the Legation quarter."

"Well err, umm.., Your Majesty."

"Just take your time son and tell us what you noticed."

"Well Your Majesty. The Boxers, they were poorly led. They tried to overrun us with a series of frontal human wave assaults and against prepared positions where we were able to deploy our machine guns to our advantage and well, it was little more than a slaughter. Many of our men and those of our allies were killed by individual snipers hiding further away in buildings. Men whom they had clearly picked to be better shots. I noticed that they tried to shoot officers first, picking them out from the men. This was especially bad in armies where officer really stood out, especially the Italians, the French and the British.

The battles were a confirmation of the power of the machine gun because many times when the fighting became more fierce it was due to their absence due to jams or ammunition shortages that we were badly pressed. We found the small mortars to be immensely useful on the cobbled streets, the the explosion of the charge was enough to kick up deadly shrapnel that in many cases served to break up attacks before they really got started, far less useful in the open or in boggy ground.

Because of ammunition shortages we sometimes used other weapons. The Russian Nagant was popular, but I myself thought it a rather clumsy weapon, too long in length. The French Lebed I liked less than our own. Likewise the Italian Carcano. Our machine guns were inferior to the Maxim guns used by other powers. On the other hand, no other powers had a weapon like our light mortar.

Our uniforms were by far the most comfortable, even for tropical use and our "webbing" proved very useful in terms of holding supplies like ammunition and water, the last of which was vital.

I note that the British troops were mainly Indian Army, but some regular troops used concentrated aimed fire and they appeared to be extensively drilled in marksmanship. I have made more notes in my written summary. One thing I can note that saved us at least once was the use of barbed wire, which stopped attacks cold as men became entangled. Ghastly, but effective."

"Very interesting and insightful. Thank you for your report Linienschiffsleutnant Nagy and when you rejoin your men tell them of my hearty personal thanks."

"Yes Your Majesty. Of course."

January 1901- The march of father time

31 January 1901, Hofburg, Vienna, UHE

Stephanie studied herself in the mirror. Her stomach was still as flat as a washboard on account of her exercise routine. Her legs still lean and young. Yet there were tell tale signs. Even with the regimen of wearing a corset most days and the fact that her assets on top were on the smaller side, there was the start of a hint of sagging. Her face was still unblemished but the true test of a women's age, the hands, were beginning to show. Plus grey hairs. One advantage of being a blonde, they did not show they way they did against black hair. She had lived beyond the age of her previous life, so had no more experience of growing old now than she had before. She was not vain like her mother-in-law, who was now fighting a losing battle tweezering out grey hairs at 63, but still, a girl liked to look her best, she had always been conscious of the advantage of having male eyes in a room on her. This body was less suitable than her other in regards that, however, things were not all bad.

It was only when you are part of something greater that you felt that you had unlocked a special part of herself and that was what she felt now. She did feel...content. It would be fair to say before that her heart was contained in a secret garden and that the walls were very high indeed.

Yet whilst she still very much contained that desire, that need for vindication, for success, for excellence in all things, both to prove herself and as an overall ethos, at the same time she had discovered that she actually enjoyed not just power, but also helping people. She was in love with her husband, despite his flaws. Rudolf was too sensitive underneath it all, to easily hurt, in truth a weak reed at heart, far to quick to bouts of black anger at perceived slights or betrayals; bouts that she often had to drag him back from. Yet there was little doubt that he loved her. He was a more analytical, zero sum personality than her, a means justify the ends type of person, whereas she was more inclined to try and go around road blocks rather than crash over them.

She had never been a mother before, yet she found that she was inclined to like the experience. Her eldest was ready to spread her own wings, her youngest now almost seven and a happy, sunny little soul.

No, physically she was as fit as she had always been and she wandered over to the cabinet and took them out. Another gold in the 100 meters ladies swimming at Athens and then a silver for the UHE ladies relay swimming team. Plus a bronze for tennis and another bronze for ladies doubles in tennis. She put them all on. That had stunned them. Competing in a swimming relay with all three of the other girls being Jewish. She laughed. It seemed the papers were unable to decide whether to be proud or scandalized. The games at Athens had been a success, although the clash with the Paris Exhibition saw less competitors. She had no doubt the 1904 games at St Louis would also be a success, then the 1908 at Paris and the 1912 at London, all arranged a long way ahead. Fuck them anyway. She liked women's causes, promoting women's sport. Like the quote said "Sport is the most important thing that does not matter." She liked to win, yes, but also compete, to test herself against the best and walk away satisfied no matter the result. It was not like ruling a country, where mistakes were costly to other's lives, it was free, more pure. In any case, Athens would be her last Olympics. She would be 40 at the next and had been surprised to win this time with so little preparation and in any case two each of gold, silver and bronze was quite enough.

She pivoted, a reminder of her long ago ballet as a girl, the medals jangling. It was then she heard the voice behind her.

"Whatever are you doing woman?"

She whiled around in shock at someone catching her naked. It was only Rudolf effecting another voice, looking her naked form, naked aside from six jangling medals. "I was cleaning my medals."

"Whilst wearing them naked? You cannot just parade around the Hofburg nude you know."

Stephanie glared at him and lifted her nose. "I can do whatever I want. I am the Empress of this country, in case you have not noticed. Besides, I said none were to disturb me."

Rudolf threw off his jacket and started unbuttoning his trousers. "Well, in that case, get back on that bed and we will see if you can gain another gold medal."

February 1901-Death of a Queen and Empress

1 February 1901, Hofburg, Vienna, UHE

So, it had finally happened. Victoria had died on a bleak last day of January at Osbourne. The Victorian era was over and the Edwardian was to begin. Hopefully it would bring the raft of social changes that the other Edwardian Era was to provide thought Stephanie. At the same time hopefully it would not precipitate an era of rising international tension as had occurred in her own memory.

For now, however, it would involve a trip to London and a funeral to attend. It was the same day that the old Hapsburg, ex HMS Inflexible decommissioned, her crew transferred to the new battleship Heiligesdreieinigkeit, due to complete in three to four months. Two Victorian ladies were no more.

February 1901-A Portugese Tungsten mine

4 February 1901, Austro-Lloyd Offices, Trieste, UHE

Stephanie signed the documents for the long term lease of the mine. It was through a new company called Peninsula Wolf that she had purchased the lease for the Panasqueira Mine in Portugal from Henri, Earl of Burnay. It was not an expensive lease as such in the overall scheme of things. The one metal that the UHE did not have access to was Wolfram, or Tungsten. This would secure such access for the foreseeable future and already Rudolf was talking about the possibility of using such a metal in the production of penetrating bullets for the Army.

They were boarding the new light cruiser Ostrau for a quick voyage to London for the funeral of Victoria, which would be attended by a bevy of Royal Heads of State. At the same time she would take meetings with the British South Africa Company in regards their wish for her to build a branch line from the Congo into Uganda and to renegotiate more favorable terms on the Southern Railway now that the British wished to also ship North through the Katanga and Lake Tanganyika to connect to their Ugandan railway link to the East coast of Africa.

February 1901-Navy update

6 February 1901, Fiume, UHE

Rudolf Montecuccoli looked over the Navy appropriations. They now had a nicely balanced fleet, or soon would have with the approaching commissioning of the last two Schreck Class units. The Navy's new class of light cruisers had seen the older Panther Class cruisers were retired, the youngest, the Tiger, being retained as an Admiralty Yacht. In battleships, the old Hapsburg had been retired and the small and old Kronprinzcesson Erzherzogen Stephanie had been converted to a bombardment ship and renamed Mars.

The need to keep all three shipyards in work so the skilled workforce did not disperse had strengthened the number of contracts awarded. Like the three battlecruisers had been followed by a singleton improved units, so the Schreck Class battleships had also been followed by a closely similar but lengthened version that contained a forward super firing twin as well that would be named after the Kaiserin, giving an nine gun broadside and this had just commenced budding at Ganz. STT in Trieste was in the process of lengthening their slips and building submarines and another pair of landing craft, as well as finishing a light cruiser. The shipyard at Pola was also finishing a light cruiser and would shortly start refit of the old Mars as a troop transport to go with her bombardment duties.

Virtually all of the pre war torpedo boats had been sold, some to the Albanians, some to the Bulgarians, some disarmed as river craft both in the UHE and the Congo.

The fleet had become modern and homogeneous, all combat units capable of more than 20 knots.

Capital Ships
0+1 19,800 ton Kaiserin Stephanie, 9x12.2 inch, 12x5.9 inch, 21 knots
1+2 18,300 ton Schreck Class battleships, 7x12.2 inch, 10x5.9 inch, 22 knots
1 17,200 ton Tegettoff battlecruiser 17x9.2 inch, 9x3.9 inch, 23 knots
3 11,350 ton Prinz Eugen Class battlecruisers 6x9.2 inch, 10x5.9 inch, 24 knots(Prinz Eugen, Veribus Unitus, Szent Istvan)

Cruisers
1 9,700 ton Lissa cruiser 16x5.9 inch, 26-27 knots
2 6180 ton Budapest Class cruisers, 2x9.2 inch, 6x5.9 inch, 25 knots(Budapest, Wien)
2 3970 ton Kaiser Franz Joseph I protected cruisers 10x5.9 inch, 19 knots(Kaiser Franz Joseph I, Kaiserin Elizabeth)(one in the Congo, one in China)
4 2580 ton Pula Class light cruisers 2x5.9 inch, 9x3.9 inch, 27 knots(Pula, Fiume, Zagreb, Prague)
4+2 1,900 tons Ostrau Class light cruisers, 7x3.9 inch guns, 28 knots(Ostrau, Brno, Pressburg, Trieste,Lalbach, Salzburg)

Destroyers and destroyer/mine-layers
10(3 destroyer/minelayers) 1020 ton Kaiser Class destroyers 4x3.9 inch, 27 knots
3 480 ton Planet Class, 22 knots, 2x2.6 inch, 8x1.8 inch
3 350 ton Blitz Class, 21 knots, 8-9 1.8 inch
1 350 ton Destruktor, 23 knots, 1x3.9 inch, 6x1.8 inch
11 260 ton Tatra Class, 25 knots 1x3.9 inch , 2x2.6 inch
3 180 ton Coco Insel Class, 26 knots, 1x3.9 inch, 2x1.8 inch(*Congo)
1 140 ton Kap Weiss, 24 knots, 5x1.8 inch(*Sahara)

Submarines
2 U-1 Class, 110 tons, 8/7 knots, 1xTT
1 x U3, 120 tons, 7/7 knots, 2xTT
0+3 U4 Class, 200 tons, 8/7 knots, 2TT

Torpedo Boats
2 T1 Class 95 tons, 21 knots(*Congo)

Various:
1 400 ton sail training ship Mowe
1 1520 ton admiralty yacht(ex cruiser) Tiger 1 4.7 inch gun, 19 knots
1 3500 ton Custoza cadet training ship/transport 2x5.9 inch, 18 knots
1 4560 ton Dandalo repair ship/transport 1x5.9 inch, 13 knots
0+1 5,080 ton Mars bombardment ship/transport(ex battleship) 4x5.9 inch, 16 knots
3 980 ton Jupiter Class colliers 1x5.9 inch, 12 knots
2 310 ton colliers(*one in the Congo), 12 knots
8+2 150 ton landing craft(one modified as a water tanker)
10 river monitors(*4 in the Congo)

February 1901-Army update

7 February 1901, Army Ministry, Vienna, UHE

Friedrich Beck looked over the candidates. He had recently received his final promotion to Marshal, the sure sign that retirement beckoned. He was almost 71 and would normally have been a mandatory retirement except the Kaiser had asked him to go on until the end of the Army reform, likely the end of 1902, which would also give him a chance to pick a successor. He picked out the jacket, lined in purple tape and tipped Secret like all those at the rank of Major General and above.

Eugen Albori was relatively junior in rank but he was Beck's tip at this stage as a replacement and to that end he had advanced the man to General of Infantry. When Beck himself went at the end of 1902, Albori would be 64 and in a position to give up to six year's service.

Beck contemplated the sweeping changes that had occurred these last ten years. Universal adoption of new uniforms and combat webbing. Steel helmets, brass canteens, army knives, entrenching tools issued to each man. The adoption of two new enlisted and two new officer ranks. Two new Army's created and built from scratch for Czechia and Illyria. Over 3,000 new artillery pieces deployed in what would be a total order for more than 5,000. Flamethrowers introduced. Mortars introduced.

The basic size of the Common army still had not changed greatly. 110 Infantry and Jager regiments, 58 of Artillery, 44 of Cavalry, 7 of Fortress Artillery, making 16 Corps. The equipment, however, had. As had the personnel. Efforts had been made to weed out and sideline the incompetent by virtue of rank selection exercises to progress beyond Captain. Engineer Battalions had been doubled from 14 to 28. A dedicated Railway Regiment had been formed, also a similar Telegraph Regiment. Dedicated Medical Companies had been created, using women as nurses in many cases, sometimes even doctors.

The Common Army had fully switched to the new rifle just last year and was well equipped with Maxim guns. Tracer ammunition was in use. Hand grenades were not general issue but had been developed.

Whilst the Honved was busy reacquiring artillery, in Beck's opinion, the Common Army had surged ahead in terms of general equipment. It was natural that the four "Kingdom" Armies would avail themselves of new technology more slowly and so it had proved. The Kaiser seemed to have little interest and time for them, as opposed his his relentless stream of new ideas for the Common army itself.

Even the system of intake for the Army had changed. It was now possible, albeit difficult, to gain a place in the various Military Academies as a Cadet if from a poor family. Larger numbers of long terms non commissioned officers were now undergoing courses to be officers. In addition to the War School and the Maria Theresa Academy, the Technical Military Academy and the Hungarian Ludovika, there was now also the Prague School of War and the Military Medical Academy and there were noises that Illyria would also open it's own Academy.

There was seemingly a series of ideas from the Kaiser at all times and many senior officers now felt so enthused by the pace of events that ideas for change and new technical innovations were coming forth at all times. Armoured trucks and cars had been tested. The possible use of Zeppelins for scouting, with a second being built. The Kaiser was keen to see an elite Battalion of troops that could operate behind enemy lines in the manner of the Boer Commandos. Mannlichter's new semi automatic pistol would replace the revolver currently in use and work on an automatic rifle still continued, admittedly without much success.

February 1901-Diplomatic discussions with the new King

10 February 1901, Buckingham Palace. London, United Kingdom

Rudolf doubled the green back into the center pocket.

"Damn fine shot." said Bertie.

"Thanks. Bertie, I did not come here for formal talks, only to honor your mother at her funeral, but, since we are alone, I would like to make a few points quite clear."

"Go ahead."

"I have no desire for a war with England at all. None whatsoever. Due to the very peculiarities of our own Empire, our ethnic makeup, we have no desire for more territory at all, hence why I actually relinquished some to create Bosnia. Nor do we have any real desire for more Colonies, even if it seems that we have been playing the colony game these last 12 or so years. As it is, we sit astride the center of Africa and that is more than sufficient. Our very location makes us the most beneficial partner in any African adventures. For these reasons alone, we will never be able to afford or require a huge Navy. We require merely enough to be able to safeguard our colonial pipelines and control the Adriatic as required. No more. You will note that our building programs are not designed to build a bigger Navy, merely a more modern and efficient one.

I know you have your concerns about the League of the Three Emperors, that England has it's concerns, but let me try and put those at rest. Why does this exist in addition to the Triple Alliance? Firstly, the Triple Alliance is an alliance on paper only, a chimera. The Italians will never be happy as long as we possess the Littoral and Trieste, despite their protestations to the contrary. Therefore, in any war, they will always be on the other side. That effectively leaves us with Germany as an ally. They are a natural fit, Pan-Germanism and the like. The Pan-Germanism movement is a massive problem for me, a two edged sword if you will. Yes, it gives us a natural ally. However, there are a percentage in our own country that wish to Federate with Germany. To others, that is utterly unacceptable. In addition, Germans make up only 30% of our Empire. I can tell you know that we can never permit such a thing to occur.

Yet I have no wish to be simply shackled to Germany either, especially with a personality as unstable as Willie's pulling the strings. One thing both Germany and the UHE have in common is an unfortunate geographic position. A large potential enemy to the East in Russia, a large potential enemy to the West in France or Italy. That requires accommodations and insurance and to fulfill that we, or in truth I, have cultivated Russia as an ally. So that one of those East or Western borders are secure. Why Russia? Firstly, they are the bigger threat. Secondly, they represent an enormous potential market for our manufactured goods. Thirdly, they have no colonial interests or entanglements that may clash with our or indeed Germany's. Lastly, I like poor, diffident Nicky. He is a good man, if not a man suited to rule.

Why not France? France will never be truly at peace with Germany as long as Alsace-Lorraine is in German hands. Germany will never give it up willingly. Indeed, why should they? 85% are German speakers. Now in an ideal world you would divide it along linguistic lines with the French receiving a Western sliver, but that will never happen either. So, if we isolate France, leave her without allies, the most likely flashpoint for war is seemingly avoided. The French courted Russia to facilitate a two front war, but this would be a disaster with modern weapons of war, a slaughter house.

My thoughts are that as long as there is a League of the Three Emperors, then peace is assured as no one power will go against all three members. However, it is not an anti-England alliance, not aimed at England at all, merely aimed at stopping France acquiring a continental ally. You will also note that it is a defensive alliance that binds the other two powers to assist if a member is attacked. It does not provide for such assistance in the event of one of the powers starting a war on their own volition. With Russian ambitions and Willy's vaulting aspirations, this could never be and would be highly dangerous for the UHE. It only requires us to assist in the event that either Germany or Russia is attacked, no more than that.

The whole purpose is not to lock the United Kingdom out of such an alliance, it is solely to protect our own borders and to prevent a war occurring. Yes, it does isolate France but this is an attempt to avoid war, since I regard them as the most likely instigators of such a war. Our whole Balkans strategy is designed to avoid a war, hence why we have backed the current status quo in the Balkans and have come to an arrangement with the Russians that calms their fears and divides a sphere of influence."

"Logically I can see all that, however, if Willie proceeds with his plan to have a Navy 'second to none', then eventually people here will worry about where we sit in terms of our security. They will also wonder why we have offended Germany so badly that they cannot rely on our good relationship to guarantee their own naval security and will instead see hostile intent instead. With perceived lack of security and perceived unfriendliness from Germany, they will then look for continental allies. With Germany already allied to Austria and Russia, the later traditionally England's main threat, where else can one look but France or Italy, perhaps Japan in the Pacific?"

Yes, thought Rudolf, I fully see your point.

February 1901- Elections and Physicists

18 February 1901, SDP Headquarters, Vienna, UHE

Victor Alder sat smoking a pipe with his son Friedrich. "So, it seems like we have ran out of objections from our esteemed colleagues in the House of Lords and we will see the abolition of the Curia system and have the June elections fought on the basis of true universal suffrage, or at least a version of it involving plural voting. The Kaiser has indicated that he will sign such changes into law upon his return."

"How much of a difference do you think such changes will make father?"

"Significant changes. I am quite confident that we will have a large share of the new Parliament. I am even more confident in Czechia, where support in Prague is quite robust and there is a smaller rural area. I anticipate that we may be able to take as many as 90 seats in the 351 seat Parliament here in Cisleithania and we should do proportionally better in Czechia."

"What of Hungary and Illyria?"

"Hungary is still in the Curia system and we cannot expect to make large gains there. Illyria is more problematic since so much of our support of focused in urban areas. The strongly Catholic Croatian areas will likely not vote for us and the Serbian areas will likely vote for National parties. I expect far less support there than in Czechia or Cisliethania."

"None the less a jump in representation to 90 seats, even 70 for that matter, will be an enormous change and will give us a true voice for the first time."

"That is true. You plan to have your friend around for tea tonight? What is his name again? Einstein?"

"Albert Einstein, yes."

"What is he doing here?"

"Just visiting. He has finished his Teaching Diploma and wishes to go on a visit his girlfriend, who is also a mathematics and physics teacher, at her parent's home in Novi Sad."

"You should see if we can find him a job here Friedrich now that you have secured a position at the Universität Wien."

"Perhaps I will at that father."

March 1901-Pulsudski moves on

1 March 1901, Marienburg, Kingdom of the Congo

Agnes Piłsudski, formerly Agnes von Schonburg, looked at her husband. "It is confirmed. Around ten to twelve weeks."

Józef Pilsudski looked at his wife So, he was to become a father. "You have made me a happy man. I suppose the only question now is-what do we do?"

"Well, this little Congolese Army has been good to me and also I think to you, but perhaps it is time to so home. I will miss people here, I mean obviously I will miss Rosa, but let us face it. It is not an ideal environment here for a young child and now that it has been confirmed I will not work more than another 4-6 weeks before discharge."

"Well then, we can book passage back for maybe early May. The question is, back to what? I, we, we have no estates, no income. I am afraid I have little to offer you. We, neither myself nor my family, we no longer have lands."

"Well, Jozef, why not go back to an Army Commission until such time as you are able to contest the 1908 elections in Galicia and Lodomeria? The Curia system will be abolished there by then and so you can stand on any platform you like for election. Little point pretending that you are uninterested in politics, it is not like I have not listened to you talk about such often enough. We could move to Lemberg if you like. That would suit me as well. A long way away from my Vienna and my family. I can perhaps work as a doctor a few hours each day."

Józef Pilsudski blinked. "I knew I married you for a reason. Yes, we will receive a lump sum from here that would see us through until we have another income and I can drop back to a Captain for a time in the Common Army or even the Landwehr, hopefully in exchange for a Lemberg posting. I will start writing some letters. Yes, we can get by and if I can get elected, well then a path beckons."

"Exactly. We will have to have some sort of farewell here, of course. I will miss the place, but people come here to move forward in their wealth, careers and dreams and I feel that now is the time to seize that chance and move forward ourselves."

November 1902- An intervention in Venezuela

11 November 1902, Sandringham, United Kingdom

Bertie had made his mind up. "Very well Willie, I have talked to Balfour and you have our agreement. If that beggar Castro will not pay his due debts and will not address our entreaties then we are in broad agreement. It seems we shall have to sail a fleet there and make him honour his commitments. Now that the situation in Southern Africa is resolved, as well as that in China and we have no more than a few campfires on the Horn to put out, we are well resourced to deal with any such matters.

It seems from Roosevelt's statements to Congress that we will receive little in the way of hindrances from the Americans. What was it that was said again: 'If any South American country misbehaves toward any European country, let the European country spank it.' It seems Hay broadly agrees, as you know Roosevelt is the coming man, Hay has never recovered from the death of his son and is in poor health. This definitely qualifies as misbehavior, not only completely ignoring foreign debt, but utterly disregarding all attempts to communicate on the matter. So to that end we will pay Mr Castro a little visit."

On other matters, what of the Russians in regards Manchuria? Have they indicated any likely timeline for a withdrawal Willie? I have asked before."

"Still concerned with preserving the Yellow Peril, Uncle Bertie? I cannot conceive what it was that prompted such a decision as to sign an alliance with such a power." Wilhelm thought back to his own recent letter to Nicholas, a man who had shown some dangerously Liberal thoughts in recent time, granting a Sejim to Poland and a Duma to Georgia and Armenia, an assembly that may yet be granted in Russia itself before long. Wilhelm had been encouraging his cousin to focus his view to the East and Asia, away from European affairs and Germany's own restless Polish minority. He recalled his letter not a fortnight ago. 'Certain symptoms in the East seem to show that Japan is becoming a rather restless customer, it is evident to every unbiased mind that Korea must, should and will be Russian.' He had ended his letter with a warning that Japan and China may soon unite against Europe, writing: 'Twenty to thirty million Chinese, supported by a half dozen Japanese Divisions, led by competent, intrepid Japanese officers, full of hatred for Christianity—that is a vision of the future that cannot be contemplated without concern, and it is by no means impossible. On the contrary, it is the realization of the yellow peril, which I described a few years ago and I was ridiculed by the majority of people for my graphic depiction of it ... Your devoted friend and cousin, Willy, Admiral of the Atlantic.' It was just as well to keep Russia distracted and if they did fight a war and crushed Japan that would again leave Britain isolated in the Far East, which was all to the good as it may drive them into Germany's camp.

"What was on our minds Willie was the fact that Russia have not withdrawn from Manchuria despite repeated entreaties to do so, as you well now. The Japanese are an honorable race who have dragged themselves into the modern age by the bootstraps and do not deserve such words."

"Very well Uncle Bertie, an agreement on Venezuela then?"

"Yes."

November 1902- A trip to Brazil

13 November 1902, Hofburg, Vienna, UHE

Prince Luís of Orléans-Braganza, Prince Imperial of Brazil, knelt down in front of the Crown Princess. "Darling girl, I wish I could stay, but if this thing is ever going to happen, it must happen now. I have received word from a friend that the British and the Germans, as well as likely the Italians, are going to intervene in Venezuela. That will distract the Americans. As you know, I have not been idle these last two years, making contacts at all levels of society. It this is ever going to happen, it needs to be now. We have made contact with many junior officers in the capital and Sao Paolo. We have the Navy on our side. We have a new President about to take over from a deeply unpopular previous one. Brazil itself is distracted by the ongoing Acre War with Bolivia and a state of high state of tension with Peru. Argentina looks on.

Every day ordinary people starve on the streets of Sao Paolo and Rio, where the working man, the farmer, is treated as less than a dog by the regime. We need to change that, need to build a middle class, not a society ruled by coffee barons. Therefore I go there, with 22 loyal men. However, I pledge to you two things. If I do not come back, know that you are my first and only love. If I do come back, it will be to claim the woman I wish to marry."

Erszi was overcome with emotion. "Go with God my love and do what you think is right. If you can come back, do so, you will always be in my heart."

November 1902-A Russian Pacific transfer

13 November 1902, Revel, Russian Empire

It was a large squadron, consisting as it did of the battleships Retvizan, Pobeda and Rostislav and the large armoured cruisers Rurik and Moskva, as well as the small cruisers Diana, Bogatyr, Pallada, Katinka and Vityaz and would boost the Pacific Fleet from four battleships to seven with a final battleship(Tsesarevich) to follow. Russia had overspent it's Navy budget, hence the main reason why, at this stage, none of the new Shrecks had been laid down, only the Borodino Class of ships as per earlier plans, although some changes had been made to the final two.

With the Ottomans at a low ebb and with a fleet that had almost ceased to exist, Nicholas II had been able to move resources from the Black Sea and Rotislav had joined the planned deployment, boosting the numbers of ships planned for the Pacific from seven battleships to eight. The Sultan seemed to be concentrating more on keeping his fractious Arab subjects at bay with internal reforms and so posed little in the way of a military threat, so the Black Sea was essentially a Russian lake.

Domestically, there were the usual strikes and nihillist outrages but no large scale uprisings. His plan to offer a Parliament to the Polish and Southern areas and his reduction of Russification in these areas, as well as Finland, had so far been well received. The question was, of course, of a representative body for Russia, but there was no need to rush into that. His wife was in favour. Witte was in favour. His friend Rudolf was in favour. Yet his mother and indeed all his Uncles were implacably opposed. Willie was of course opposed. So was Ivan Durnovo was also opposed and as Chairman of the Council of Minister he supposed his opinion should be listened to. Nicholas listened to his wife, of course he did, after all she had blessed him with two daughters followed by four successive sons, so the succession was more than secure, but there were limits after all.

Rudolf had also urged him to get out of Manchuria, Willie to stay in and expand to Korea. Relations with the UHE were warm and indeed four of the warships to be transferred Rurik, Moskva and the small cruisers Vityaz and Katinka had come from UHE yards, the first three purchases of ships originally meant for Argentina. Yet Rudolf was not always right, most advice he had was to press in Manchuria to finally secure a buffer to Russia's border in the Far East. Yet some caution was justified and therefore the decision to move to eight battleships at Port Arthur supported by fully six armoured cruisers and two scout cruisers at Vladivostok. That should be more than enough to forestall any Japanese ambitions.

November 1902- Departing Fiume

16 November 1902, Hungarian-American Line Pier, Fiume, UHE

Sigwalt Roos watched the Brazilian Prince board the 4,750 ton liner Carolina for the voyage to Port Rudolf and then on to Rio. He thought back to his briefing with Vladimir von Gielingen. His instruction had been fairly straightforward. "Just act like any soldier of fortune but if it all goes to shit just do what you do best and attempt to get him out of there."

"What about the others?"

"What about them?"

"If is doesn't go to shit?"

"Then you are a hero of the revolution. Make the most of it and then come home. Remember the cruiser Innsbruck will be making a goodwill visit. The Captain has received secret orders to depart at all speed upon your order or upon receipt of the package, assuming it does all go wrong. She is a fast ship. Take advantage of that."
..........................................................................................................................................
Luis watched the 24th and final arrival to his party on the wharf. He would not have trusted the man but Erszi had telegraphed him in Fiume and insisted he add him to his party. The man's Portuguese was passable, he supposed and he was supposed to be well versed in covert activities so perhaps he would be useful, however, Luis had always distrusted mercenaries and the man had an air of one. However, one extra would add no extra suspicion and in a few hours they would be at sea in any case.

November 1902-Kommando tortures in the Congo

17 November 1902, 30 kilometers West of Lado, Kingdom of the Congo

This really was the ends of the earth, thought Adem Swierc as he slowly climbed the rocky escarpment. 'Exercise Happy Explorer', what a joke. For four days he had been traveling in this utter wilderness, dodging snakes, lion and rhinos, carrying at pack weighing 50 kilograms or near enough, totally alone, navigating only by compass. Every one of these checkpoints seemed to be on the top of a hill or even a small mountain and he was both mentally and physically exhausted, yet still he pushed on. He had been told all his life that he would never amount to anything, both from others and by his own father and he was damned if they were going to be proved right.

It seemed an easy choice to join the Army, not as a conscript but as a volunteer and then promotion to Korporal had followed. Yet no matter what he had endured in the Army, seeing combat in Albania, nothing had truly prepared him for this course. The first week had been simple enough, basic military skills training in combat scenarios, yet always with something thrown in. He had command of a Platoon at one point as it's two commanders were declared dead and then two others, when placed in command, were also told they to were dead as they were too slow to answer questions of tactics when posed to them. Then ten days of grueling exercises on minimal sleep, including a 20 kilometer pack march with a thirty kilogram pack that had to be completed in less than three and a half hours.

Then a trip to Egypt, down the Nile and into the Congo. By that stage only 61 of the original 150 men remained. Some were officers. No ranks were used during the course of selection so it was hard to tell at times. This was hell, carrying a 50 kilogram weight on your back over what seemed like 140 kilometers, all to be completed in five and one half days. Seven hilly checkpoints. All he had to do was get to this checkpoint in the gathering gloom and then back to the start by midday tomorrow. It would be touch and go, but he was sure he could push his battered body just a little further.

Why had he wanted to join the Kommando Battalion again? It was lost in a fog of pain and exertion at present, but he was fairly sure that he wanted to be seen as a serious soldier, a success, something he had been largely denied in his 25 years of life. Since the Battalion's inception only two years ago, it has gained a reputation of only taking the best and he wanted to be that best. Finally he scrambled to the top, where one of the of the course staff, a grizzled Offiziersstellvertereter, waited with a Congolese soldier, a medical corpsman. He finally took the time to rest and take a drink. It was the native soldier that spoke first.

"Any injuries?"

"No going well." Adem then spoke to the Offiziersstellvertereter. "How am I going?"

"Poorly. I think you are behind most of the others. Better speed up."

"Only one day to go."

"On this exercise. A final three days after that."

"True."

"Don't you owe me 80 push ups that we let you off a week or so ago?"

Adem Swierc cringed inside. "Yes."

"May as well have them now."

Adem stood again and went to disconnect his pack.

"Keep that on I think. That way it will be faster I am sure."

Three days later as he sat under a stumpy tree outside a series of wooden huts, he knew that he had done it. 34 others of the original 150 remained, all to gain the Edelweiss with a viper curled around it shoulder patch.

November 1902- A demonstration in a field

20 November 1902, a field near Vienna, UHE

Friedrich von Beck-Rzikowsky rolled his eyes. It seemed they were back in the Kaiser's favourite field outside Vienna, a task a man who had only three weeks until retirement should not have been dragged on, but here he was none the less. The Army had finally been remade in the image the Kaiser and himself had talked about some 12 years ago. The last of the new artillery had reached their units some two weeks before. Every formation had new uniforms, rifles and guns.

Only the Landwehr and Honved still maintained older equipment. Now he was yet again in a field to watch another of the Kaiser's demonstrations. Finally Rudolf seemed happy at the placement of a number of wooden figures clearly meant to represent soldiers and stepped back beyond the barriers that had been set up. Men then went back into the field and walked backwards from a point some 30 meters from the barriers, looking like they were feeding out wire behind themselves. Finally they settled behind the barriers again.

Rudolf then assumed a standing position on the back of a motor truck. "Gentleman, thank you for coming to this little technical demonstration of two concepts we have been working on at the Technical Innovations area of the Army. Now, imagine, that the wooden figures represent enemy soldiers that have infiltrated to within say 20 to 50 meters of our own troops prepared positions, represented by the barrier. Now, I must insist that all stay behind the barriers until the all clear is given by the blow of the whistle.

Beck lowered himself behind the barrier, next to a private. A whistle blew and the man spun a circular metal device that looked like a miniature fishing reel, finally stopping and pressing a small metal lever. The most incredible eruptions seemed to occur in the paddock beyond and he forced himself to stay down until the whistle blew for an all clear.

As he wandered among the dummies he could see that they had been in many cases cruelly peppered with holes, from what it was hard to say. Rudolf, finally came forward again and began to speak. "It is quite a simple device, like a large metal jam tin really. Inside are 1200 steel balls and TNT. The electric charge travels down the 30 meter wire to the device, charges the fuse, which detonates the TNT and scatters the steel balls quite effectively, as I am sure you can see. It is not directional, although we have lined the back of the device with hard steel and the front and sides only with tin to try and deflect most of the force to the front and sides. However, placed in front of a defensive position, in front of dug in men, I am sure you agree it can be quite effective."

Quite effective was a classic understatement, thought Beck.

The second demonstration was more straightforward. A small wooden hut had been surrounded by rings of barbed wire, making a seemingly difficult barrier. He had heard the machine as soon as it started, long before it emerged chuffing and clanking from behind a copse of pines. It huffed it's way at slow speed over the field, some sort of spider crawl device driving the infernal machine onward until it breached the wire, rolled onto the shed and continued onward, leaving only flattened wire and splintered wooden boards in it's wake.

November 1902- A Congolese deployment

22 November 1902, Naval Base Pola, UHE

It was an unprecedented fleet deployment but would provide good training for the crews. Miklos Horthy was excited in his new role as communications officer aboard the flagship. All three of the new Schreck Class were followed by the large battlecruiser Tegettoff, two light cruiser divisions and nine large destroyers, a formidable showing of 19 ships in all, all bound for Cabinda to undertake exercises. Colliers had already sailed and instructions were to undertake an extended deployment. Well, at least it would be sunny.

Schreck Class

November 1902- Chinese silver

24 November 1902, UHE Concession, Tientsin

Dr. Ludwig Velics von Lászlófalva watched the Chinese delegation duly leave the grounds of the UHE concession. 106 tons of silver was a considerable cargo and represented only two years worth of a staggering 39 years of reparations required under the Boxer Protocol that had been signed the previous year to end the Boxer Rebellion and the European intervention that had ensued.

The cruiser Kaiser Franz Joseph I would undertake the journey back to Vienna with the silver, thence to undertake and refit before her return as the flagship of the small Asiatic squadron that consisted of the cruiser and two destroyers.

November 1902-Upcoming Congo departures

30 November 1902, Hofburg, Vienna, UHE

Wladimir von Gielslingen knelt before their Sovereign and duly took the oaths of office to be the next Governor of the Congo whilst his almost nine months pregnant wife Laura and his children Heinrich, Agnes and Hans-Adam looked on.

Later Rudolf and Wladimir talked in Rudolf's study. It was the Kaiser who commenced the conversation. "So, we have assets in Brazil?"

"One must remember it is only a legation, not a full embassy. The Legation head von Kuczyński is a good man, only one man on site, a Franz Hablink, operating as a Naval Attache. Has good ties with the Navy and a few society contacts. It would hesitate to call it a strong presence."

"Well, we influence where we can, you understand, but ultimately events will simply have to take their course. I am committed to not intervening personally, yet we do wish to deter others from doing so as well. It it all goes bad I have told Roos to do all he can to get the boy out."

"He is a capable man, if anyone can do it he can. Who knows, it may work, the boy has the Navy seemingly 100% behind him, after all."

"We shall see. As for the Congo, you are to sail in early January, but if the situation is still fluid I many need you here until it is resolved."

"Of course."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Stephanie herself performed the duties of mother, pouring the rich chocolate drink as Laura von Gieslingen sat back and rested on the divan.

Finally the Kaiserin spoke. "So, how do you feel about going back to the Congo as the Governor's wife?"

Laura Paton gave a wry smile. "You mean just over ten year after leaving as a wretched fallen women?"

Stephanie pursed her lips. "No, that is not quite what I meant, no" she said, reaching to pick up six year old Agnes von Gieslingen, smoothing down her riot of curly red hair. "I suppose what I am asking is how do you feel about moving back. Do you feel socially prepared? Ready? Will you miss being here in Vienna?"

"Of course I will miss being here in Vienna. Here I associate with freedom, duty, given responsibility, love but most importantly respect. There I associate with degradation, poverty, loneliness and rejection. So, it will be challenge. However, what does not kill us makes us stronger."

"Well Laura, I am going to miss you, that much is certain. However, I think that this is an important step, a step to show the people of the Congo that any level of Government can be achieved with had work, responsibility and loyalty. Of course, I will miss these little ones as well, as will Lola who told me that she wants to go with you, of all things."

"I will miss you to Your Majesty, but we will be in touch regularly I suppose, plus, you will continue to visit bi-annually."

"Yes, I will be there in June or July at this stage."

"Indeed."

December 1902- On board with the Brazilian navy

5 December 1902, Paraiba do Sul Roads, Republic of Brazil

Strange way to start a revolution, though Sigwalt Roos as he scrambled up the sea ladder to the quarterdeck of the old battleship Aquidabã. Passengers from the Hungarian-American liner that they had spent the last two weeks or more on board had been bemused when the liner had pulled into the road-stead and began exchanging passengers with the two large old battleships, some coming on deck and taking advantage of the clear day to indulge their photographic ambitions.

As Luis climbed aboard he was met by Julio Cesar de Noronha, the Navy Minister and José Maria da Silva Paranhos Jr, Baron of Rio Branco, the Foreign Minister, the two principle conspirators along with the ambitious Mayor of Sao Paulo, Antonio da Silva Prado, whose cooperation had been gained by promises of high office in the event of a successful coup. For the first time in over 12 years the strains of Hino da Independência in it's older form died away. In the early morning would land in Rio de Janeiro and also Sao Paulo and begin a campaign to gain control of the infrastructure, especially the communications, of the faltering Brazilian State, a State that now possessed a dramatically rising foreign debt, debt that had been accumulated not to build heavy industry or fund industrialization, but wholly to fund the agricultural development of the coffee barons and manipulate the world price of coffee.

None of this helped the people in areas such as Rio's notorious Favela Hill slum, where the total lack of energy in response to a recent landslide by authorities had given rise to even more simmering anger directed at Government in general but particularly the city’s Mayor, Pereira Passos and the Director General of Public Health. The Mayor had initiated an extensive urban reform program, involving demolition of older buildings and tenement houses, with subsequent conversion of the land to stately avenues, gardens, and upscale homes and businesses. This was resulting in the displacement of thousands of poor and working-class people to peripheral neighborhoods, naturally leading them to become resentful as they huddled in slums that were not even of their own choice.

Yes, thought Luis, they way was open, for taking Rio was the key and the city was currently a delicately blended powder keg, just awaiting the right spark.

December 1902- The taking of Rio part 1

6 December 1902, Rio de Janiero, Republic of Brazil

The Naval troops marching in full armed formation and full dress uniform was paid no particular attention by either city authorities or local Army units. Why should they pay any attention to such a parade? It was only when they reached the former Paço Imperial, now the Central Post and Telegraph Office, that the sailor's moved from march formation to a full scale storming of the building, which was rapidly secured with no resistance at all aside from some harsh words.

At the Catete Palace the gate guards were quickly secured and it was to be a brief and short fire fight only, leaving two guards dead and one wounded and a single sailor wounded. It all happened so quickly that in no time at all President Francisco de Paula Rodrigues Alves sat facing his former Foreign Minister and Navy Minister when a young man walked into the salon. Both looked to him, so Alcves was quick to ask the question.

"Who the hell are you and what are you doing in my home? What are you doing to Brazil?"

"I am surprised you do not recognize me Mr President. I am Prince Luís of Orléans-Braganza and I am here to restore legitimate government to the city and indeed this country. To provide a government for all Brazilians, not just those that have the money to buy the policies that benefit them most. To reverse the illegal overthrow of my revered Grandfather and to continue his work to make Brazil and country all can be proud of. Now, I am sure you are anxious about your wife. She is quite safe, as are all here. However, I regret to inform you that you are hereby deposed as President and on this day proclaim a restoration of a Second Brazilian Empire."

"You will never get away with this. This is preposterous. It's madness."

"Well, you may be correct, we will have to wait and see. If you would kindly go with these men Mr President, if you or your wife have any needs please let them know. They have been instructed to treat you with every courtesy, but regretfully you are prisoner of the revolution, at least for now."

By 8.00am as ordinary citizens of Rio, hurried to work, the Presidential Palace, the Chamber of Deputies and the Central Post and Telegraph Office all flew the new 21 star Imperial flag, with Naval troops marching down Moncorvo Filho Street towards the Central Railway Station and the Senate before anything like an organized resistance could coalesce.

December 1902-Morning after

7 December 1902, Paço Imperial, Empire of Brazil

By mid morning on the 7th the last vestiges of resistance had been removed and Rio de Janiero was completely under the control of forces now loyal to Luis. All Army units had either surrendered, were under guard, or in most cases had thrown in with the forces that had so rapidly taken possession of all the key installations in the city. The very unlikeliness of such a coup had seen it succeed and now the struggle for control of the rest of the country could proceed, like in Sao Paulo, where the appearance of large numbers of sailors on the move from Cubatao had aroused much more in the way of suspicion and where Naval troops and police were in a struggle with Regular Army units loyal the the Republican regime. Unlike Rio, where casualties numbered less than 40, pitched battles were being fought.

In the South. Rio Grande do Sul and Santa Catarina had already declared for the new regime and he was hopeful more would follow as a result of this morning's broadcast, which would serve to confirm his control of the capital.

December 1902- An announcement of revolution and Empire

7 December 1902, Paço Imperial, Empire of Brazil

Luis stepped up to the live microphone. Within an hour of his speech, the text of it would be transmitted in full to every Telegraph Office in Brazil.

“To the people of Brazil I say you may not know me, but you know all too well my revered Grandfather, you know our Navy Minister, you know our esteemed Foreign Minister. Let it be known that the Republic, the Republic that for so long governed for only a part of the population of this great country, is now terminated, President Alves deposed. In it’s place will rise a new form of Government and that Government I promise you will be for all Brazilians. There will be no more rigged elections, no more power sharing between Rio and Sao Paulo, no more coffee barons. As soon as it is possible, I promise elections where all citizens may vote, where all may participate in the business of Government, where those that need help are given that help. I am asking all of you to give my Government, now secure in our capital, the power to bring to fruition the longing hopes, the ardent dreams, the fervent aspirations of the people of our country. Throughout more than a decade of elitist control our people have, with ever increasing tendency, looked forward to that bright and glorious day when they shall regain a voice in their own future.

We must throw off the hampering shackles of the coffee barons, much like we did the lingering shame of slavery 15 years ago and boldly assert our God-given right to be free. Today we are here in our capital to claim this very right.

The right of a people to decide their own destiny, to make their way in freedom, is not to be measured by the yardstick of colour, money or a degree of social development. It is an inalienable right of peoples which they are powerless to exercise when forces, stronger than they themselves, by whatever means, for whatever reasons, take this right away from them. If there is to be a criterion of a people's preparedness to be involved in Government, then I say it is their readiness to assume the responsibilities of electing those ruling themselves. For who but a people themselves can say when they are prepared? How can others judge when that moment has arrived in the destiny of a downtrodden people? There should be no more subject downtrodden people, these were meant to be the reforms of the 1880’s, yet they have never been truly implemented.

I am confident, therefore, that when I ask you to rise up and support this new Government for all Brazilians that you will not hesitate to do so. Let us not be mired any more in a miasma of poverty, misery and despair. Let us spend the wealth of this country on economic development and assist all Brazilians, not just a small portion. Let us move forward in a spirit of amity and friendship, so that, having peacefully achieved our freedom, we may form a new relationship based on mutual respect, trust and friendship. Let not this struggle continue on to a destructive civil war, instead let those that oppose us lay down their arms and take the opportunity to celebrate what makes us the same, not what makes us different. I appeal especially to those forces that oppose us, to lay down your arms and join our cause and be welcomed as brothers.

For we repudiate war and violence. Our battles shall be against the old ideas that keep men trammeled in their own greed; against the crass stupidities that breed hatred, fear and inhumanity. The heroes of our future will be those who can lead our people out of the stifling fog of disintegration through serfdom, into the valley of light where purpose, endeavor and determination will create that brotherhood which Christ proclaimed two thousand years ago, and about which so much is said, but so little done. Make no mistake, against those that oppose our cause, force will be used in full measure, yet we seek no vengeance, only unity moving forward.

For those Brazilians denied it, we are ripe for freedom, and our people will not be denied. Take note those who wish to stifle such actions. It will be the wrath of not myself but the people you face, people who are conscious that the right to freedom is ours and know that freedom is not something that one people can bestow on another as a gift. It is something you claim it as your own and none can keep it from us.

To the people of Brazil I say man's dearest possession is life, and since it is given him to live but once, he must so live so as not to be besmeared with the shame of a cowardly existence and trivial past, so live that on dying he might say: all my life and all my strength were given to the finest cause in the world – liberation. I offer you that liberation. Your need to only rise up and support us to take it.”

December 1902- American Sitszkreig

8 December 1902, White House, Washington DC, United States of America

"I fail to see how it is that we have been so blindsided. Reports are that the rebels are winning in Sao Paulo, establishing control and, in addition to that, six States have now declared for the Rio Royalist regime, with six more agreeing to obey "lawful instructions". It had is barely been two days yet it is already swinging rapidly to their side. If Minas Gerais switches to the pro-Imperial side it is all over for the Republicans.

Diplomatically the UHE have already recognized the new regime, as have Albania, Congo and Serbia. Germany will likely recognize them today from what I have been told. Alves had disappeared and the Republicans appear fractured and hopelessly disorganized, arguing among themselves as to who should be the new nominal President. I can see this succeeding, but how? It has all happened so fast, it makes one wonder what could happen here in such circumstances.

Of course, the question remains, what can we do?"

Dear God, thought President John Hay. I am so tired. He looked across at the vigor of Teddy Roosevelt and wondered again why it was that he was even in this job. Well, this came under Foreign Policy and that was his expertise, after all. "Very little Teddy, I am afraid. As you well know, the situation in the Caribbean is very volatile still, we can offer no excuses to further inflame such tensions, offer no further excuses to inflame thought and acts against Latin Americans.

That however, is only the first point. We are currently negotiating with the Colombians in regards the Canal and a South American adventure in addition to our Pacific War four years ago on the back of a false pretext would be a complete disaster for those negotiations. We need that canal much more than we need Brazil. In addition, we are negotiating with the British on the Alaskan border and monitoring things in Venezuela. We gave the English their head along with the Germans in Venezuela so as to sweeten our Alaskan deal and getting involved in a South American war would also embolden the Venezuelans to resist and possibly start a second war there, one that would force the Germans and British to land and then us to protest and so on.

Secondly, the UHE have declared they regard the matter as an internal Brazilian matter and will oppose any intervention. Yet again we face a war we cannot currently have, a potential major conflict with a large European power. Yes, I am confident we would win such a battle, but at what cost? No canal, no Alaska Treaty, trouble in Cuba, enmity with Germany and the UHE and at the end of the day, if Brazil falls to Royalist troops quickly, which seems likely, we would have to raise an Army and push them from power. How popular do you think that will be and how many American lives expended?"

Teddy Roosevelt sat back. As usual, Hay's reading of the international situation was likely correct. The canal was more important and would provide the conduit to link East and West Coast the America, the Caribbean to it's Pacific possessions. "We need to do something, however, to be seen as relevant."

Hay smiled a thin lipped smile. "Yes, we issue a statement that whilst we consider the matter a purely internal matter for the Brazilian people, we deplore the overthrow of a legitimate Government and stand ready to prevent any opportunistic attempts at intervention from another power. That way we seem strong and to be taking a stance in support, but actually do nothing to get ourselves involved."

December 1902- Revolutionary successes, succession dilemmas

12 December 1902, Hofburg, Vienna, UHE

Erszi burst into her mother's drawing room without knocking, only to find her mother reclining on the ottoman, her shirtless father on top of her.

"Oh my God! I feel like I want to gouge out my own eyes. Mother! What are you doing?"

"I feel like it should be all to obvious what I was doing, daughter of mine, or those talks we have had I fear have all been for nothing."

"Dear God mother, you are too old for that, let alone you Papa."

"Old? Old? I am not yet 40 young lady." said Stephanie, fixing her clothing, which was in a state of disarray. "Have you not heard of knocking? Now, what made you burst in her like a crazed Visigoth?"

Erszi waved a telegram. "He had done it. Sao Paulo has fallen, the State has followed and now 15 of the 21 states have declared for Luis and the new Government. I think it is almost over."

Rudolf stepped forward and hugged his daughter. "Well then, it seems like it will be indeed, perhaps in less than a week. If this resolves itself quickly, then we are going to need to talk. Talk in more depth about not only your feelings for Luis but what it may mean. Two countries two oceans apart and then there is the Congo as well. 48 million people here, 18 million more in Brazil and 15 million more in the Congo. No small amount.

If and when the time comes both of us will need to talk, both to you and Luis. It will involve you both, perhaps even your sister as well and, ultimately, if Luis is serious about the sort of Government he wishes to introduce, it will involve not only the Governments of the four Kingdoms here but that of Brazil as well.

You need to be aware of all that. However, for now, be happy, these are matters for 1903."

"Yes Papa."

Rudolf grabbed his daughter, mussing her long brown tresses.

Erszi shrieked. "Papa, no, no."

"That is for calling me old."

December 1902- Political status of the various areas

15 December 1902, Hofburg, Vienna, UHE

Victor Alder summed up his speech. "So, as can be seen, our main priority as I see it is to obtain the abolition of the Curia system in Hungary so as to achieve truely free and fair elections. The implications of plural voting can be, for the moment, ignored. They are far less destructive than the use of the Curia system to restrict voting power from the poor and disenfranchised. Now, as you can see, broadly speaking, the 1901 elections would have to be considered a success. You will notice on the sheets in front of you the results.

Cisleithania:
Christian Social Party 88
Polish Club 72
United Social Democratic Party 72
Deutscher Nationalverband 55
Slovenian Club 22
Ukrainian Radical Party 21
Italian Club 15

Hungary:
Liberal Party 156
Party of Independence and '48 145
United Social Democratic Party 50
Romanian Nationalist Party 48
Catholic People' Party 39
Slovak National Party 18
Serbian People's Party 5

Czechia:
The Liberal Party 40 seats
United Social Democratic Party 39 seats
Catholic People's Party 13 seats
Moravian Agrarian Party 7 seats
German People's Party 6 seats

Illyria:
Independent Illyrian Peoples Party 33
Party of Rights 30
Serbian People's Party 16
United Social Democratic Party 10

Now, as you are well aware, we are not in government anywhere, but we are strongest in Czechia and weakest in Hungary and Illyria. Hungary because of the Curia system but in general we are weak in rural areas and we need to find a means of picking up votes in these areas.

In regards Hungary, we need to organise resistance to the current Curia system to gain support from workers in terms of demonstrations and protests to force it's abolition. At the same time, we need to make approaches to the Hofburg for subtle pressure to be placed on the Hungarians to make this change to bring them into line with the other three Kingdoms. It is especially important considering the destructive civil war currently tearing at the Liberal Party in Hungary. Naturally, those in power will resist such a change, but even a gradual phasing out would be sufficient considering the pace of change these last 12 years."

December 1902- Resistance collapses in the face of inevitability

20 December 1902, Belo Horizonte, Empire of Brazil

Francisco Antonio de Salles put his pen down and skimmed his announcement again, looking at all the salient points.

"I have always been a good and loyal supporter of the Republic.."

"One must accept the military and social reality of our current situation....."

"At all times it has been my belief that one must strive to serve firstly the citizens of our great State...."

"The current situation has a rectitude of inevitability about it and therefore one must bow to that inevitability and the will of the people that created it...."

"I have instructed all Armed Forces within the borders of the state Minas Gerais and all police to recognize the legitimacy of the new Government presiding in Rio de Janiero headed by Luis Braganza...."

"Striving at all times to avoid bloodshed, I add my voice to that of 17 other States...."

"Long Live our new Emperor, Luis I."

Well, it was done, thought the Governor. He was to prove correct. With the collapse of any resistance in Minas Gerais, by the 24th December 1902, all states and areas had recognized the legitimacy of the new regime in Rio, including importantly Plácido de Castro in Acre and General Olímpio da Silveira who was en-route to the troubled province. Brazil was officially an Empire again, with less than 300 killed in various clashes. Now it remained to be seen what changes would be made.

January 1903- Not the next generation, the one after that

1 January 1903, Hofburg, Vienna, UHE

"So, what do we do now?" asked Rudolf, looking at his wife who was carelessly strewn on the bed. She raised her eyebrow at him. "About Erszi I mean? You saw the letter he sent. It made his intentions pretty clear. Come back to Europe next year to arrange a possible engagement."

"Yes, yes I saw" said Stephanie. "Well, we can hardly refuse can we? Your daughter is rather strong willed and would likely run off to Brazil without our permission, creating a scandal."

"Hmm. Does that mean we go with Lola as the heir?"

"Well possibly, but I think you are thinking too short term."

"How so?"

"You are only just in your early 40's. You could live for another 30 years, will likely will live for another thirty years. Erszi is young and has no impediment to children that I know of. That could mean that the next generation after her could inherit here, if she has children. Dare I say it, even if you die early I could do a Regency. Plus, there is Lola."

"Hmm. If she had a boy, he would have to be fostered here, probably board away from age 12 or so here in Vienna. Likely a second son."

"Probably, but you have always secretly wanted a boy anyway so perhaps, with luck and good fortune, you may yet have your way. If she has only girls, well then perhaps Lola."

"I suppose so. We poured so much time and preparation into a daughter that will perhaps now not inherit."

"Yes, but it will stand her in good stead. We have prepared that girl for life, for this life Rudolf. Luis will need all the support he can get. It's likely to be a nest of vipers there I would think, at least initially. It will be very hard work and changes hard and a difficult to make in the face of overwhelming resistance. Most of those with influence will want him to fail. It's easy to criticize in opposition, harder to make it work whilst in power, as you well know."

"I suppose a Personal Union is out of the question?"

Stephanie laughed. "Darling, don't be ridiculous. It is not the House of Hanover any more or the Spanish succession. People want to see their monarchs, to know they care, to have them speak their native language for that matter. It's the 20th Century now."

"Yes, I suppose so. Just the thought of her so far away, as well."

"Yes, I know. I will miss her to. However, I think I am right. It is the next generation we must look to to cement our legacy."

January 1903 - State of naval play

16 January 1903, Brown's Hotel, London, United Kingdom

Fred Jane sat back and thought. Things were changing rapidly in the Edwardian Era, not least of which was naval combat. He had originally published his annual in 1899 to assist in playing naval war games on a grand scale, but it had become popular as a reference source to in an era where martial capacity was a matter of national pride. So, "Jackie" Fisher would be the next man, possibly in as little as 12 months. Modernisation would clearly be on the agenda, as Fisher was dismissive of much of the tonnage in reserve, calling it a "a miser's hoard of useless junk." Much of the change, strangely enough, had come from Vienna, which had seemingly re-invigorated itself and, emerging from over a century of torpor, had again thrust itself forward as a candidate for a leading power.

Jane considered the states of the fleets:

Royal Navy
Schrecks 3 + 4 building
Battleships 40 + 8 building + 41 reserve
Armoured Cruisers 47 + 7 building + 2 reserve
Protected Cruisers/Light cruisers 125 + 8 building

France
Schrecks nil(Class of 6 semi Schrecks planned)
Battleships 30 + 3 building
Armoured Cruisers 16 + 8 building
Protected Cruisers/Light Cruisers 38

Germany
Schrecks First class to be laid 1903(4 ships)
Battleships 12 + 4 building
Armoured cruisers + 2 building
Protected Cruisers/Light Cruisers 29 + 10 building

Russia
Schrecks nil(planned class of 3 1904 laid down)
Battleships 22 + 5 building
Armoured Cruisers 15
Protected Cruisers/Light Cruisers 18 + 8 building

USA
Schrecks (First Class of 3 to be laid 1903)
Battleships 11 + 5 building
Armoured Cruisers 2 + 9 building
Protected Cruisers/Light Cruisers 17 = 6 building

Italy
Schrecks nil
Battleships 12 + 6 building
Armoured Cruisers 5 + 1 building
Protected Cruisers/Light Cruisers 21

UHE
Schrecks 3 + 1 building
Battleships 1
Armoured Cruiser 5
Protected Cruisers/Light Cruisers 16 + 2 building

Ottomans
Schrecks nil
Battleships 3 + 1 building
Armoured Cruiser 1
Protected Cruisers/Light Cruisers 9 + 2 building

Japan
Schrecks nil (likely a 1904 class planned)
Battleships 6
Armoured Cruisers 7
Protected Cruisers/Light Cruisers 24 + 3 building

Spain
Schrecks nil
Battleships 3
Armoured Cruisers 2 + 3
Protected Cruisers/Light Cruisers 4

The UHE had the most modern fleet, the Germans were the big builders in recent times, with large programs, as were the Russians and Americans, prompting Royal Navy response.

January 1903- A switch to Adriatic defence

22 January 1903, Navy Ministry, Vienna, UHE

Archduke Charles Stephen contemplated the new Navy budgets. It represented a shift in allocations towards units that would hopefully be able to dominate in the Adriatic and fight a defensive war if required. 16 of the new Libelle Class small destroyers, capable 370 ton 28 knot ships that trialed the new triple torpedo tube, mounted two 3.9 inch guns and were capable of mine-laying, spread over a two year budget. All would be oil burning and paid for their better features with reduced ranges than their 1000 ton predecessors. At only 800,000 Krone per units they were economical on a budget that had overrun in recent times, a fact pointed out all too often by Budapest and Prague. Second was an order for eight wooden minesweepers of 240 tons, basic units that would assist in any Adriatic conflict by reducing the risk of offensive mine-laying, a major worry in the shallow waters of the Northern and Coastal Adriatic.

Finally, a second Stephanie Class Improved Schreck had also been ordered to be build by Ganz. STT was still busy expanding two of it's larger slips to accommodate larger capital ship builds, so a switch to smaller construction that smaller slips could handle was opportune. The Navy had also ordered a Émeraude-class submersible from France and it would be evaluated against the Holland boats to determine the best basis for a domestic design.

Libelle Class small destroyers

M1 Class minesweepers

January 1903- Fake Programs

28 January 1903, Hofburg, Vienna, UHE

Siegfried Popper came into Rudolf's study and was soon unrolling the plans showing the ship. To his immense surprise Rudolf burst out laughing after viewing them.

"Your Majesty?"

"Oh, sorry Admiral. Thank you, these are perfect. Please arrange for them to be released as our latest design, leak them in effect."

"Your Majesty. Leak them?"

"Yes, let it be known that we are thinking of building on these plans, likely via de Brassey's or even the new man, Fred Jane. Feel free to give him detailed plans if you like, not full line drawings but a general idea."

"Surely we are not going to build such a thing. I mean..."

Rudolf laughed again. "Don't worry Popper, I can guarantee that such a design will never be built. That is not to say that others might not think we are going to build it" said Rudolf, flashing a wolfish smile. Then he laughed again. "Perhaps others will even ask for us to build it for them. After all, who can resist a ship with 16 main guns and 30 secondaries?"

"Your Majesty, we have not even left room for lifeboats.."

"Surely you are not suggesting that such a powerful unit could possibly ever sink..." laughed Rudolf. "I will leave it all to you Admiral."

Siegfried Popper left even more baffled than when he arrived.

Phantom Super Schreck

February 1903- Brazil moving forward

16 February 1903, Paço Imperial, Rio de Janiero, Empire of Brazil

Luis was the one that opened the meeting. "Alright, we have consolidated everywhere we can our authority and now it is time to move on to the changes we have planned. Aside from the fact that the 1889 Constitution represents a Republican regime and not a restoration of Empire, there is little to fault in the basic wording, yet all here I am sure are too well aware that it has failed the true test, implementation. Flowery words are all very well, but if not backed up by concrete actions in support of such words, changes are never made. So, the question remains, how do we make such changes and more importantly, how do we enforce them?

A group of us, including our last esteemed President of the Council of Ministers, Viscount of Ouro Preto, have been working on this. In regards the Chamber of Deputies, we retain it's current structure at 212 deputies and also that of the Senate at 63 Deputies appointed by the States as before, however, I would like to add two Deputies to the Senate to be directly appointed by the Crown. Since I aim to retain the power to introduce legislation myself, these members can act as a conduit for doing so.

Two major changes I wish to make are to guarantee complete independence to the Supreme Court and subordinate all other Courts to it and at the same time place the supervision of all State and Federal elections within the jurisdiction of the Supreme Court. One would hope that this would mitigate against elections being rigged at both at the local and National levels. In terms of the franchise itself, it needs to be extended to all citizens, women as well as men. The more people the better in terms of showing that we will endeavor to include all in decisions, not exclude them.

The "Coronéis", the coffee barons, the local elites. Here we need to tread carefully as we cannot risk another counter revolution or a civil war as most have close ties to senior Army appointments. Therefore, we need to raise others up rather than drag them down, yes, they will likely resist that too but not violently like things that are a more direct threat such as land reallocation. To assist in such things we need to move on social changes as well, public health works, allocation of State land to smallholders in plots of 50-100 acres, God knows we have enough State land. We need to create a middle class that owes their advancement to our policies.

In cities, we need to also build a middle class, or a satisfied worker class. Currently this is difficult as we have so little in the way of heavy industry. Expansion of the railroads is a must, to bring not only development but also communications. We can reward those who work on the railroads with land parcels in lieu of full payment. They will also help the Federal Government to assume control of regions more directly. Currently we have 12,580 kilometers of rail, compared to the UHE, a smaller country, having 50,000 kilometers.

In cities, more and more, the landless move into accommodations that are little more than slums. They come to the cities in hope of a better life, only to find heartbreak there due to the lack of work for those with limited literacy and numeracy skills. We must build a steel mills, as a start, how can we not and at the same time export iron ore overseas by the ton? Also railway workshops. These sorts of projects, the building of railroads and the like, these will provide work for the people. With railways, telegraphs, steel mills, electricity will follow. God knows again, we have the rivers.

As for the "Coronéis", we need to support their workers rights in law and tax them appropriately, but let them keep their land. With the rubber price where it is and the coffee industry we have money for social programs, we just need the will to pursue them. In regards coffee, we will no longer be stockpiling to keep the price high. Instead, we need to seek new markets to fulfill our abundant supply, yet at the same time let coffee find a real price, not try and keep it artificially high. This alone will give our rural friends enough cause for concern but ultimately may benefit them and drive efficiencies. We have other uses for Government money than supporting those already able to support themselves.

As you all know, I have strong ties to the UHE, I can say quite categorically I hope to marry a UHE Archduchess. We need to exploit this new relationship for it's commercial possibilities and military security whilst at the same time continue to reassure our traditional investor, Britain, that all is well. To that end, we must also reward the Navy for their support. We will order two of these Schrecks, one from a British yard, one from a UHE yard and may order a third unit on the best of the two designs. At the same time, we will ask for technical assistance to establish our own shipyard capable of building ships up to cruiser size. Yet at the same time we must also assure the Army that their position in society is still secure.

In regards the States, we will revert to the old Imperial system where the Governor is appointed from Rio whilst the Deputy Governor is elected locally. That way gives us a degree of control and allows to place loyal men into those position, whilst at the same time it will be the Deputy Governor that runs the day to day affairs of the State.

Public health and education are also areas that will require spending and I am hoping to convince more UHE companies to invest in Brazil to broaden our tax base, yet at the same time mollify the English. The more money flowing inwards the better. For instance, UHE and American technical assistance in regards discovery of possible oil deposits. Look what this has done in Africa.

To summarize, we must industrialize. I want this position not to benefit myself, but like my Grandfather, to serve a country that has lost it's way. This new Constitution must preserve the basic rights to life, so no reversion to the death penalty. It must preserve property rights, for the poor as well as rich. It must preserve our freedom and right of the franchise. It must preserve freedom of religion, therefore, no reversion to State religion. I say this as a Catholic myself. It must preserve freedom of movement, assembly and speech and at the same time introduce social rights like minimum working hours and a minimum wage. We must strive to create a more equal society and assist those less fortunate, as any Christian should be want to do. Most of all, we must strive to crush corruption where-ever it exists to create a Brazil we can all be proud of."

February 1903- Resolution in Acre

24 February 1903, Paco Imperial, Rio de Janiero, Empire of Brazil

José Maria da Silva Paranhos Jr, Baron of Rio Branco, the Foreign Minister stepped into the simple study that had rapidly been converted from the office of the Rio de Janiero Postmaster General.

“Jose, have a seat.”

“Thank you Your Majesty. It appears that the Bolivians are prepared to come to a compromise in regards Acre, one to our advantage.”

“What are the terms?”

“They give us Acre, some 191,000 kilometers, in exchange for 2 million British pounds over two years, 3,000 kilometers on the fringe of Mato Grosso and the building of a railway between Riberalta in Bolivia and Porto Velho, which will allow them to bypass the rapids the Madeira.”

Luis considered. “That seems more than fair, although of course it will have to pass the Chamber and the Senate. Things have settled down there and they seem to have accepted a fait accompli. This is a good win for us as it removes another source of potential conflict. Perhaps we agree but ask for more favorable terms on imports of silver and tin, since these are their main exports aside from rubber. Throw in the Isla Suárez as a sweetener.

Even if they won’t agree, then take the deal as offered. I have looked at where we have disputes and perhaps also commence discussions with Uruguay in regards the region North of Masoller. I have drawn a line here, following this creek, where we take a third and they take two thirds of the disputed area. If we can get this done that will remove another potential source of conflict. Again, resolve sovereignty over Brazilian Island to get the deal done.

The last thing we need any form of dispute or war, so if we resolve all this now then we can focus on things internal to Brazil. We have made moves to reassure the British, but we need to have a series of meetings there and at some stage we will need to move to exploit the ties I have to the UHE as well, all without making the British think we are abandoning them. Finally, we need to show Washington we intend to be a good neighbor and a responsible government, especially with the Venezuelan adventure now completed the attention of the Americans will focus on here. I think that this is something I must do myself. Hay is an intelligent and cultured man. If you could inquire about a formal visit later this year, perhaps?”

“Very well.”

"We are going to be busy men, as we need to turn this country around economically. Investment in heavy industry is 25% of what it was in 1889, and that cannot continue."

March 1903- Arrival in the Congo

1 March 1903, Pointe Noire, Kingdom of the Congo

The side trip had been informal as Vladimir had wanted to see what constituted such an important part of the Congo economy, oil. So the banana boat bearing the new Governor and his wife had pulled into the port, the reception low key, although they had met some old friends waiting near the newly built wharf.

Laura von Gieslingen descended down the gangplank with her husband and, after the formalities embraced her friend.

"Madam Governor", smiled Rosa Mguru.

"Madam Deputy Secretary" laughed Laura von Gieslingen. She then turned to Awax Schwarz. "Hello old friend."

"Laura, you are looking as beautiful as ever after number four."

"Yes, a girl. two boys, two girls. I think that will be quite enough, at least for now."

They boarded the brand new 2-8-2 for their first point of call, the inland town of Nirgendwo, at the terminus of the rail line and near the border with French Equatorial Africa, which was the source of much of the newer discoveries. There Vladimir would address a meeting of the town council. Afterwards, he would tour the oilfields whilst she addressed the lady's town auxiliary and then opened the new company hospital. Afterwards, they would travel through Cabinda, stay overnight and then officially arrive in Marienburg at noon the following day.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Laura von Gieslingen lay in bed. The baby had been restless, no surprise since she had been moved from a Viennese winter to the Congo. Today had been satisfying yet very much a reminder of what an unusual situation she was in. Many of the black workers on the oilfields had been shocked to see her as the Governor's wife. Shocked in a good way she hoped.

At the same time, a number of what passed for society ladies in Cabinda, in particular, had also been shocked to see her in that role and made it all too clear with subtle digs and snide remarks she was clearly not meant to hear, or perhaps she was. It hurt, as it always did, but she had long gotten used to such things. "Only you give the power for others to hurt you" had been the mantra of her mentor and mistress. Yet the sight of a young, blonde haired Lieutenant acting as an Adjutant to a black women was seemingly distasteful to some. She had been worried about coming here, no question about it. For the children's health, but also for moving her marriage very much into the public forum, which some would see as rubbing it in their faces. Yet at the same time, many appeared quite unaffected and many local people appeared overjoyed at her presence as the Governors wife.

They would be here at least four years, so she would have to adapt and use the influence she had to do all she could for the country. Now was not the time to dream of balls and concerts in Vienna, she had had duty well and truly drummed into her as a concept and now she must fulfill it. She had the capacity to change other's lives for the better, there was no greater calling than that after all.

March 1903- Changes in Lodomeria

8 March 1903, Lemburg, UHE

Agnes Pilsudski looked at her husband. "So, the new member for the Lychachiv District is to take his place in the Sejm."

Josef Pilsuski smiled at his pregnant wife. "Yes, now I have four years to build a platform and following since in 1907 for the first time we will have full elections with no Curia system. I can use that time to press Vienna for the devolution of greater powers and make a name for myself. We need to do all we can to shore up the position of Polish interests bearing in mind the new Sejm will have a much greater percentage of Ukrainian members under a one man, one vote system."

"I am sure you will manage. I note the pressure is now on the Hungarians to change as well and the fact that Ruthenian peasants will be voting here in 1907 will only increase the pressure on Budapest to do away with the Curia system as well."

"Very true."

March 1903- Congo State Rail

15 March 1903, Elizabethville, Kingdom of the Congo

The train slowed slightly, cutting through the main street. Ozvald Doglusshii looked at his co-driver, a negro by the name of George something. He had proven a quick study and was already opening the sand dome chute to provide greater traction in the down gradient that would come outside the town/city. The 85 ton locomotive and it's 750 ton load would need to slow their speed down the incline.

Elizabethville was now a sprawling city, servicing all the surrounding mines, with a main street over four kilometers long it also claimed over 35 hotels. As the locomotive sped through the Eastern station, a couple of native children waved furiously and he waved back.

Congo State Railways was now a much larger concern than when he had arrived from Galicia some eight years ago. It possessed a fleet of 25 0-6-0's, 16 2-6-0's, 12 old 0-8-0's, 3 4-4-2's, 4 0-4-0 shunters and 3 railcars, but the heart of it's fleet was the 15 2-8-2's and their pulling power, 12 of which worked the Southern line hauling mainly Cassilerite and Chalcocite through to it's connection at Livingstone.

Hence Ozvald Doglusshii had made Elizabethville his own home and had watched the city grow exponentially. Many had come and gone as miners, dreaming of a strike to make them rich and then return to the UHE to marry up and improve their station. As for himself, he was done with Galicia and it's cycle of boom and bust. This was his home now. The main problem was the lack of women, hence he had been wondering in recent times about native women, not a thought that had crossed his mind when he first came here. European women in the mining settlement and rough and tumble atmosphere, were, well, harder to obtain. Maybe a native women could provide the solution to his problem. He was a that rare thing in Elizabethville, a prudent man and did not wish to gamble and drink his money away or speculate it on shares, as so many did, instead, he dreamed of owning his own land, crops, something more in life.

March 1903- A Brazilian trip to the UHE

28 March 1903, Weiss Manfréd Acél- és Fémművek, Csepel Island, Budapest, Hungary, UHE

Washington Luís Pereira de Sousa toured the vast assemblage of equipment that comprised the enormous complex on Csepel Island. Manfred Weiss had built it all from nothing and now it was prospering as never before, fed by a stream of raw materials from the Congo and high quality coal from Germany. His main interest was the steel works, but the company was also heavily involved with the production of ammunition for the UHE Army and, to a lesser extent, Navy.

The complex consisted of fully 30 factories, many with new steel and iron furnaces, as well as copper, nickel, tin and aluminum installations. In all, the company employed nearly 4500 workers. What such a complex would be able to do in Rio was well worthy of thought, hence his trip here to request not only technical assistance but also possible partnership arrangements.

It was not the only reason that de Sousa was in the UHE. Chile had a pair of modern battleships under construction. Argentina, Brazil's perpetual rival, had a stronger Navy with five capital ships. Plus new construction was rumoured. Hence, he was to request both "low cost" and "premium" battleship designs and report back to Brazil's new Government.

Manfred Weiss works, 1903

November 1903-Tensions in the Far East

4 November 1903, Tokyo, Japanese Empire

Prime Minister Prince Katsura Taro looked at the Russian reply again that had arrived after much delay just yesterday.

It indicated:

1. Mutual engagement to respect the independence and territorial integrity of the Korean Empire.

2. Recognition by Russia of Japan's preponderating interests in Korea and of the right of Japan to give advice and assistance to Korea tending to improve the civil administration of the Empire without infringing the stipulations of article I.

3. Engagement on the part of Russia not to impede the commercial and industrial undertakings of Japan in Korea, nor to oppose any measures taken for the purpose of protecting them so long as such measures do not infringe the stipulations of article I.

4. Recognition of the right of Japan to send for the same purpose troops to Korea, with the knowledge of Russia, but their number not to exceed that actually required, and with the engagement on the part of Japan to recall such troops as soon as their mission is accomplished.

5. Mutual engagement not to use any part of the territory of Korea for strategic purposes nor to undertake on the coasts of Korea any military works capable of menacing the freedom of navigation in the Straits of Korea.

6. Mutual engagement to consider that part of the territory of Korea lying to the North of the 39th parallel as a neutral zone into which neither of the contracting parties shall introduce troops.

7. Recognition by Japan of Manchuria and its littoral as in all respects outside her sphere of interest.

8. This agreement to supplant all previous agreements between Russia and Japan respecting Korea.

Each exchange seemed like another small concession on Russia's behalf, which was all to the good in theory. However, the fact was that the Russians were bound originally to withdraw from Manchuria but had shown no signs at all of doing so, in fact they were further reinforcing their position.

Then there were the other issues. With the passing of every month the Russian completion of the of the Trans-Siberian railway drew ever nearer and there was little doubt now the rail line would complete in the first half of 1904. Not only that, but the Russian Pacific Fleet was steadily increasing in size and now numbering eight battleships and seven large armoured cruisers. It compared unfavourably with Japan's six battleships and eight armoured cruisers and Russian new construction was due in 1904 in bulk.

What to do was the question. The British could be relied upon for support, perhaps the Americans as well although they were distracted by events in Central America where Panama had declared their independence from Columbia, mainly at American urging to the fury of the Colombian government. In addition, the start of what seemed like a South American naval race was undoubtedly giving the American's and their ailing President pause.

Of more concern was the fact that both Germany and the UHE would likely back Russia at Japan's expense, if not directly, at least in kind. That left the burden of defeating Russia solely at Japan's door, a task that would require some doing. Was it best to move or delay, with the thought that every delay was likely seeing Japan's rival growing ever stronger? It was an impossible dilemma. If Japan was to have ambitions of Empire, they needed to be satisfied somewhere and it seemed the Russians were not keen to share more than a few crumbs from the cake. Contact with China indicated that they had decided to remain neutral if war came, since Japan was likely the only power capable of evicting Russia from Manchuria, aside from the British, who would never undertake such an action alone.

November 1903- Naval and other developments in Brazil

6 November 1903, Rio de Janiero, Empire of Brazil

Luis did not want to be involved in a naval arms race, he really did not, but Brazil had no choice but to respond. Argentina now possessed four relatively modern armoured cruisers and had ordered two battleships from American yards to commence in 1904. All were likely in response to the Chilean battleships that were due to complete next year. Brazil could not be left behind. It had been immensely personally satisfying to be involved in stabilizing the country and to see his mother mobbed by crowds upon her return was indeed wonderful. Pedro, had, of course stayed in Europe and has assumed a position as ambassador to the UHE. He had just finished with the American Ambassador assuring him that Brazil had no intention of intervening in Panama. Luis had some sympathy for the Colombians but this was not a fight worth fighting and overall, it was not like the Canal would be built by anyone else.

Construction of a steelworks in Rio based on a 30/30/40 venture with Ganz and Manfred Weiss had provoked investment from the British, eager to maintain their position of primacy in Brazil, with British banks financing a coking plant as well as a huge new railway locomotive manufacturing plant in Sao Paulo. The shipyards had also benefited from British money and facilities were being built that would allow the construction of two small 2,000 ton ships that could be used to transfer troops, for disaster relief or for supply.

He had said he did not want a naval arms race but something was clearly in need of being done as a response so he had negotiated the purchase of a Schreck from British yards as part of the new Dreadnought Class ships for 1.7 million pounds and all three Viribus Unitis Class battlecruisers from the UHE plus two colliers for some 2 million pounds. All were coal fired, which suited the requirements of the Brazilian Navy. This would allow replacement of the two old battleships currently in service.

Rudolf had written that this would also suit the UHE, who planned to use the money to lay down two new coastal battleships to secure the Adriatic, smaller and shorter ranged, as well as slightly slower ships than the Shreck Class at 19 knots but just as heavily armoured.

His most frustrating thing was Erszi. He had planned to leave to ask for her hand in marriage in July, but this had been constantly delayed by the urgency of the situation and now he hoped to leave in late November to ask at Christmas time.

November 1903-Thoughts of the Tsar on Manchuria

10 November 1903, Winter Palace, St Petersburg, Russia

What to do was the question thought Nicholas II. His troops should have withdrawn from Manchuria some twelve months ago yet he had vacillated as to whether that was the correct choice. He was under pressure from all sides. Witte favoured such a withdrawal, as did his allies Stolypin, the new Interior Minister and Dmitry Sipyagin, newly Minister for Land overseeing the break up of the Mirs into individual land ownership, a policy that was the cornerstone of new reforms. Lamsdorf was also opposed to a continuing presence in Manchuria. Pressure for a constitutional assembly had also been intense, especially in the wake of such a grant to Georgia, Armenia and Poland to go with that of Finland. Nicholas's wife was in favour. He now had two girls and four boys and needed to ensure the succession rights of his son and heir Alexei. An assembly seemed inevitable, but he wanted first to secure an accommodation in the Far East.

On the other side the Minister of War Aleksey Kuropatkin was against any such withdrawal and wanted to annex Manchuria as a whole. Yet Kuropatkin counseled against a war with Japan, indicating that their military was "of surprising efficiency." Hence why the Far East had been built up militarily, the completion of the railway pushed through and why Russia had stalled for time diplomatically. In this he was supported by endless messages from Willie exhorting him to "Hold firm for the white race." These contrasted sharply with those of Rudolf who asked the pertinent question "Did he really want another 15 million citizens whose first loyalty would always be to China." He could hardly annex Manchuria on a pretext of protecting the rights of Manchu with a Manchu monarch on the Chinese throne. Rudolf had also pointed out the fact that the loss of such a territory could finally destabilize the Qing Dynasty enough for it to collapse. What the result of that would be was uncertain, but was unlikely to assist the stability of Russia's own Far Eastern provinces.

For that reason he had placed before the Qing ambassador in total secrecy a plan to halve their reparations to Russia in exchange for extra land to secure Vladivostok, namely a new, more defined border that followed the Tumen River to the Hunchun fork and then the length of the Hunchun until following the South Sanchahe River back to the old border, all all slightly over 600 square kilometers of land. Also more generous railway concessions. The offer was tied to a complete withdrawal from Manchuria of all troops except a Railway Security Company.

November 1903-Coco Island stop

14 November 1903, Great Coco, Coco Islands

The arrival of the Russian squadron was certainly something different thought Captain Armand Nikolic. The Coco Islands was and had been an unusual posting for a man raised in rural Hungary, he thought. It was the second Russian squadron to use the islands as a coaling station on their way to Port Arthur in the last year. The Russians were a welcome enough distraction from fishing, their Admiral, Makarov, a pleasant and thoughtful companion.

The remote islands were garnering a reputation as an excellent stopping point. The fact that coal had to be imported was a problem, yes, but both Austrian lines that serviced the Far East used the facilities and increasing numbers of German ships also used the islands.

It was a much smaller selection of Russian ships this time and a more eclectic one as well. The large converted 12,000 ton liner Angara carrying ten small 15 ton torpedo boats, the small cruiser Almaz, which looked more like a private yacht and two 1700 iron hulled barques that had obviously been converted to mine-layers. The later three ships also carried two small torpedo boats each. Aside from their use as a prison and coaling station, the islands had only two exports, salted fish and coconuts, trees of which existed by the thousands, giving the islands their name.

November 1903- Chinese thoughts

18 November 1903, Forbidden City, Peking, Chinese Empire

Dowager Empress Cixi considered the Russian offer. All things considered, it was generous, more than generous really considering the damage the Russian dogs had wrought. Yet, it was another territorial concession. The Western wolves and their Japanese running dogs were eating China one bite at a time. Perhaps there was a way to avoid giving anything away. By delaying a reply, much like Russia seemed to be stalling diplomatically with Japan, then conflict may break out between the Bear and the Rising Sun.

She was privy to inner circles inside Japan and was well aware that the Japanese patience with the Russians was running dry. If she could keep the negotiations with the Russians secret, then further delays may see Japan go to war. In that way she could deal with the victor, likely Russia, accept their deal and at the same time perhaps regain Formosa from the shattered Japanese. Or, if the Japanese won, China would have remained neutral and would not have to take the Russian offer.

Yes, waiting offered the best option. Waiting and building her forces.

November 1903-Succession changes

22 November 1903, Hofburg, Vienna, UHE

Rudolf placed the document before his daughter and watched as Erszi scanned the four pages. "So, you understand what you are giving up? If you accept his offer when he comes in December you will never be Empress here, will never be Queen of the Congo. If you have more than one son then the second may inherit here if born whilst I am still alive, but even then will require education here in the UHE from age 12 or so, not in Brazil. So effectively you will be giving up your son as well. If I am to die before you produce any children, your sister will accede as Helena-Maria and any future children you have will lose their place in line here. You will, of course, it goes without saying, go with both myself and your mothers utmost care and love and of course will inherit half of our own personal fortunes if anything was to happen to us. I could say that your first duty is to the Crown itself, to the people of this Empire, that the Crown must go on even if you cannot, but that I feel would be foolish, or so your mother has led me to believe.

So I ask you my girl, are you ready for these things?"

"Father, all I can do is make the same choice many have made in the past and I suppose admit that I am fallible enough that I cannot function without the man I have come to love and that whilst I have been trained for this role, that those talents will not be wasted in Brazil, not at all. In regards here, mother is not so old that another child is not a possibility and even if this is not the case, well, then a son of mine or indeed Lola will do well enough I think.

Yes, I feel guilty. Yes, I feel that I am abandoning you, dynastically as well as personally, but this is something I must do, that I cannot face life without Luis. All I can do is thank you both yourself and dear Mamma for all the love and preparation you have placed in this 20 year old body."

Rudolf sighed and pinched his nose. "Well then. Austria's loss is Brazil's gain. I am sure you will do well."

Erszi embraced her father, her eyes shining with tears.

Rudolf picked up the document. "I will place it away until you have accepted."

December 1903- Luis returns, naval matters

1 December 1903, Fiume, UHE

Admiral Siegfried Popper contemplated that he had picked a bad day. The large battleship Kaiserin Stephanie edged away from the pier, turning over her brand new engines for the first time on builders trials as she moved further into the harbour, two tugs hovering near the ship's almost 20,000 ton bulk. When she returned, fitting out would continue, now mostly only cosmetic interior changes like the Admirals cabin and the like. The ship would be complete by Christmas, would run trails in January and likely commission in February. Her sister was still under construction at Pola.

The next question was should the money from the sale of the three battlecruisers to Brazil be used on a pair of defensive Adriatic battleships or an offensive ship like a second expensive heavy battlecruiser to partner the Tegettoff, backed by more light forces such as light cruisers? Rudolf had prepared an radically ambitious design using the 9.2 inch gun in super-firing quadruple turrets. Both designs were complete and it was a question that would shortly have to be answered. STT, now with lengthened slips, would no doubt build such a ship if it was to be laid.

He turned his attention from the battleship to the Hungarian-American liner now rounding the Northern tip of Cres. It bore the Brazilian Imperial Flag and the presence of the Archduchess Elizabeth had drawn a large crowd to the pier more so than the first trials of the UHE Navy's latest Schreck.

December 1903- New machine gun

4 December 1903, Schwarzlose small arms factory, Brno, UHE

You developed an instinct for when people were interested and Andreas Schwarzlose could tell that the Army officers present were interested. Tests against the Maxim had shown that his machine gun performed more than adequately and it was clearly the more reliable of the two. Cheaper as well. It was all to the good. Since his M1898 had been accepted as the Army's standard small arm in 1900, he had been looking for a follow on weapon and perhaps he had found it.

December 1903- Fisher reaches the pinacle

8 December 1903, Admiralty, London, United Kingdom

So, thought "Jackie" Fisher. Lord Walter Talbot Kerr had been appointed Admiral of the Fleet and would duly retire on the 31st January 1904. Then he would finally sit in the job he had always desired and not a moment too soon, with Germany commencing a large program.

He needed to cut the bloated whale that was the Royal Navy, remove the comfortable chairs and build a lean and modern Navy, mainly on the back of decommissioning much of the hoard of useless older ships and ruthlessly funding new construction with the savings.

December 1903- A stepping down, an engagement, a future wedding

19 December 1903, Hofburg, Vienna, UHE

Erszi stepped up to the table and signed her name with a flourish and with that pen stroke obliterated her claim on the UHE throne. Afterwards she walked over and hugged her father and mother and kissed her little sister, now almost ten, on the cheek.

She then moved over to Luis and held his hand, looking at the new Colombian emerald and diamond ring on her finger.

Luis leaned in. "I cannot wait to make you my wife."

Ezszi smiled. "The 20th January is not so very far away now my love."

Luis smiled. "I have decided that post the marriage, our restored House will be known as the House of Orleans-Braganza-Hapsburg. My way of thanking you for your sacrifice."

Erszi looked at Luis. "Thank you. Just think, we leave on the 30th and will return with a fleet of three battlecrusiers. A slight upgrade on the liner you left on."

Luis smiled a gentle smile. "Not as big an upgrade as you. We will have much work to do."

Erszi pursed her lips. "I am well aware. I have spent some time refining my Portuguese. However, you are correct. We will need as much help from good men and women as we can possibly have."

December 1903- War clouds in the Far East-again

23 December 1903, Winter Palace, St Petersburg, Russian Empire

Nicholas looked at the telegram from Wilhelm. Aside from the usual family felicitations, it flew in the face of much of his advice from other quarters.

“Dear Nicky, you need to always be aware of the Yellow Peril and vigilant in undertaking the protection and defense of the White Race, and with it, Christian civilization, against the Yellow Race. The Japs are determined to ensure the domination of the Yellow Race in East Asia, to put themselves at its head and organize and lead it into battle against the White Race. That is the kernel of the situation, and therefore there can be very little doubt about where the sympathies of all half-way intelligent Europeans should lie. England betrayed Europe's interests to America in a cowardly and shameful way over the Panama Canal question, so as to be left in peace by the Yankees. Will the Tsar likewise betray the interests of the White Race to the Yellow as to be left in peace?"

He did not want a war and had made an offer to the Chinese to resolve the Manchurian question and still retain Russia’s honour. As for Wilhelm, he had learned from his wife and Rudolf to pay much less credence to Wilhelm’s frenzied opinions, which were usually self-serving.

Yesterday he had signed a decree increasing the minimum wage. Finally, he packed up his papers and prepared to move to the Alexander Palace for the holidays and get out of St Petersburg. He was not to know that, half a world away, Japan’s cabinet had voted that same day for war and would instruct both their Navy and Army Departments to prepare a plan within six weeks for operations in Korea and Manchuria.

January 1904-Russian arrivals, Japanese plans

9 January 1904, Port Arthur, Russian Manchuria

The small squadron of four ships arrived at Port Arthur bearing the new commander for the Russian Pacific Fleet, Admiral Stepan Makarov, who was to relieve Admiral Stark. Within a week there would be drastic changes in the energy and purpose of the Russian Pacific Fleet, even if the skill level was somewhat lacking.

This was all to the well as in Japan his opposite number Togo had resolved to implement an attack on Port Arthur using light forces on or around the 15th February. It was crucially important to obtain information on Russian minefields protecting the base of the Russian Pacific Fleet and he was waiting such information from informers even now. He anticipated sailing the fleet in the first week of February, so time to drill, practice and refine a plan of attack after the (hopeful) receipt of the minefield information was critical.

Without the information on the minefields, he would instead have to use his fall-back plan, which was again to use his armoured cruisers to lure the Russian main body onto his battle-line, a much more chancy plan.

January 1904- "The talk" and family moments

15 January 1904, Hofburg, Vienna, UHE

Rudolf passed over the glass. "This is something you should perhaps consider growing in Brazil."

Luis took a few sips. "Ah yes, Pedro Ximénez. Perhaps worthy of consideration. I wanted to thank you for all both yourself and your wife have done. With Erszi. With the ships for that matter."

Rudolf sat back. "The battlecruisers are no matter. Their sale will free up funds to construct more ships and keep our shipyards busy, keeping our constructors and design teams happy. Normally the Navy would have kept the ships much longer, but for friends we can make exceptions. For family we make even more. You marry my daughter in five days. My oldest daughter. Treat her well, keep her happy and you shall always have a friend here. I did not let her avoid her dynastic responsibilities on a whim, I can assure you. I did so based on a back up plan and also based on the fact that I considered her happiness to be also my prime concern, along, of course, with matters of state."

Luis spoke. "For that I thank you."

Rudolf went on. "Yes, I considered her happiness to be a prime concern, as well as matters of State here in the UHE. However, never think for one single moment that this makes me weak. If anything were to happen to impinge on the happiness of my daughter, or for that matter is deliberately harmful to the interest of this State, then I will not hesitate to take the most drastic, the most final, measures to correct matters to my satisfaction as soon as possible. I hope we are clear on this point?"

Luis looked at his soon to be father in law. His eyes were the key. All of a sudden a hard, staring blue, like chill had passed around the room. "Errr...yes, of course."

Half an hour later as he played the guitar rather than his usual violin, laughter in his eyes, Luis could detect no trace at all of the steel in the UHE Kaiser that he briefly seen there so very recently. Rudolf turned to both his daughters. "Your mother has taught me a new song that I thought I would sing whilst I played for you. Erszi, this is to remember us when we are so far away."

Lola clapped her hands. "Yes, Papa!"

"Alright then little one. Here we go."

"Edelweiss, Edelweiss
Every morning you greet me
Small and white, clean and bright
You look happy to meet me
Blossom of snow may you bloom and grow
Bloom and grow forever
Edelweiss, Edelweiss
Bless my homeland forever"

Erszi had a tear in her eye as she hugged her father. "I love you Papa."

"So do I liebchen."

January 1904- Departure and flogging

31 January 1904, Pola Naval Base, UHE

The three battlecruisers pulled slowly out of the harbour with the leader, the newly commissioned Rio de Janeiro flying a huge Imperial Standard as she felt her way, accelerating to 14 knots as her two sisters Amazonas and Rio Grande do Sul, the latter named to reward the loyalty of the South, followed on what would be a long voyage back to the ship's namesake city. Their only stop would be at Port Helena in the Sahara.

Luis reflected on the last 12 days. His new wife was fiery, passionate and he smiled as he remembered not only the ceremony at the Augustinian Church but also the week long honeymoon at the bride's grandmother's palace, the Hermesvilla. Just how fiery she could be was well demonstrated by their lateness to leave Pola, where she had interceded in the case of a black sailor due to be publicly flogged, declaring that "she would not sail on some slave ship where men are flogged like beasts" and in the finish Luis had to smooth over the matter by personally pardoning the man and have his sentence reduced to loss of privileges and confinement. When he returned he would push to outlaw flogging in all branches of the Armed Forces.

He was more of the opinion that one had to pick one's battles and whilst he agreed with the sentiment that flogging was an archaic and barbaric practice that was well done away with sometimes it was best to wait for the right time to act. Erszi had received a much more liberal upbringing than many deeply conservative upper class Brazilians and he would have to talk further about restraining some of her well intentioned impulses until the right time to implement such presented itself.

February 1904- Plans to a "swept" channel

3 February 1904, Port Arthur, Russian Manchuria

Sergei Vasilyevich Zubatov sat back and stared at the girl. Yu Yan had described the meeting with the Japanese Captain quite thoroughly and had played her part well. Very well indeed. He had placed her into the bed of the Harbourmaster, from whence she had made a number of anti Russian statements in just the right quarters, seeming to be embittered by the relationship.

It was late in January that the Japanese had made approaches as to whether she may be able to obtain the plans to the swept channels, a natural enough expectation buoyed by the offer of 50 10 yen gold coins. Now the same Imperial Japanese Navy Captain, Captain Ito, had called to collect the fruit of such a bribe.

It was all the final conformation that Zubatov needed. He could see now why the Tsar had sent him to Port Arthur, although how Nicholas II had known in early January that the Japanese would likely approach someone in the Harbourmaster's Office to obtain plans of the swept channel he had no idea.

Now he needed to go to Stepan Makarov and advise him that the expected attack would likely be forthcoming within the week. Let the Japanese send their ships down the "swept channel", so much the better.

Sergei Zubatov turned back to the girl. "You have done well. As discussed, I will provide four times the largess the Japanese gave you. Go back to your family in Mukden. If you decide you would like to work for me again, send me a telegram and I can make the introductions needed to elevate your status in society."

February 1904- Disasterous starts

12 February 1904, Port Arthur Roads

Admiral Tōgō Heihachirō was wondering how it had all gone so wrong. Their intelligence was supposed to be correct and many of the commanders of the Russian ships were supposed to be at a farewell party for Admiral Stark, the previous Pacific Fleet Commander, the shore batteries largely unmanned. His initial plan had been simple enough. Firstly, send his destroyers in to engage the Russian heavy ships with torpedoes and then follow with his capital ships to complete the destruction of the Russian Fleet. It was all to the good that he had in fact send his light forces in first. All had seemingly gone well initially. They had rounded the Tiger's Tail and moved into the main harbour, seemingly avoiding the picket ship, the larger Russian ship shrouded in mist and with a number of maintenance barges near her.

It was when his destroyers had neared their launch points that disaster occurred. Almost simultaneously, his lead destroyer was silhouetted against a dull orange explosion. Then another was also rapidly hit. Togo had ordered his battle line to come to a complete halt, unsure of whether it was torpedoes or mines. There was no rapid means of communication with his light forces, despite them being only a few hundred meters ahead. His lighter ships attempted to reverse course, two more hitting what were now clearly mines and Togo ordered a general retreat of his battle line.

It was the obvious choice, the sensible choice as well, however, his intelligence was not only incorrect, it was obvious that his opponents were well and truly prepared for his forces. Immediately gunfire from 6 inch shore batteries on 203 Metre Hill and Big Orphan Hill commenced firing, wildly at first, but rapidly adding to the confusion none the less. Togo had felt his own tide of panic rising as the Russian guard ship itself commenced firing and, even more worrying, small shapes appeared out of the mist like sharks.

Togo had tried to impose as rigid a discipline as possible, but signalling in the dark was a difficult matter and two of his battleships struck mines on their quest to turn and retreat. The Asahi, caught mid turn and also attempting to avoid what her Captain suspected was a torpedo attack, wandered too far to port. She rapidly set off two mines, heeled over and sank within ten minutes. Soon after, the Fuji set off a mine aft on her port side which wrecked her rudder, steering machinery and screws. She was left disabled and drifting in the most perilous position a ship can find herself.

It was not until after dawn that Togo managed to assemble the battered remains of his fleet. He had lost two battleships, the Fuji and Asahi, whilst three others, including his flagship had been lightly damaged by hits from 6 inch shells. Of his ten destroyers, six had been lost, four to mines and another to gunfire. The fate of the sixth ship was unknown. A seventh was badly damaged.

Conformation from one of his destroyer Captains that he believed he had sunk the large Russian guard ship by torpedo attack was scant consolation. Japan had expended 1/3 of it's battle line in an ignominious surprise attack that had proceeded a declaration of war. Upon his return to Japan Togo was to find that a similar planned attack on Vladivostok had cost two torpedo boats to no reward.
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Admiral Stepan Makarov was more than happy. At least five, perhaps six large modern Japanese destroyers had been sunk, as well as, more importantly, two of their precious battleships. His own capital ships were unharmed and he had lost only the old armoured cruiser Admiral Nakhimov to a torpedo hit and three small 15 ton torpedo boats. It was now important to take the initiative and keep the Japanese on the defensive. He was more than happy to keep pushing his crews, God knows they needed it after the erratic fire shown last night, but now he had a chance to seize the initiative.

February 1904- Tied hands in London

18 February 1904, Admiralty, London, Great Britain

He had only been in the job 17 days and already a crisis of sorts had occurred. The Japanese were shopping for battleships to replace their losses of a week ago. Small wonder as an attempt to block Port Arthur by scuttling five old transports had also failed, costing them another torpedo boat to shore battery fire. It seemed the Russians were fully prepared and whilst the Japanese had parity in large cruisers they were now outnumbered in battleships nine to four. It was even worse than that, for there was no hope of immediate reinforcements, the new Katori Class ships not even laid down yet as arguments still continued about the main armament until last week when Vickers had been ordered to commence to the original design with all 12 inch guns.

What could be done was the question. He looked again at the letter from Kaiser Rudolf to the Foreign Office. "In the interest of peace both ourselves and Germany pledge to stay out of the affair in the Pacific and provide nothing in the way of munitions or armament that I feel sure will only further inflame an already delicate situation and escalate the war, causing the loss of even more innocent lives."

Could they or should they turn Japan away, especially given the Treaty of 1902? The Foreign Office certainly thought so, given the nature of the surprise attack without a declaration of war. Yet "Jackie" Fisher wondered what would the implications of such an action be. Unfettered Russian hegemony in the Pacific? It was unthinkable and would draw even more Royal Navy ships to the China station at a time when he was desperate to build up the navy's strength. Already he had commenced a plan to scrap an enormous amount of tonnage. For that reason and that reason alone, with only seven Schrecks and three battlecruisers in commission it would be difficult to part with any of the battleships he wished to keep and the remainder he wished to scrap he feared would be of little use in any case, too old and slow to influence matters.

That was without the Foreign Office, who did not wish to "escalate matters" and who viewed Japan's "sneak attack" as ample reason to not involve Britain in such a conflict. The nature of the Japanese attack had placed the country in a difficult situation in terms of gaining support for action against Russia, no matter that the Russians were in Manchuria far longer than agreed. It was difficult to see exactly what he could do for the Japanese, beyond sending advisors and refitting the two Japanese liners currently in UK ports as armed merchant cruisers. He could perhaps send the decommissioned Cunard liner Aurania to Japan to carry such advisors and munitions and "sell" her to the Japanese Navy, but other than that his hands were largely tied, especially since the German and UHE Navy's favoured and had pledged their neutrality.

With a naval race in South America, ships could not be had from there. Spain had nothing. Likewise he Ottomans. The Americans would not help. Or the Chinese, who would be sitting and waiting for a victor. It would be an admission of impotence to ask the French or the Italians. All he could do was wait the conflict out and hope the Russians crippled themselves in one way or another.

February 1904 - A Brazilian Imperial arrival

19 February 1904, Guanabara Bay, Empire of Brazil

Erszi stared up at the Corcovado from the flag bridge as they entered the bay. As the three battlecruisers, escorted by the old ironclad, made the port, the enthusiasm of the crowds was infectious, with many small boats milling around.

They had arrived at their new home. She reached for her husband's hand and smiled. Now for the hard work to begin.

Three BC's line ahead

March 1904- A battle is fought, Rudolf's thoughts

2 March 1904, Hofburg, Vienna, UHE

Rudolf came into his wife's study to find her at work on correspondence. Stephanie looked up at her husband. He still looked very fit, although there was grey at his temples now as much as black, presenting a salt and pepper appearance. He was still a handsome man, she thought. "News from Brazil?"

"No, not from Brazil, from St Petersburg. There has been a major naval battle in the Pacific. Serious losses on both sides. The Japanese with four armoured cruisers intercepted the Russian Vladivostok squadron, also with four armoured cruisers and a smaller cruiser, on their way to a rendezvous with Makarov's main fleet and drove them off, sinking one large and one small cruiser.

On the other hand, Makarov's main body sortied to intercept Japanese convoy's to Korea. It was a pitched battle in the Yellow Sea between nine battleships, five protected cruisers and 14 destroyers on one hand and four battleships, eight protected cruisers and 13 destroyers on the Japanese side.

The Russians lost the battleships Peresvet and Oslyabya, a cruiser and a destroyer. The Japanese seem to have lost two battleships as well as two or three destroyers."

"What does that all mean?"

"If true, it means that when the Russian repair their damage, which was quite severe to at least two or three battleships ships in a few week's time, they will then command seven battleships to two and even with the Japanese superiority in armoured cruisers of some six to three, they will be in major danger of losing control of the sea lanes. If that happens and they cannot support their troops in Manchuria and Korea, then they will likely lose."

"Well, this is then good news is it not?"

"Yes and no."

"Explain that one."

"Well yes, Russia are our ally, yet we do not wish a break with the British and to have them drawn into a war on the back of their own panic at the Russian Bear's achievements. Also, there are many in Russia that believe that expansion is their divine destiny and it would not hurt to see that expansion, well, perhaps neutralized. Whilst they are opposed by an undefeated Japan their energies will be turned to the Far East, where rich prizes await. If they crush all opposition in the Far East, then where else must they then look?

Further expansion into China itself will bring conflict with England for sure, unless it is to totally partition what is already a rotting corpse. Even in a total partition, what would there be for us I ask you? Little I would think. Or more likely Russia will then look elsewhere. Most likely to our own Galician areas or a mad adventure in Africa with their Orthodox brethren in Abyssinia. Or at the Straits, undoing much of the work of Murad V in stabilizing the area. We do not want another Balkan War, not with things being so remarkably stable these last few years. Or lastly in Persia, another sure Russo-Anglo flashpoint.

No, we cannot see Russia defeated as this may cause a revolution that goes beyond 1905, but we cannot have her achieving a walkover victory either I think."

March 1904- Thoughts of Togo

9 March 1904, Sasebo, Japanese Empire

Togo thought long and hard. What did honour provide for? There was little other option but to go on. His own flagship, the Mikasa had been badly battered. Only the Hatsuse had been unaffected. To reconstitute his fleet he would have to join most of Dewa's armoured cruisers to his line, giving him two battleships and four armoured cruisers to the Russian's seven battleships, a poor matchup. That would leave Dewa two armoured cruisers and five protected cruisers and well as some ten small 150 ton torpedo boats to watch Vladivostok. In addition, he would draw from the older a slower ships of the 5th Division to scrape together 12 protected cruisers and 11 destroyers to support his two battleships and four armoured cruisers in a Main Body.

For the moment, however, if the Russian's sortied again with their main body, he would have to avoid combat until at least his flagship was ready and to that end had advised the Army to suspend convoys for the next two weeks. It was not a desirable outcome, but an unavoidable one. Thankfully he had also bloodied his opponent, so perhaps he may not been keen to venture forth again.

March 1904- Obscure appointments

12 March 1904, Prague, UHE

Major General Conrad Graf von Hötzendorf was a dejected man. So soon after his appointment to Major-General, he had been ecstatic when the Kaiser had summoned him personally to the Hofburg and he had dreamed of a field appointment that would place him at the head of a Division or perhaps even a Corps. However, it was not to be. The Kaiser had instead indicated that he wished him to go first to St Petersburg and then across Russia to Siberia to be an "observer" of the Russo-Japanese war.

Not only was that a bitter pill, the Kaiser had then talked about a future appointment as Governor of the Austrian Sahara, perhaps an important post in theory but in reality a nightmare appointment that would see him commanding little more than Divisions of goats. That or placement as Head of the Maria Theresa Academy. Both prestigious appointments in theory but not paths that would lead to command of Army's in the field.

He had gone to see his friend Franz Ferdinand to see if there was any options to escape such unpalatable choices, but the formerly influential Archduke declared himself "entirely without influence these days" and seemed to have settled into a disgruntled yet serene domestic life in Prague. The one thing he had received was a new batman courtesy of the Archduke, a man who Franz Ferdinand claimed may had saved his son's life from a runaway horse. Yet the man Korporal Josef Švejk appeared to be akin to an idiot and sly to boot and what use he could get from such a fellow remained to be seen.

March 1904- Schencker expansion, containers

21 March 1904, Trieste, UHE

Gottfried Schenker had perhaps laid the foundations, but as his designated heir August Schenker-Angerer had expanded the business still further as they had built upon the foundations that had already been laid.

It had started in 1873 when Schenker had obtained the agency of the French Eastern Railway and through this deal was able to put into practice a pioneering idea: combining a number of small shipments into one transport unit. The first combined freight shipment was carried from Paris to Vienna in 1873, consisting of champagne, cognac, cosmetics, and fashion items for the Austrian market. Schenker's success in putting his ideas into practice and selling railway forwarding services led to a succession of contracts in the following years. In 1880 he concluded a contract with the Great Eastern Railway in London, where he also opened a branch office. This was followed by a contract with the Hessische Ludwigs-Eisenbahn-Gesellschaft in Mainz, a deal in which Schenker committed himself to move 1,000 carloads of goods per year. An 1882 contract with the Chemins de fer de Paris à Lyon et à la Méditerranée, based in Paris, enabled Schenker to expand his network of operations by importing goods via Marseille. In the same year Schenker became representative for the Schweizerische Nordostbahn in Zürich. An office in Munich was set up in 1882 and a contract with the Bavarian railways in 1884 led to the rapid expansion of traffic through Bavaria to the Danube ports. A further Swiss contract was concluded with the Vereinigte Schweizerbahnen in 1886.

Schenker had built up a considerable European network throughout the 1880s. At the end of the following decade the company moved beyond Western Europe with the agency for the Orient Railways in Constantinople. The rail network operated by the Orient Railways covered 1,400 kilometers and gave Schenker an excellent base in the Turkish Empire, where he established five branch offices. In 1900 he moved into Asia, opening a branch in Derindje in 1900. The European network was extended and consolidated at the time, with a new branch in Rotterdam (1892) and deals with Dutch and Belgian railway companies (1892-93). An agreement with the Chemins de fer du Midi in Paris in 1894 opened up routes to the French Atlantic ports and to Spain. Within the UHE Schenker operated on a track network covering 6,000 kilometers until finally selling these back to the state as part of the Kaiser's plans to control the railways. He had then retained the contracts and used the cash to move into shipping on a larger scale.

Schenker's company had expanded rapidly in the 1880s and 1890s, becoming the only operator in Europe to offer through rates all the way from London to Constantinople. Schenker's innovative ideas--especially regarding combined cargo--and entrepreneurial skills had made the company a market leader. The sphere of activity was not confined to railways, however. The opening of the Suez Canal in 1869 had led Schenker to consider moving into sea traffic. As with rail traffic, the secret of success lay in negotiating agency contracts with shipping companies. Yet when it became apparent that shipping companies could not meet existing demand for transportation, Schenker took the initiative and founded his own shipping company for trading with Great Britain: the Adria Steamship Company, incorporated in 1879. The new shipping line started on the route from Trieste and Fiume to Glasgow. Soon a regular schedule was established for the five ships traveling between Trieste, Fiume, London, Liverpool, Hull, and Glasgow. This core business was expanded by contracts and agencies with other shipping companies, including Cunard, Thomas Wilson, and Clarkson.

River transport, on the Danube in particular, was also an important part of Schenker operations at this stage. The Süddeutsche Donau-Dampfschiffahrts-Gesellschaft, based in Munich, was founded in 1895. By the turn of the century this subsidiary had eight river tug boats, 46 barges, and branches in Regensburg, Vienna, Budapest and Konstanza.

Meetings with the Kaiser and his wife in the 1890's had given Schenker the germ of an idea that he called Standardgrösse, bulk standard containers some 5.4 meters long and 2.4 meters in height and width and over time this method of transporting materials had become more popular, especially via rail.

In the last three years the company had expanded still further, purchasing the struggling Royal Illyrian Line and merging it's fleet of older passenger and mixed cargo ships with their own small seven ship fleet to create Schenker Royal Illyrian Lines in 1902. Illyrian Lines Levant contracts had complimented the company's Ottoman railway operations well and the company had achieved domination in the Adriatic trade, including the increasingly lucrative Albanian trade, leaving the African traffic to Austro-Lloyd and the American trade to Hungarian American, and in the process boosting the city of Split considerably.

The fruit of the decision to make increased use of containers had been felt in the port of Split, with it's new rail hub and it's increased use of heavy cranes and the ship that had been launched today was proof of that concept. She was a new type that was designed to carrying only 200 tons of loose cargo and virtually no passengers, the remainder all in Standardgrösse containers. At 9,000 tons, she was a large investment indeed.

No, Schenker-Rhenus AG was doing very well indeed. The company was even involved in the travel agency business, opening branches in Vienna (1886), Munich (1890), Prague(1894), Budapest(1895) Karlsbad (1898) and now Istanbul. In 1896 Schenker became the agent for the Orient Express in the UHE, was also the official agent for the 1896 Olympics and World Fair, in 1900, at the World's Fair in Paris, they opened a branch in the city as well as renting an entire hotel and renaming it Grand Hotel Schenker for the duration of the event. By 1904 the company had 42 offices and 1,600 employees and was one of the leading freight forwarding operations in Europe.

New cargo ship

March 1904-There are ever those that disagree....

26 March 1904, Trieste jail, UHE

Benito Mussolini stood on the bench, looking through the barred window out onto the plaza. So much for supporting Italian nationalism in the city. The noisy march of only 150 people or so had rapidly been broken up by the Hapsburg police, it's more prominent or vocal members, including himself, being arrested and now languishing in jail. The remainder has simply returned home, their tepid support broken. What was he to do?

He could not return to Italy, being branded a deserter for avoiding military service. He had been kicked out of Switzerland for advocating political violence. Their seemed little support for Italian nationalism in Trieste, that much was clear. 150 people in a city with a population in excess of 160,000 was a poor return and the small column had attracted a large following of hecklers during it's passage throughout the city, culminating the many being pelted with eggs and tomatoes when the police had finally intervened. Now what was he to do when he was finally released, no doubt with a heavy fine?
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26 March 1904, Manaus, Empire of Brazil

Álvaro Pena looked at the labourers moved the raw rubber through the coagulating troughs. The new regime was as popular as it was dangerous. As if it was not bad enough that his own father had been denied the Presidency, an office he would likely have achieved once the current President retired. However, there was a tide of popular support for the new regime that was not to be denied and currently any sort of proactive movement against the Government would not only attract little in the way of popular support but would also likely receive a savage backlash, a backlash that would have a catastrophic effect on his position.

Oh yes, the new Government had been very clever so far. No new taxes for the rubber industry or the coffee plantations, however, there were rumours of regulation and minimum payment of workers. Pena did not use native slaves, however, he knew growers that did and he feared for their futures. The Government was clearly trying to steer a course where the plight of the listless but unfortunately numerous poor, as well as heavy industry, communications and transport company's were championed whilst at the same time a "steady as she goes" hand remained on the tiller of agriculture.

He was suspicious, yet suspicions alone were not enough to promulgate an uprising with any chance of success.
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26 March 1904, Mulenge, Kingdom of the Congo

It was a beautiful part of this otherwise accursed country. No flies, no mosquitoes, no punishing heat, just temperate woods that reminded him of his Virginian boyhood, of a country that he would not be able to return to. He had thought that things here would be different and for a short time that had proven to be the case. Then the daughter had replaced the father, followed by changes that followed one after another with scarcely time to catch one's breath.

He had just received a visit from the Native Control Commission. It had not been the first. One black official, one white official, right nosy bastards to. Earl Sydes II had little choice but to comply and let them interview his niggers. He had seen what happened to some settlers that had not complied with Government regulations on native labour, with the Government seizing at least two farms that he was aware of due to abuse. So he had to pay them and some he had to house as well, despite the fact that they were inherently bone idle. It was the whip that many of them needed for motivation, if only such a punishment had not been outlawed.

It was little wonder that such policies were in place. He had traveled all the way to Stanleyville to see this new Governor and his wife was a coffee coloured half breed. What was the world coming to? It would never be allowed in the States, at least in the civilized regions. He may keep his own bed-warmer, but by God, he would never marry the idle wench. However, he was on his last chance to be sure here in the wilderness, using the last of his family's money to carve out a living and a retirement.

He still had his views and opinions, yet the fire that had driven him all those years ago was gone and he could not afford to rock the boat. His small land grant that he had purchased was all he had left. He sold his cherries, a rare crop for the Congo, but possible here in the shade of the mountains, at a premium price. Yet he had been shocked to hear from the buyer, a pimply faced redhead, that the company owner himself was another black man. Moved to Africa-he supposed it was hardly a surprise that there were niggers everywhere, but to have them owning a company? Still, what could one do but exist under the status quo.

April 1904- Developments at Whitehead

1 April 1904, Whitehead Torpedo Factory, Fiume, UHE

Robert Whitehead showed the Kaiser the new design, a design that Rudolf himself had to some extent influenced with his suggestions. "As you can see Your Majesty, we have introduced a water spray into the combustion pot along with the fuel spray. As you well know, air, fuel, and water are therefore simultaneously fed into the combustion pot. The fuel burns and the water reduces the temperature of the gases produced by combustion. The water turns into steam, thus increasing the mass of the gas. The gases generated by combustion and the steam provide the motive power to the engine. Although only a fraction of the gases is steam, we use the term "steam" in any case. Now we have kept the oxygen enriched air mixture that was in use before and also our lightweight components.

Overall, it is a considerable improvement and allows a performance of range of 6560 meters at 35 knots. We will need some time to work out all of the problems to a stage where we can mass produce the 21 inch devices, but I am confident that by the end of the year we will be there."

Rudolf smiled. "Excellent work Robert. I am so glad you decided to stay after John's death. If you do not mind me asking, what do you intend to do with the company...." Rudolf trailed off.

"In the advent of my death Your Majesty? Don't be afraid to say it, I fear that I my age death has become a constant companion. I have sold my U.K operations to Vickers in their entirety. John was to be my heir, so with his passing the company will go to his only child, his daughter Agathe. I appreciate that you allowed John's title to pass to the girl, however, at 14 she will need looking after if and when I pass. I was wondering if I could crave your indulgence to do so?"

"Of course Robert, of course."

April 1904-Sins of the father

8 April 1904, Government House, Marienburg, Kingdom of the Congo

Laura was engrossed with the latest figures from the Agricultural Department. It had made a major difference to the East and North-east in the last five years where the cultivation of Tef had proven to be a reliable back up to Cassava as a food security crop. The Congolese Agricultural Department was now divided into two Departments, External and Internal. External exports were more than ever with the advent of carbon dioxide refrigerated ships working with the patent of J and E Hall that allowed reliable passage of fruits. However, it was the internal section of the Department that interested Laura von Gieslingen, for it would be the internal part of the Department that was responsible for feeding the population of the Congo in harder times.

To that end, things were going well. Whilst cash export crops were things like rubber, tobacco, marula, palm oil, peanuts and bananas, there was a steadily increasing amount of hectares devoted not only cassava but Tef(now almost 50,000 hectares), as well as yams, beans, peas, acacias and maize, even potatoes in the more temperate areas.

It was during her reading that her maid knocked at the door. "My Lady, there is a man at the gate that wishes to speak to you."

"Who is it Henrietta?"

"He says he is your father My Lady."

Good God thought Laura. So he had finally returned to the scene of the crime.

“My Lady, what should I do?”

Laura jerked herself back to the present. You are not a scared teenaged girl any more. You are a woman grown, a mother to four children, the Governor’s wife and a member of the UHE aristocracy. You are not a child.

“Show him into the drawing room and bid him wait Henrietta.” Damn the man, he could wait whilst she made herself ready.

Thirty five minutes later she deemed herself ready after looking in the full length mirror. She had replaced a simple cotton dress that suited the heat to a gold lame dress, diamond earrings and a gold and sapphire necklace, along with spiked boots to increase her height. Finally she was ready and he was shown into her inner study.

He looked older she thought. Older and more…careworn. “Laura.”

She straightened up. “I did not give you permission to address me so informal sir.”

He looked like he had been struck. “My Lady, err Madam Governor, I…”

Laura sighed. “What do you want father?”

“I came to see you Laura. I hear you have children now.”

“Yes, four of them. However, you have had ample opportunity to see me if you wished father. Last I remember you simply abandoned me, left a 14 year old girl penniless in an oil town after selling her home out from under her with little more than a backward glance and a quick ‘you are on your own now girl.’ Would you care to know what happened after that?”

“Laura, look I am sorry….”

“Well father, let me tell you what happened. I was found by a woman who fed me and looked after me with clothes and a place to sleep. I thought I was lucky. However, I was not. Later, she then told me that I owed her for the food and rent and put me to work on my back to pay for it. Every day, day after day until finally I was rescued by a Government Official. The fact I emerged without disease is little short of a modern miracle.”

“Laura, I am so very sorry.”

“Why are you really here father?”

“I wanted to see my grandchildren and well, I need to make a fresh start. I…”

“…am out of money.”

“Yes.”

Laura pursed her lips, got up and walked to the desk. She counted out 12 of the large blue 1000 Krone notes and walked over to her father and handed them over. “Here is 12,000 Krone, almost 500 Pounds. Go father, go and do not come back. You made me feel like my very existence was a stain, that I was less than garbage, garbage that at least someone may take care to dispose of correctly. I am surrounded by people who love me and care for me just as I am now. I again have a figure who is all but a mother. Just go.”

Ian Paton got up and looked again at the jeweled noblewoman in front of him. Was this really his daughter? For the first time in much time, he felt shame. None the less, he reached out and took the money. He turned to go. “Laura, I am sorry, I really am.”

“I accept your apology father, I really do, however, some things, some actions, are simply to grievous to forgive. A father should protect a daughter. You failed in every instance."

Ian Paton nodded and left the room. Afterwards Laura lay down on the divan and the hot tears started to stream.

Government House, Marienburg

April 1904-New army Chief of Staff

13 April 1904, Ministry of War, Vienna, UHE

Karl Pflazer-Baltiny looked at his new tabs of rank. His career had shown a rapid impetus and now he had reached full General and would shortly be Chief of Staff of the Common Army, only one step from it’s very pinnacle.

He was very much in favour of many of the changes that had occurred over the last 15 years that had seen pathways opened up for common soldiers and allowed progression through the ranks for the most worthy, stopped progression beyond Captain for those who could not prove their competence, introduced new weapons systems, modernized equipment, new uniforms and, more importantly, new doctrines that allowed exploration of in some cases radical new concepts.

There was now a Motorized Battalion, a Kommando Battalion and units experimented with “Storm” Battalions where mortars, flamethrowers and even shotguns had been trailed. Women had become quite common in nursing units and were used in smaller quantities at locations like here at the main War Ministry in administration.

Times had changed, yet the Army had not abandoned it’s roots. It’s old traditions still existed, old Regimental rivalries still existed. Of course there were now four National Army’s in addition to the Common Army, the KuK itself. Even as a Hungarian, Karl Pflazer-Baltiny had his concerns. With perhaps the exception of the Czechs, who seemed to have built a small but very efficient Army in the Armada, the Landwehr, Honved and Vojska lagged behind the Common Army by some distance in his mind in terms of equipment, tactics and leadership, leadership in particular since the side effect of lack of progression for the incompetent in the Common Army had been all too often a switch to the various National Army’s.

April 1904- Doctors in love

18 April 1904, Hofburg, Vienna, UHE

Stephanie looked at what she supposed was her sister-in-law, but in reality was like another daughter. “So, Maria Katarina, how goes your fledgling partnership?”

Maria Katarina smiled. She had started working as a doctor almost two years ago but 12 months ago the 27 year old young man had appeared on her doorstep asking about renting the vacant room across from her. A doctor himself, it had made some sense to pool their resources and in truth she had been finding it difficult to obtain a steady flow of patients to a woman doctor.

Róbert Bárány had an easy smile and was a damn good doctor and they had pooled their resources to pay a part time receptionist. “Very well, Robert, err Doctor Barany has made some interesting discoveries, discoveries that I wish we could investigate further.”

Stephanie sat forward. “I am always interested in anatomical research. What sort of studies?”

“Well”, went Maria Katarina “he was syringing fluid into the external auditory canal of a patient to relieve the patient's dizzy spells. The patient experienced vertigo and involuntary eye movement when Dr Bárány injected fluid that was too a little too cold. In response, Robert warmed the fluid for the patient and the patient experienced nystagmus in the opposite direction. He has a theory that the inner ear fluid is sinking when it is cool and rising when it is warm, and thus the direction of flow of this was providing the balance signals.”

Stephanie looked somewhat surprised. “We did not know this already?”

Maria Katarina was likewise surprised. Well, no…we do not know it now but could conduct a trial. I have helped Robert with two patients, but one would need a supply of paid volunteers.”

Stephanie smiled. “I could help you there. It is not much money to stump up.” Her grin grew greater. “So, ‘Robert’ eh?”

Maria Katarina flushed. “Did I say Robert, I meant Doctor Barany.”

“Is he cute?’

Maria Katarina was now beet red. “He is very…intelligent…and kind.”

“I am sure he is. Does he know who you are?"

"No."

"It may come as a shock, perhaps I may be the best to meet him first, rather than Rudolf, do you think?"

"I think yes."

May 1904- The end of the IJN main body

5 May 1904, Sasebo, Empire of Japan

There was nothing to say, really. Japan’s fleet, her battleships, the Admiral that was her driving force and with it her dreams of Empire were likely gone, thought Vice Admiral Kataoka Shichirō.

The Russians had sortied in strength, as Togo had been all too afraid they might. Whilst their Vladivostok squadron had been turned back by Dewa’s two armoured cruisers and three protected cruisers, the Russian main body had moved into the Yellow Sea, sinking a troopship and it’s escort, it’s soldiers pitifully falling into the sea when Togo’s main body had arrived.

For a time it seemed like a battle they may be able to win, seriously damaging two Russian ships, and despite an increasing tide of damage, both Japanese ships were combat capable. Then almost simultaneously the Fuji had exploded and the flagship, the Mikasa, had taken a heavy hit aft that had disabled the 12 inch turret.

It was the end of any chance of prevailing and Togo had steered his flagship towards the Russians to allow Kataoka’s armoured cruisers, themselves with damage, to make their escape, an escape covered by light forces.

Two Russian battleships, a cruiser and a destroyer had been sunk, but at a cost of not only Togo, but the IJN’s last two battleships and four more modern destroyers. This in addition to two cruisers and two torpedo boats lost in the last month to mines in futile attempts to use block ships to block the Port Arthur harbour entrance.

It had reduced the Japanese navy to six armoured cruisers, 12 protected cruisers and a miserly seven destroyers. It was clearly not enough to counter five largely undamaged battleships, three armoured cruisers and attendant small craft. Control of the seas and therefore control of the flow of material to Manchuria, had been lost.

May 1904-Aviation developments

14 May 1904, Ostrau Flugwerks, UHE

Progress here in the UHE was likely slightly ahead of that in Germany though von Zeppelin. OZ-1 had been lost in a regrettable fireball, however, now the new OZ-3 had joined an enlarged and expanded OZ-2. Both were now equipped with not only elevators but horizontal stabilisers and both were also equipped with the new Maybach 84hp engine. In addition, they had been trialling a Marconi installation on board.

The UHE Kaiser had flagged a purchase for the military by the end of the year of at least two airships if current trials with OZ-2 and OZ-3 were proven to be successful with talk of an airship base near the Adriatic. Here in Ostrau trials continued with heavier than air craft as well, with mixed success, however, so far only here in Ostrau, the Wright Brothers in America and Voisin in France had produced successful flights.

May 1904- British plans...

21 May 1904, Admiralty, St Petersburg, Russian Empire

It was a good life, thought Sigwalt Roos. He had been in St Petersburg greasing palms and smoothing the way for Vickers to provide not only the designs but also some of the weaponry for the new Russian Schrecks. In this endeavor he had been entirely successful in.

He had never consumed so much Krug and Bollinger in his life before, nor slept on more satin sheets, however, had he gained the Imperial Russian Navy contacts by striking up a liaison between himself and the wife of an Imperial Russian Navy Captain, a man that had lately passed away on board the doomed battleship Retvizan. Later he had, of course, comforted the grieving widow.

Sigwalt von Auspitz, Baltic Russian nobleman, had been a valuable contact indeed and had been appointed agent for Vickers and had been instrumental in assisting in their successful landing on the design contract, a contract that they had been so eager to obtain that it had involved the revelation of the latest British plans for the King Edward VII Class. He had even earned the personal thanks of the merchant of death himself, Basil Zaharoff. It had not been an easy contract to obtain and he had had to spend almost 13,000 pounds of the 18,000 given by Vickers to smooth the way for the tender.

It was now regrettably time for Sigwald von Auspitz to disappear and Sigwald Roos to board a train, first to Yalta and then back to Trieste. He would be bearing the latest British capital ship plans with him.

He hoped it would still further towards improving his reputation as the number one ‘go to’ man in UHE intelligence. In truth, he had completed all of his assignments fully to plan, aside from the Krupp disaster, where his plans to blackmail Krupp in regards his homosexuality had backfired so badly. Who could have guessed the man would tie a sea anchor around his ankle and throw himself off his yacht at night?

All too soon he would be back in Vienna, where he could get his sweet little wife underneath him yet again.

May 1904-UHE Fleet update

31 May 1904, Pola, UHE

Rudolf was happy with how things were progressing all things considered. Despite the sale of the three battlecruisers to Brazil and the subsequent two million pound windfall, the Hungarians, the Czech and even the Reichsrat had been concerned by Naval expenditures exceeding budgets the last five years and had demanded that 30% be returned to consolidated revenue. That had largely scuttled his plans for Adriatic defense battleships. The conversion of the old Mars into a rocket launching ship had been an interesting exercise, but largely a failure.

The creation of a separate Congolese navy in January had seen the sale of three small destroyers, four river monitors, two torpedo boats and an old cruiser for a small sum. All three main shipyards were now capable of laying down larger ships and this was all to the good for whilst Argentina had turned to the Americans to build capital ships, Spain had asked for the UHE to build such a ship that could be followed by two more to be built at Ferrol. With the new battleship Szent Istvan being built at Ganz and the Spanish ship at Pola, the one thing he had managed to secure the funds for with the sale of the older battlecruisers was the construction of a second battlecruiser to partner Tegettoff. It was to be a cut down version of the armoured cruiser he had designed, which would have been hideously expensive to build. This mounted four triple turrets and was fully the size of a Schreck Class battleship, but with a much larger power plant capable of 25 to 26 knots.

This kept all the shipyards working and, in addition, small destroyers and minesweepers were still under construction, as well as new submarines that displaced fully 370 tons, were diesel powered and showcased a new hull design as well as carrying some torpedoes externally in drop collars.

Capital Ships
1+1 19,800 ton Kaiserin Stephanie Class battleships, 9x12.2 inch, 12x5.9 inch, 21 knots(Kaiserin Stephanie, Szent Istvan)
3 18,300 ton Schreck Class battleships, 7x12.2 inch, 10x5.9 inch, 22 knots(Schreck, Kaiser Rudolf, Heiligedreifaltigkeit)
1 17,200 ton Tegettoff battlecruiser, 17x9.2 inch, 9x3.9 inch, 24 knots
0+1 18,400 ton battlecruiser Veribus Unitus, 12x9.2 inch, 16x3.9 inch, 26 knots

Cruisers
1 9,700 ton Lissa armoured cruiser 16x5.9 inch, 26-27 knots
2 6,180 ton Budapest Class protected cruisers, 2x9.2 inch, 6x5.9 inch, 25 knots(Budapest, Wien)
1 3,970 ton Kaiser Franz Joseph I protected cruisers 10x5.9 inch, 19 knots(Kaiserin Elizabeth)(one in the Congo, one in China)
4 2,580 ton Pula Class light cruisers 2x5.9 inch, 9x3.9 inch, 27 knots(Pula, Fiume, Zagreb, Prague)
6 1,900 tons Ostrau Class light cruisers, 7x3.9 inch guns, 28 knots(Ostrau, Brno, Pressburg, Trieste, Lalbach, Salzburg)

Destroyers and destroyer/minelayers
10(3 destroyer/minelayers) 1020 ton Kaiser Class destroyers 4x3.9 inch, 27 knots
3 480 ton Planet Class, 22 knots, 2x2.6 inch, 8x1.8 inch
3 350 ton Blitz Class, 21 knots, 8-9 1.8 inch
1 350 ton Destruktor, 23 knots, 1x3.9 inch, 6x1.8 inch
11 260 ton Tatra Class, 25 knots 1x3.9 inch , 2x2.6 inch
1 140 ton Kap Weiss, 24 knots, 5x1.8 inch(*Sahara)
6+10 370 ton Libelle Class, 28 knots, 2x 3.9 inch

Submarines
2 U-1 Class, 110 tons, 8/7 knots, 1xTT
1 x U3, 120 tons, 7/7 knots, 2xTT
1 U4, 200 tons, 8/7 knots, 2TT
0+3 U5 Class, 370 tons, 10.5/4.5 knots, 7TT

Various:
1 400 ton sail training ship Mowe
1 1520 ton admiralty yacht(ex cruiser) Tiger 1x4.7 inch gun, 19 knots
1 3500 ton Custoza cadet training ship/transport 2x5.9 inch, 18 knots
1 4560 ton Dandalo repair ship/transport 1x5.9 inch, 13 knots
3 980 ton Jupiter Class colliers 1x5.9 inch, 12 knots
1 310 ton colliers, 12 knots
10 150 ton landing craft(two modified as a water tankers)
6 river monitors
2+6 240 ton Minesweepers, 1x3.9 inch, 12 knots

June 1904-New coins, old monarch

2 June 1904, Imperial State Mint, Vienna, UHE

Whilst Russia were without a doubt the dominant power in a growing Abyssinia, things were working out quite nicely for the UHE, thought Otto Strassmuller. It was an unusual situation indeed, the reverse of the more modern situation where banknotes were usually issued in denominations higher than coins. In Abyssinia banknotes were distrusted, so the French printed notes were used for only low value transactions.

Instead, the main currency still continued to be Maria Theresa Thalers, a remarkable situation when one thought about it. In most cases, silver poured into the mint from reparations paid by China. This formed the bulk of the metal for minting into the Maria Theresa 1/4, 1/2, one and two Thaler coins, all dated 1780, the date of the famous monarch's death. In the absence of local currency, Maria Theresa Thalers were the de-facto currency of Abyssinia and were paid for in gold, a small amount of which made it's way back to Ethiopia in the form of 4 ducat coins.

So, in one corner of the world two obsolete currencies lived on, bearing a date 124 years in the past and the visage of a monarch born 187 years ago and the Imperial State Mint, which still had the dies, was continuing to strike them, 1.8 million in 1904 alone.

June 1904- Changes in Russia

8 June 1904, Tauride Palace, St Petersburg, Russian Empire

Nicholas II had been reluctant and still harboured doubts, however, Sergei Witte was happy with the progress of things. Yes, parts of the Duma, when it first sat in May 1903 had quickly turned against the government and attacked many of the ministers and perceived abuses of power when some of the initiatives proposed by it had been rejected. However, contrary to what the Tsar thought, Witte found this a pleasing development.

He looked on the attack favourably as it clearly identified to him who were the main opponents of the Government. He also identified those who criticized the Government but in a mellow manner – people, he believed, he could work with at the expense of those who he felt were a danger to the Government, and therefore to his mind, Russia. The remainder, the radicals, were now at least concentrated in one place near the headquarters of the secret police.

He had convinced Durnovo to run the key post of Interior in a manner suitable for reform and he was a more than able administrator. In regards the Tsar, it was a constant battle to push reforms through. Nicholas II vacillated in many cases towards the last opinion he had heard and Witte had learnt to go sparingly via his wife as a first port of call to gain favorable opinions, lest his Uncles or mother dominate opinion. The Empress had produced six children, Tatiana, Maree, Alexei, twins Nicholas and Alexander and now, just recently, George. Nicholas II’s home life was seemingly serene and Witte was happy for the Tsar to focus on such and take as much of the reigns of power as possible.

The Tsar was a pleasant master and honestly meant well, but was politically naive to a dangerous degree. Foreign policy was the only area where Nicholas II displayed a reasonable acumen. The alliance with Germany and the UHE was bringing some economic as well as political benefits, with large increases in trade and the situation in the Balkans, where a successful war had been fought and a rare island of stability created, had also helped matters.

Good things had occurred, namely an increase in the minimum wage, education reforms and more importantly, peasants were declared the legal owners of their plots of land within their commune. Redemption payments were effectively got rid of and this had resulted in greater satisfaction and better production.

However, the war with Japan had again created stress, with the advent of casualty trains and a series of naval engagements that, whilst not lost, had not been won decisively either. The interdiction of Japan’s seaborne traffic this last month, including the destruction of two troopships and their cruiser escort, perhaps showed a shift to Russia, vital in a conflict they were expected to win easily. Completion of the Trans-Siberian would also help, now seemingly only weeks away. This would hopefully revive what was a spluttering effort so far on land.

It was Nicholas II’s pleasant but ineffective manner that had shifted Witte’s own political opinion towards that favoured by the Kadets, a constitutional monarchy similar to the British, a solution that would suit the current Tsar well despite his reluctance to accept such an arrangement. Recently he had to repair a possible split in the Liberals where the Octobrists wanted gradual change within the current autocracy as a way forward, whilst the Kadets wanted a Parliament based on the British model – a true discussion and Legislative Chamber, something that would require a great deal of work to get Nicholas to accept. Perhaps it was not so far way, as the Finnish assembly already had many such powers, whilst those for Georgia and Armenia were less powerful, much like this Duma.

June 1904- The spread of penecillin

18 June 1904, St Polten, UHE

CZC had grown exponentially over the last five years to become one of the leading companies in Europe in pharmaceuticals, with manufacturing facilities now in two locations in the UHE and two in Germany and was due to open another in Albania to take advantage of cheap labour and plenty of local product for the pressing and drying poppies for morphine. It had provided a 33% share for each of the three partners and a 1% share to the Hapsburg's by virtue of their provision of the new wonder drug that was the jewel in CZC's crown, penicillin.

For Camillo Castiglioni it had proven to be a goldmine and allowed him to spend heavily on his hobbies, aviation and the arts, as well as establish his own Private Credit Bank with branches in Vienna, Budapest and Lemburg, an event that had catapulted him to the peak of UHE society at age 25.

June 1904- A new addition to a genius family

27 June 1904, Vienna University, UHE

Albert Einstein held the small baby. A son to go with his daughter to add to what was a growing family. It was all to the good that he had a well paid teaching position that not only fed his family but allowed him to continue his research into his new theory in regards mass and energy.

July 1904- Balfour feels the pressure

2 July 1904, Whitehall, United Kingdom

Prime Minister Arthur Balfour’s Cabinet was getting progressively weaker. Churchill had defected to the Liberals. He was under ever increasing pressure for Irish Home Rule, with events in Russia and the UHE pushing along the pressure even more. That was far from all, however. He had elected to try and steer a middle course with regards the war in the Far East, keeping out of any direct involvement but supporting Japan with trade and politically, as Germany and the UHE had pledged to do with Russia. It had also proven to be a wildly unpopular stance, doing little to appease those that favoured direct involvement to check Russia’s expansions or those that favoured cutting all ties with Japan to maintain Britain’s prestige so as not to appear to be backing a power that was seemingly losing.

The inclusion on the 1st July of Brazil, Bosnia and Albania in the former Central European trade block along with Germany, the UHE, the Congo, Luxembourg and Liechtenstein had created further furors as it was seen to be impinging on British trade and a threat to industrial cities such as Birmingham, who produced many goods mainly for export to Germany.

His support for Zionism had angered the Ottomans, his anti-immigration laws had angered many prominent British Jews. Balfour’s policy of retaliatory tariffs to punish others who had tariffs against the British had also proven to be a dismal failure. Since Germany had not changed her tariffs for British goods, just allowed others to pass without tariffs, it was widely seen as unfair and was also driving up the cost of Britain’s main import, food, hurting the poor.

Balfour’s policies were not sufficient for either the free traders or the extreme tariff reformers in Government. He had had to accept the resignation of five free-trading ministers, including Chancellor Ritchie, but most damaging was the Duke of Devonshire, which left his Cabinet chronically weak.

On all sides he was under siege, facing constant criticism of his foreign policy, which most thought had left Britain in a weak position and isolated. Indirectly, he was aware that the King was hardly happy with events as they currently stood. In addition, the war in South Africa had drawn condemnation for supposed mistreatment in the camps and had eaten into Government coffers and this had been followed with a race to build more of those new battleships. Schrecks. Ridiculous name. These new ships cost even more than the old ones.

It was nothing new for a Conservative government to be seen as no friend of the poor, however, his trade policies were seen to be hurting British industry as well, his foreign policy as hurting British prestige and his economic policy as being not fiscally conservative.

That was not all, he had been reliably informed that the new Labour Party had come to an agreement with the Liberals not to stand candidates against each other in certain seats to avoid splitting the vote. Everywhere, he was seemingly under pressure.

Changes and events in general were conspiring against him, unlike elsewhere where in Vienna the Kaiser of the UHE and his wife gained more prestige by the day, announcing only today that they would try and broker a peace between Japan and Russia to assist "world peace." As if it was not bad enough that the Kaiser's wife had not secured a burgeoning fortune that likely matched that of the late Cecil Rhodes or the Marquess of Bute. At every turn the UHE reigning couple seemed to be drawing more countries and ever more influence into their web.

July 1904- Japanese dilemmas

12 July 1904, Tokyo, Japanese Empire

Admiral Dewa had fought another engagement in June, destroying two Russian cruisers but at a cost of three of his own. Japan’s capacity to protect the sea lanes and ensure supply for her steadily growing Army in Manchuria was steadily eroding and Dewa had advised him that all he could now do was split his four remaining armoured cruisers into raiding squadrons and attempt to harass Russian traffic. Japan’s attempts to buy battleships from a foreign source had been unsuccessful and the tide of the war, despite successes on land, was steadily turning against her.

This new revelation, however, was a bombshell. Qing China had submitted back to Russia an offer of acceptance of a very modest Russian land gain in Manchuria and railway concessions. This was an offer that Japan would have been happy not to go to war for at all. It appeared that they had been humiliatingly lured into a war that Japan had no reason to fight in the first place, costing her not only her international reputation and most of her Navy, but emptying her Treasury in the process.

There was now little chance, considering the nature of the surprise attack that started the war, that Japan would be able to simply revert to the status quo vis-à-vis the Russian Empire. No, the Russians would want something to pay for their spilled blood.

As Prime Minister, Katsura Tarō bore the ultimate responsibility of course. The Austrians were offering to sponsor peace talks. Perhaps it was best to listen to what was said and try and find a way out of this mess, as long as the price was not too high. The Japanese home islands were inviolate, however, out of Korea, Formosa and the Kurile Islands some concessions would likely have to be surrendered. One could hope, however, was all that this was all that may be required- reparations.

July 1904 - A Sultan on his death bed

26 July 1904, Yildiz Palace, Ottoman Empire

Murad V lay dying, the cancer eating away at his wasted form. Despite the humiliations at the commencement of his second period as Sultan, reforms had been commenced and implemented. Yes, he had not completed all that he wished to do, but the centerpieces of his reforms had been passed. It had taken five long years to suppress the rebellion in Hejaz, but particularly in Yemen, however what remained of the Empire after the territorial losses of the last war had at least been retained.

Reforms were inevitable in such circumstances and he, in conjunction with the new National Assembly, had gradually introduced them, in many cases against violent opposition. First, a National Assembly was instituted in 1895. This had then been followed by the abolition of Religious Courts in favour of Civil Courts in 1898. Two years later state funding for religious schools was also removed and finally polygamy was outlawed in 1903.

The Army had been rebuilt and whilst the Navy still languished the Army would at least be strong enough to prevent an incursion from the smaller Balkan powers now that the internal issues that had been wracking the Empire seemed to have been resolved. The task now was to pick a successor, a man that was also reform minded and willing to leave most of the large decisions to the National Assembly would be ideal. Thankfully, just such a candidate in Yusuf Izzeddin, if only he could think of a way to bypass the older and inept Mehmet Rasad. Perhaps an accident could be arranged.

July 1904 - Coastal artillery

31 July 1904, Mine Warfare School, Cattarro, UHE

Captain Franz Bertrens had reviewed the defenses of of the naval base, which comprised the Navy's Mine Warfare School. Although coastal artillery came under the control of the Army, it was the Navy's bases that were the cause of most of the Army's coastal artillery siting. That gave Franz Betrens a job so he was at least grateful to the "White Knights" in the KuK Navy for something, at least.

Bertrens had been reporting directly back to the Kaiser in regards the facilities on hand and had made detailed notes. It was widely agreed that the main purpose of such sitings were simple enough, the protect the UHE coastline from not only bombardment but also, more importantly, seaborne invasion. The Navy's bases numbered five, namely:

1) Main Fleet Base- Pola
2) Submarine, Torpedo Warfare School and Naval Academy - Fiume
3) Mine Warfare School - Cattaro
4) Light Forces Base - Sazan
5) Light Forces Base - Split

Of course, there was also Trieste, base of Austro-Lloyd and the site of the Empire's main shipbuilding facilities. There was a number of variables that needed to be taken into account, not least of which was the expense of unnecessarily provided artillery when cheaper methods would suffice. Franz Bertens looked at the Navy blue piping on his uniform for a reason. There was likely a reason they called it navy blue as for the Coastal Artillery there was always a need to work actively with the Navy.

When plans for improvement to coastal artillery were first mooted in 1899, extensive co-operation with the Navy had been mandated by the Kaiser and the conclusion reached that little needed to be done in regards the seaborne defense of Trieste and Pola, not only due to the fleet elements there but something much simpler. Nowhere in the Northern Adriatic was the sea depth more than 80 meters, as opposed to more than 1500 meters further South. Mining at depths below 100-120 meters presented a number of difficult issues, so it was these more exposed locations that coastal artillery would need to address. Therefore it was resolved that a combination of fleet units and mine warfare should be quite sufficient to bottle up the Northern Adriatic as a UHE lake. It was in fact judged far more likely that a threat to Pola, Fiume and Trieste would be likely by land not sea. To that end Trieste was not given new defenses and Pola's were downgraded, with some 25 heavy guns mountings, some obsolete, being removed. This left 12 280mm guns, 36 210mm mortars and 18 150mm guns, judged more than sufficient.

Instead Split was provided with five older 210mm guns and 12 150mm. Cattarro received a double 310mm unused turret, three 240mm howitzers, five old and four new 150mm guns, eight old 210mm mortars and finally eight new 80mm guns. The island of Sazan had been built up and housed yet another modern 201mm turret, a colossal experimental 420mm mortar, six 150mm guns and four old 210mm mortars.

This had been achieved with little expense when one considered simply reusing two unused Navy turrets and redeploying weapons from other, less threatened areas in many cases, although the large mortar and the 80mm and some of the 150mm guns required manufacture. Siting, always a large expense with coastal guns, also required money, but overall, the cost had been below what was initially expected.

August 1904- Feelers for peace, possible Entente Cordiale

12 August 1904, Schonbrunn Palace, UHE

Uchida Kōsai was well aware of the importance of the mission. The set-piece attack designed to capture the heights of Port Arthur had failed, stymied by machine guns and barbed wire, as well as dwindling supplies. Despite the individual bravery of the Japanese soldier, defensive methods of war were in the ascent.

With the supply of war material slowed to a bare trickle across the Yellow Sea and the Russians opening their Trans-Siberian Railway on the 14th July, the balance of power had tipped inexorably against Japan. The war was a venture that had failed and this had led Katsura Taro to direct him whilst still Prime Minister to attempt to start negotiations for a peace via the UHE whilst similar feelers were also put forward via the British. It was the least the English could do after providing only tepid support to Japan's efforts, he felt.

It was an ill conceived war in any instance, the Russians agreeing to a withdrawal from Manchuria with only a small annexation of territory after Japan had already gone to war over this very fact. This perceived "reasonableness" had gained Russia the support of much of Europe and hamstrung more forceful British support as well. Now what would be the price of losing a war with Japan, an Oriental power, seen as the aggressor. Only lukewarm support from the British and the Americans remained, hence his keenness to secure their presence at any peace negotiations.

He turned back to the man that he had been directed to approach. "Your Majesty, our former Prime Minister has resigned in disgrace and both Heads of Services are now dead. We wish to bring a fair and equitable solution to this war, a war that should never have been started, in the cause of international peace. Whilst we are well aware that Japan, of course, initiated the first blows, the fact that Russia had not withdrawn from Manchuria in agreement with clear international protocols to do so and the request of the Chinese government was a main Cassius Belli and to that end Japan can not accept all the blame.

Would your be prepared, in conjunction with our British friends, to try and broker a peace conference?"

Yes I would be, thought Rudolf. It was about time this foolishness was put to an end. If only he could get the Russians to see sense and keep their demands within a modest framework. As it was, the conflict had already caused untold diplomatic damage, mainly in regards the position of the United Kingdom. Balfour's pathetically weakened government had relied on it's attachment to Japan in the Far East to not only curb Russian influence but provide a comforting presence that would allow the China and Eastern Fleets to be downsized, providing a large enough naval presence in Europe to reinforce Britain's splendid isolation.

Japan's dismal failure in her war aims and consequently her usefulness as an ally had been a deep shock to that policy and already there were signs that the British, whom Rudolf had placed so much work in winning over, were drifting away. To France, an unpleasant prospect. Rudolf was well aware of the old French dream in the wake of the overthrow Napoleon III. Either win a military victory over Germany to reclaim Alsace-Lorraine, likely only possibly with a strong ally or more worryingly agitate and support the breakup of the Hapsburg Empire between Germany and Russia with the proviso the return of Alsace-Lorraine. Neither was an attractive prospect, but the second option was disastrous, hence his desire to keep the French away from the Russians.

Now that the Japanese had imploded, the British and Balfour's weakened government had duly turned to the French, dispatching Bertie to Paris in May, resulting in enthusiastic acclaim by the French people for the new English King, with a follow up visit from the French President in July cementing new ties. Old African colonial rivalries, where the French had so often been thwarted, were melting away. Egypt had already been settled, the bitterness of the Boer War was fading, helped by the fact that the Radicals, who had always disliked colonial adventures, were in control of the French chamber. The Radicals wanted to be on good terms with Great Britain, were not keen on a war with Germany and if only the humiliation of Egypt could be dissipated they would be appeased. Both sides had agreed on Siam to be maintained as neutral ground where both could share influence and all that remained as a barrier to a possible formal alliance that would remove France from her current isolation was agreement on Morocco.

It was only a matter of time until such an alliance, if formed, drew in Italy, with her Adriatic ambitions and of course Japan, smarting from defeat. Possibly also the Ottomans. It would lead to an alliance of power blocks as had existed prior to 1914 and that was not a good precedent. No, the Russo-Japanese War needed to be ended quickly, preferably on mild terms. How he might be able to arrange that he still did not know.

"Of course Mr Ambassador, I will do all in my power and return to you as soon as possible."

Well, that was something, thought Uchida Kōsai. At least the UHE Kaiser seemed reasonable. The British had fed Japan the context of a great number of cables that had been transmitted by both the German and UHE Kaiser's and duly intercepted by British intelligence. Those of Wilhelm II were strident in their desire to see Russia triumph. Those of Rudolf more circumspect and balanced.

Hopefully peace could be achieved as Japan desperately needed to recover, both militarily and economically.

August 1904 - New economic thoughts in Brazil, banking, rubber, steel

22 August 1904, Paço de São Cristóvão, Rio de Janiero, Brazilian Empire

Erszi shifted again in her seat. The baby was riding high and six months in she was already feeling quite bloated. None the less, the work needed to be done. It was the one thing above all others that both her parents had drilled into her. Work was the one reliable thing that was likely to fulfill one's goals and in Brazil at present, goals very much needed to be fulfilled. The country was coming off such a low base that there were so many things that needed to be addressed, it was sometimes hard to know where to provide priority first. Actually, on reflection, it had not been that hard. The secret report commissioned by her mother into the rubber plantations of the British and Dutch had been quite specific in it's conclusions. Unless some natural or man made disaster impinged on the current progress of both Colonial powers, then significant production of rubber would begin from Asia within five years and likely within 10-12 years the domination of the rubber market, with Congo the only competitor, would be well and truly broken. It required little imagination to speculate on what such events would also do to the price, which had risen from 80 pound a ton to 720 pounds per ton in London.

That meant that within the next ten years or so, the revenue that Brazilian taxation had gorged itself on these last five or more years would be coming to an end. It was something that would also effect her mother's affairs in the Congo. There was little doubt that these South East Asian plantation would eventually produce at a lower cost than the Congo and indeed Brazil. Better infrastructure and therefore lower transport costs, a climate that would allow year round tapping, unlike Brazil where the rain did not allow tappers to collect rubber during six months of the year. Centralized trees, not spread over wide distances. Therefore, camps and better health care. Lower wages for workers, even.

To that end, greater use must be made of the current "golden period", to build infrastructure. She had invited Camillo Castiglioni to finance a factory to produce rubber products. When the time came, at least the rubber produced domestically could be value added and employ Brazilians. What was required more than anything else, however, was infrastructure and industry and to that end Luis had arranged for a visit under generous terms from J.P Morgan. One thing that Brazil lacked was any sort of confidence in a banking system.

The collapse of the Banco do Brasil, which had virtually gone bankrupt in 1898 and been unable to guarantee deposits, had largely seen to that. Deposits in foreign banks was over 50%, a ridiculous amount that reflected not only a lack of confidence in local banks but in the Brazilian currency as a whole. That could not be allowed to continue. To that end, Luis and his Ministers had been working on making the Banco do Brazil a true National Bank, which would the only instrument for currency issue and would deal only with other banks.

Private accounts would be transferred to a new entity the Brazilian Imperial People's Bank. It was hoped a new start and a new name might inspire more public confidence. They had also established a currency board in to buy and sell the national currency (the mil-réis) at a fixed rate of 15 pence, along with coffee valorization, helping the national treasury obtain foreign loans.

In any case, Brazil was seriously short of bank deposits, which represented only 3% of national income. Banks would need to achieve some legitimacy, not only to raise deposits but if nothing else to fund industry and expansionism of infrastructure. To that end, approaches had duly been made to the greatest of deal-makers, J.P Morgan himself, on two fronts. Firstly, to open under generous terms J.P Morgan(Brazil) bank branches and secondly, to assist in exploiting Brazil's large iron ore reserves. As the guiding hand behind the financing and formation of the worlds first billion dollar company, U.S Steel, it was hoped that he may be able to assist in Brazil, either personally or via U.S Steel itself via his close friendship with Elbert Gary.

There were, of course, also political factors. Brazil needs powerful friends and allies and the change of regime had alarmed Washington. Traditional ties had been to the British and now obvious new ties existed to the UHE. yet the Americans were the closest and it would be well to have their concerns mollified. If they appeared to more open to ties than the chaotic and shambolic Old Republic, then the Americans concerns about monarchism may well fade into the background.

They had mollified the Navy with new ships, the Army with no purges, the coronels with no land grabs, the poor with new social programs and housing reforms, the later largely funded by the largess from rubber and they had taken steps to appear outwardly frugal, moving into the Paço de São Cristóvão and selling the Paco Imperial and even the older Crown of Pedro I to show they were serious about assisting the poor. However, falls in rubber revenues, even if they be six to ten years away, would threaten all of these gains.

August 1904 - Peace demand thoughts

28 August 1904, Winter Palace, St Petersburg, Russian Empire

Nicholas looked at the notes and the letter from Rudolf again that had been delivered from the UHE ambassador. Then again at the telegram from Willy. Well, the Japanese had been harder than he would have ever thought, but now the offer was there. What did he want in a peace?

Korea as a buffer state, with Japan shut out of influence. The French could keep their railway concessions and Russia would take the timber concessions. So, Korea independent as a client state. It was a solution that would not anger anyone. Japan's reparations from the Boxer war must now to go to Russia, some 70,000,000 troy ounces of silver. Rudolf had indicated that this would starve their ability to rebuild their Navy and therefore pose a real threat. The Kurile Islands, which Russia had been denied before. An armoured cruiser to replace the one cowardly sunk in the Port Arthur surprise attack. Plus, of course a formal apology and admission of guilt.

That should suffice, or should he ask for the Bonin Islands as well? In truth, he would be happy to end the war, there was enough agitation at home with ever increasing senseless dreams and impossible demands from the Duma.

September 1904 - The problems of a terminal President

10 September 1904, White House, Washington DC, United States of America

So, the Russians had submitted their demands, which were actually reasonably modest. Hay wondered what was the change with their attitude after their moderate demands in Manchuria. Their foreign policy as a whole had seemingly become less...provocative. Now it all depended on the Japanese, who had backed themselves into a corner and would just have to get themselves out. Naturally, he supported peace and he would throw the full might of America behind any reasonable solution, however, the reality was that the Japanese had gambled and lost, so deserved to pay part of the cost.

The sooner it came to an end the better, it was bad for stability and at the moment stability was what was desperately needed. Adding five new States had created an instability all of it's own and to say that feelings were still running high in regards this very action, which he had been forced to defend so many times over the last three years. He could not reverse what McKinley had created but each new separatist incident in Cuba brought a fresh wave of protest about "spics" and their place in American politics. There were no easy solutions and he was already wondering if he had done the correct thing in accepting the nomination for another term in June.

Driving off the Germans and British from Venezuela had required all his formidable diplomatic skills, and then this had been followed by the separation of Panama in 1903 and the annexation of the Canal Zone. The later in particular had seen America lambasted in sections of the domestic press and also in Europe as the very sort of imperialists so often decried by Washington themselves. It was a period of one shock after another, none perhaps more so than the restoration of Empire in Brazil. Early reports seemed to indicate a stable regime, even if most in Congress and indeed Teddy Roosevelt in particular, even himself for that matter, would have preferred the Republican regime. However, at least the current incumbents could be worked with and there was always the possibility that the country could be weaned from it's pro British pose.

It had taken it's toll, however, the unrelenting pressure. The death of his boy made his wife and himself old, at once and for what remained of his life. Deep in his own heart, he nursed a conviction that he did not have long to live. There was little point in trying to prolong things, he felt it was his time come what may and at least he could see out another election campaign to ensure the GOP stayed in power.

September 1904 - A Papal election

12 September 1904, Hofburg, UHE

Stephanie levered herself off Rudolf's chest, where she had been resting her head. "So, what are you going to do now that Leo XIII has passed?"

Rudolf sat up slightly. "What do you think we should do, or I should do?"

Stephanie sighed. "Well, I am quite sick of our friend Rampolla decrying the supposed 'deterioration in moral standards within the Hapsburg realms.' That I am supposedly 'not administering the Congo as a proper Christian realm, leading to the place of the white man becoming ambiguous'. 'Natives administering natives.' That is just to name a few. It is no co-incidence that our latest Archbishopric appointment scarcely went as we desired, either. Getting back to a more harmonious working relationships with the Catholic Church need not be at odds with our desire for more freedom and openness within the Empire. I worry if, as is stated, that Rampolla could be elected Pope. I mean in terms of the negative impact that would have for us. That man has an axe to grind, he never even liked your father and it was hardly like he was anything other than an arch conservative."

"Oh, I agree my love, but again I must ask, what do you think we should do, I should do?"

"Well" , said Stephanie. "I think we need to Tonya Harding the bitch."

Rudolf looked at her. "What on earth is that?"

"Sorry, contemporary pop culture reference. You need to veto his possible appointment. It is within your power and purview."

"Perhaps you are right."

December 1904- A new heir to a restored Empire

15 December 1904, Paço de São Cristóvão, Rio de Janiero, Brazilian Empire

It had been a long and hard labour but it was finally over. There was no question as to the name of the child of course. Pedro II's reputation was still as strong as ever and monarchy was all about symbolism at the best of times.

It was pleasant to be here in Brazil with her daughter. Having one's mother there was a luxury fully denied her when she had had her own first child and she would not have wished it on her daughter. Rudolf had stayed in Vienna, fresh back from a negotiated peace to end the Russo-Japanese war. The Japanese had been most reluctant to admit fault and getting such an admission had been like pulling teeth. Eventually, they had acquiesced to all of Russia's terms in the final wash up.

They had little option, after all, with the military situation becoming worse by the day and Russia having four more battleships assembling in the Baltic. So, peace had duly been negotiated a week before and another crisis averted, at least for now. In Istanbul, the ineffective Mehmet V was now installed in power, a power that was rapidly being pruned by those in favour of modernization and representation.

Everything was stable on the surface, but much like an iceberg underneath the real danger lay. There had been a series of strikes in Russia demanding more power for the Duma, greater wages for workers and land reform. Germany was influenced by the mercurial Kaiser. In Britain, Balfour's lame duck government limped along. Anarchists and strikes were common to Italy. Spain was still licking it's wounds from the American war. America was in the hands of a President that had won a landslide election victory but was ailing in body. Only France was happy in that she had finally reeled in a partner, having signed a formal alliance with the British in November.

She would stay from Christmas with her daughter and new Grandson before visiting the Congo on her way back to Trieste in January.

December 1904 - Congo developments

31 December 1904, Marienburg, Kingdom of the Congo

Laura von Gieslingen looked at the spectacular fireworks display that heralded in the New Year. Perhaps by this time next year they would be preparing to head back to Vienna. It was a rare display of fiscal wastefulness from an administration that had run very lean under her husband's stewardship as Governor. Funds were maintained for social welfare initiatives and expanded still further for infrastructure development. Still more mines continued to be located, especially for the production of tin and even for good quality coal and the copper mines had proven to be one of the richest in the world. This all in addition to oil. Produce was leaving the country at a rapid rate, rumbling South to the Cape on rail, back through Congo's waterways to Matadi or via the Atlantic Ports. Help had been given to Portugal in Angola and Portuguese oil was also commencing to flow out of Congolese ports.

There were certain achievements that she felt more than happy about, not least of which was the rise in literacy rate from 4.4% in 1895 to 34.8% in this year's landmark census. Some of this was due to immigration from Europe and even America, but the bulk of it was due to the schools program that had been instituted by the Congolese Government. It unlocked a series of jobs for native people that would have been otherwise unavailable.

There were less detailed figures available in regards healthcare, however there was no question that with increased facilities some progress had been made. Sleeping sickness, malaria, cholera and typhoid, polio, syphilis and tuberculosis all were major enemies. However, cholera and typhoid were in retreat, numbering less victims with increased sanitation and malaria was claiming less fatal victims at least.

Better transport infrastructure had brought with it that most important element, real wealth and since it was a developing economy every effort had been made to share that wealth with the provision of public facilities such as sanitation, hospitals and schools. Stephanie's railway plan had been very ambitious but now they were within five years of finishing such a plan and then perhaps a road could be looked at for the West of the country to link Marienburg to the Atlantic Coast.

As for herself, she was happy, happy with her husband, her four children and since they were in a unique position to gain early news of the successes of mines, financially as well. Trade in Congolese shares both in the two stock markets in the Congo but also in Vienna and Budapest, even Prague, had been brisk and popular as they represented high risk, high reward options.

Congo current rail infrastructure and resources

January 1905 - Busy shipyards

8 January 1905, STT, Trieste, UHE

It was all good business thought Rudolf and so typical of the Russians. In may the previous year Roos had acquired the plans for the latest British Class of Schrecks whilst ensuring that the next class of Russian ships would be based on British designs. However, the Russians, much like the French, had always been quite happy to have a "fleet of samples" and had also ordered a one off ship from STT, based on the UHE latest battlecruiser design. So far, the yards had built large warships of armoured cruiser and capital ship size for Argentina(four armoured cruisers), Spain(battleship currently under construction) and now Russia, as well as sales of ex UHE ships to China and Brazil.

The second Stephanie Class battleship was now launched and fitting out and a second battlecruiser had been commenced, making four slips occupied in the UHE, with the Russian and Spanish orders and two UHE ships. What had been kick started by the Argentine order in the 1890's had grown to be a profitable business, foreign orders helping to keep both private yards busy and making handsome profits to boot, which had in turn allowed the UHE to skim extra taxes and not invest as much in assisting Ganz and STT in building infrastructure.

The merchant fleet had also grown, from 250,000 tons(counting only vessels of over 400 tons) in 1887 to 712,000 tons in 1905, establishing routes all the way to South America, Asia and Australasia.

January 1905 - New innovations in naval gunnery

20 January 1905, 8 nautical miles off The Wash, North Sea

The battleship King Edward VII rocked as her main battery discharged a salvo of 12 inch shells, her captain spotting the fall of shot on the the old Colossus. A mile to port her sister Africa was firing on the same target at three minute intervals. The only difference was the trial of the new Dumaresq rangefinder in the King Edward VII.
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20 January 1905, 8 nautical miles off Ragusa, Adriatic Sea

The battleship Kaiserin und Konigen Stephanie shuddered as she disgorged a full broadside of 12.2 inch shells at the older iron barque that constituted the target. Astern of the larger battleship the smaller sisters Schreck and Kaiser Rudolf added their voices to the bombardment at the range of 10,200 meters. Korvettenkapitän Mikos Horthy watched the shells land. Schrecks were the closest and so easily marked by the fall, with gouts of red spray boiling up from the water, so different from the Stephanie's green and the Rudolf's purple. To his mind the new shells with dye filler would be a great improvement in spotting the fall of shot on a target engaged by multiple ships.

January 1905 - Carnolia elevation

27 January 1905, Hofburg, Vienna, UHE

"Do you think that now is a good time?" asked Stephanie.

"I think it is as good a time as any." said Rudolf. "In many ways it is the last part of the puzzle, at least for the foreseeable future."

"What about Trentino and Transylvania?"

Rudolf shook his head. "Transylvania well, I would like to do something with it maybe, but Hungary presents it's own problems as well you know. Trentino, no, definitely not. At some stage a separate Trentino Parliament would no doubt vote to join our Italian friends and then we would have a pretext for war. That cannot be allowed to happen. Especially since I think our garlic eating friends would likely support such adventurism. So we are left with Carnolia. Currently we have what are effectively four separate National entities. These are:

Empire of Austria
Kingdom of Hungary
Kingdom of Czechia
Kingdom of Illyria

Beneath the Empire of Austria we have a semi independent entity, the Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria and now I am proposing that we elevate the Duchy of Carnolia to the status of a Kingdom as well as raise it's obsolete older Parliamentary system to the same semi independent status as that Of Galicia and Lodomeria."

Stephanie doodled on a piece of paper. "So then, Austria for Germans, Czechia for Czechs, Carnolia for Slovenes, Galicia and Lodomeria for Ukrainians and Poles, Illyria for Croats and Serbs and Hungary for Hungarians, Slovakians and Romanians."

Rudolf replied. "Well, I suppose that will be where we are if this latest change goes through."

Stephanie screwed up her nose. 'It will mean more politicians."

Rudolf laughed. "I am not so jaded and cynical as you in regards to politicians. They must really have besmirched their name in your era. Keep in mind that here, at this point of time these ideas are just flowering and that people rightly or wrongly are still very enthusiastic in regards the political process."

"I suppose. Not like you have any Trumps' in this era, after all, or a Putin."

"I have heard you discuss Putin. Who is Trump?"

"Best not to even ask. So how large do you intend to make this new institution and what span of legislation?"

"I intend to give them the same powers as currently exist in Galicia and Lodomeria and in terms of numbers, well, as a much smaller area I was thinking 43 representatives instead of 161 in Galicia and Lodomeria."

"When do you plan to go ahead?"

"I will raise it with the Ministers this week."

February 1905 - Navy airships

8 February 1905, Pola, UHE

The large hangers had now been completed and two of the four would now be filled. OZ-2 had been modified to the same standard as OZ-3, albeit a slightly smaller airship and now both would make their home at the brand new naval airbase. In the meantime, the testing facility at Ostrau would now concentrate on a new airship since the brand new OZ-4 had been destroyed in high winds, a new airship that would be able to use the newer, more powerful Maybach engine currently under development. In the meantime, the Navy would be able to test and use the two current machines for fleet reconnaissance.

February 1905 - Mapping out a path for German goodwill

22 February 1905, Stadtschloss, Berlin, German Empire

Nicky had won his victory over the yellow man in the Far East, Rudolf and even his little Belgian wife were always in the news, yet what of himself, the undisputed leader of the most powerful country on Earth? Where was his glory, his great military or diplomatic victory? His alcoholic Uncle had charmed the French, currying favour towards an alliance that could only be Anti-German. Even his attempts to build a bridge to friendship in Istanbul had been scattered to the fore winds. None of Germany's pitiful colonies in either Africa or the Pacific was anything approaching the jewel that was the Congo.

It was scarcely any wonder that he was so constrained, hemmed in one all sides by Austrian indifference, Russian influence, French hostility and his Uncle Bertie's sneering superiority. These did not even count problems domestically such as von Bulow, von Richtofen and, even worse, many of the sniveling socialists in the Reichstag.

Germany needed a victory to increase her international prestige, something to show that her good offices could not be ignored. Wilhelm II's finger came down on the large map. Yes. Morocco, where the French were parading around like they owned the place, even though young Abdelaziz was supposedly an independent Sovereign. Traditionally it had been the British that had reigned in French ambition in Morocco, but that barrier had fallen with their mutual understanding. Now that burden must surely fall to Germany and himself, Wilhelm.

Yes, this would be a chance to impose Germany's will on the world stage.

March 1905- Rail developments and consolidation

1 March 1905, Hofburg, Vienna, UHE

It was a landmark agreement that had taken near on seven years to negotiate, but it would be highly beneficial in terms of not only strategic but administrative factors as well. Not to mention that it may well make it better for the long suffering passengers. The four separate National Parliaments had finally agreed to form a Railway Commission, the new Imperial and Royal Rail that would administer all railways across all areas of the UHE, aside from the Sudbahn, which was still owned by the Rothchilds. Each of the four entities would have expenditures and revenues split, with some adjustments, roughly based on the length of track in each of the separate areas. In all, some 45,000 kilometers of track now existed, less than 1200 kilometers of that private, some 900 of which was Sudbahn.

It had to allow for simplification in terms of ordering, maintenance and having a homogeneous fleet of locomotives. Rudolf had arranged by agreements with Sudbahn ticketing arrangements that allowed trans-passage from one railway to another with minimal administrative difficulties and under the new arrangements travel from Vienna or Budapest should be possible anywhere within the UHE in less than 36 hours.

He had not lost sight of the fact that militarily, as well, this would be a very useful factor, allowing for the quick transfer of troops to any front.

UHE rail map 1905

March 1905 - A death in office

20 March 1905, White House, Washington DC, United States of America

Paul Morton was surprised. He had the first up appointment with the President and despite his recent health problems President Hay was nothing is not a hard worker, despite his obvious health issues, in all likelihood being worn down with the strain of the office in recent times, especially the instability in the Caribbean. As Secretary of the Navy he was happy to see the first of the new style of battleships was underway, a class of four ships that would complete next year and in 1907 and should do much to assert America's claim to a blue water Navy and he had plans for a world wide deployment to show America's increasing power.

He was surprised to look up again and see the White House aide looking white faced.

"Whatever is the matter man?"

"The President..."

"What about the President?"

"The President is dead Mr Secretary."

March 1905- Economic considerations and GDP

25 March 1905, Hofburg, Vienna, UHE

It had been a large part of the day going over reports and ledgers, but the implications seemed clear enough, thought Rudolf. Since "arriving" in this timeline, one of himself and Stephanie's major motivations had been to improve what had been at the time Austro-Hungary's per capita GDP. Estimated in 1890 as only 70% of that of France, the economy had grown at a larger rate than that of the French, a much larger rate in fact.

UHE GDP per capita was now at 70% of the level of the UK, the richest country in Europe, 84% of that of Germany and 90% of that of France. Those were the countries where the per capita GDP was higher than the UHE. Italy and Spain's GDP per capita was 75% less than that of the UHE, that of Russia 115% less.

When one did the sums in regards population, it was already clear that the UHE was moving toward the first rank of powers yet again. A simple multiplication of population and GDP revealed that if Germany was at the top rank with 100%, with Russia very close at 96%, then the UK at 87%, the UHE at 66%, France at 62% and then Italy a distant last at 38%.

Of course, there were two main objectives with looking at all this. Both were ultimately to guard against instability. Originally the Austro-Hungarian Empire had fallen due to instability, an instability brought on by war. The raising of the GDP per capita was, wealth inequalities aside, generally a sign of a more prosperous country, hence one less likely to fall apart due to internal unrest. One that could afford social programs and give voice to a real say for the poor. The second objective was to create a more prosperous entity so that some of that prosperity could be injected into it's war fighting capacity. The original Austro-Hungarian Empire had been much more stable than many gave it credit for. It had, after all, taken four hard years of war to finally fracture. Rudolf needed to make absolutely sure that, in the event of a war, an event he had done his utmost to avoid, that it was a war that the UHE was more than capable of winning, preferably quickly. For a short victorious war could be a fillip to a national entity, where a long and bloody one was often a cancer, eating away at the marrow and exposing all that divided an Empire rather than all that brought it together.

There were other, better, methods of calculating war capacity. Percentage spent on defense, railway and communication infrastructure, manufacturing capacity, coal, iron and steel production, just to name a few. Not to mention natural things like strategic and geographical position(a bad position in the case of the UHE) and natural defensive features such as mountains, even Colonial strength in the case of Britain and France. However, none of those mattered much if one did not have the economic capacity to afford to levee and equip troops, build a Navy and so on. And in that aspect, things were very much on the improve.

Other areas had gone ahead as well. The UHE was Europe's leading producer of oil, in 1890 her Army Estimates had been a mere 3% more than Italy's and only 41% of France, now they were 32% more than Italy and 65% of France's. In 1890 her Naval Estimates were 13% of France's and 27% of Italy's. These were now 70% of Italy's estimates and 40% of France. Coal production had surpassed that of France and was now third in Europe behind Great Britain and Germany respectively. Likewise steel production had almost caught up to France and Russia's levels, although Germany was well ahead there, followed by England.

March 1905 - On a grey horse

30 March 1905, Hofburg, Vienna, UHE

Rudolf and Stephanie sat across from the Foreign Minister, Franz of Liechtenstein. "He did what?" asked the Kaiser.

"Calm down Rudolf." said Stephanie.

"What is there to be calm about?" the Kaiser grated.

Prince Franz checked his text. "Wilhelm II rode a grey horse through the streets of through the city of Tangiers than proceeded to publicly state 'That he had come for only one purpose, that being to support the Sovereignty and God given right to rule of the Sultan Abdelaziz in Morocco.' He then went on to say 'that Germany would support any initiatives the Moroccan Sultan saw fit to initiate".

Rudolf stood up and paced around the room. His eyes were hard like flints. "Thank you Franz, you can leave us for now."

Franz of Liechtenstein stood. "Of course."

It was after he had left that Rudolf exploded. "Well that is it. The man is a fucking idiot."

Stephanie sighed. "Of course he is an idiot. We knew he was an idiot and not a pleasant well meaning bumbler like Nicky either, or a self centered hedonist like my father. Oh no, Willy is something altogether different. A cross between an insecure little boy, a strutting peacock and a schoolyard bully."

"This will draw the French in as a direct challenge to their influence. The British will support them, of course they will. As will the Spanish, since Spanish influence in Morocco is dependent on French influence in Morocco. Mark my words, this could easily create the sort of crisis that leads to war."

"Yes, my love, I know that all to well. Now the question is, if push comes to shove, who do we support?"

April 1905 - Common expenditures and revenue

1 April 1905, Hofburg, Vienna, UHE

It was April Fools day alright. Stephanie had explained that concept to him. Wilhelm's stupidity had already caused diplomatic shockwaves around the world. The French were outraged and there were rumblings of war if no backdown was to occur or at least an acceptable compromise. Willy was oblivious, now out of contact on board his battleship "yacht".

Stephanie was at a ceremony for a bridge opening and one thing was clear, the accounts of the UHE were in good shape, very good shape in fact as was evidenced by the figures below.

Revenue—

Ministry of Foreign Affairs £22,467
Ministry of War 438,909
Ministry of Finance 4,916
Board of Control 90
The Customs 9,192,076

Proportional contributions 18,988,488
—————
Total
£28,646,946
—————

Expenditure-

Ministry of Foreign Affairs £492,311
Ministry of War:—
Army 20,382,160
Navy 4,480,100
Ministry of Finance 185,000
Board of Control 14,170
Extraordinary Military Expenditure 2,822,500
Ministry of Science and Technology 315,814
—————
Total
£28,625,555
_______

War would jeopardise all of it, simply all of it.

April 1905- Rudolf and Nicky discuss Willy

20 April 1905, Hofburg, Vienna, UHE

Nicholas II, Tsar of all the Russia’s stepped off the train to the strains of “God Save the Tsar” and was quickly at the Hofburg. It has been a scheduled visit but Nicholas had brought it forward some four days to gain the chance to confer.

“It is good to see you Nicky. How are Nina and the children?”

“Excellent thank you. A father to six. It hardly seems possible but they are in all ways my finest work. How I wish that family life was all there was.”

Rudolf smiled. “Yes, that is sometimes my own thought as well. It does not require a great deal of thinking to know what I wish to talk about first.”

Nicholas gave a diffident smile. “Willy.”

“Yes Willy. 'Silly Billy' to quote a certain English newspaper.”

“What is there to be done?” said Nicholas. “He has always been an enigma. Warm and friendly one minute, spiteful and cold the next. This has made the French furious and they have already flatly refused his call for a Conference on Morocco.”

“Of course they have. Why in all fairness should they accede? With the French it is always pride. Pride before all else. They know full well they will be backed by the British.”

“Rudolf, let me tell you confidentially that Russia is not ready. Strikes are on the rise, even after the Pacific War. The more concessions I make, the more are demanded. I fear it is a never ending cycle. What is more, the Pacific Fleet was the best of our Navy, the Baltic and Black Sea Fleets are not comparable, but the larger concern is the Army. A victorious conflict may serve to paper over many cracks, but the performance of our Army against what should have been a vastly inferior opponent was poor at best. On land we were largely ineffectual I fear.

I do not wish a war, not because we are not prepared to face a challenge and not because we lack the honour to fulfill our treaty obligations either. I am worried, however, as to what a war may mean for our fractious populace.”

“I have similar worries Nicky, very similar worries. I have made changes, so many changes, but who knows how a weld will hold up when placed under unnatural pressure.”

“Do we get rid of him?”

Rudolf was shocked. “Kill Willy?”

Nicholas burst out laughing. “Good one. You always were a joker. Kill a monarch appointed by God, ha ha. No I mean do we back him up or cut him loose?”

It was Rudolf’s turn to sigh. For a moment he had thought Nicholas meant what had crossed his mind more than once. “Unfortunately, due to our very strong German faction here, a split with Germany is well-nigh unthinkable. It would require something much worse than this to produce a Pan-Germanic split. So we must back him here in the UHE. I propose we back Germany ‘in the event of a conflict’ whilst at the same time indicating to the English and the French that we do not agree in terms of what Willy actually said, ie- that we support Morocco being in the French sphere of influence in principle and will make efforts to mediate. Efforts that may require small concessions on their part.”

Nicholas sat back and thought. “That may work. Sometimes I think we may be better without Willy.”

“It is probably better to have him inside the tent pissing out than outside the tent pissing in.”

Nicholas exploded with laughter again. “You really do have an excellent turn of phrase. Perhaps so, perhaps so. It still leaves the question, what do we do about Willy?”

”Leave Willy to me. I travel to Potsdam next week to try and get him and von Bulow to see reason.”

“Are you taking Stephanie?”

“No, she is actually a negative influence at the German Court.”

“Whatever for?”

“I am afraid woman with intelligence and opinions are not well appreciated to close to Willy, likely a sad legacy of his relationship with his own mother I fear.”

April 1905 - Churchill and Fisher discuss

25 April 1905, Admiralty, Whitehall, London, United Kingdom

"So, young Churchill, it seems we are both out of favour with the Government of the day?" said Jackie Fisher, First Sea Lord.

Winston Churchill smiled. "Yes, well I could not have stomached their Alien's Bill so the Liberals under Campbell-Bannerman seemed a better fit. It certainly raised a few eyebrows, however, when I crossed the floor."

"I imagine it did. Now, you are one of the most vociferous critics of higher military expenditure. How do you feel about that position in light of the events in Morocco?"

"Well naturally concerned, of course. However, may I remind you that you have scrapped 37 battleships and 9 armoured cruisers during your tenure and reduced our fleet to 'a paucity of heavy units never seen before' according to our esteemed Prime Minister."

Fisher snorted. "A bunch of decrepit rust-buckets that in some cases may have sunk without any enemy action. Useless junk, the lot of them. They would have gone the way of the Ottoman ironclads in the Aegean Sea. What we needed to do was secure the funds to lay down as many of the new ships as possible and let me remind you that my ruthless downsizing and scrapping program allowed us to do exactly that. Even after my slashing and burning that so reduced wages and running costs, I was able to lay down an extra two new battleships and a new battlecruiser to go with the nine and three we originally laid.

So, in addition to the nine new ships and three new battlecruisers, we have an additional two and one nearing completion. Of the older ships, we have 40 in commission and eight in reserve, as well as 39 armoured cruisers. These ships are capable, not so much obsolete junk as what has been scrapped. Despite all the so called panic, this will be more than sufficient to plug the English Channel in the event of a conflict with Germany and/or Russia if this Moroccan thing blows up. We would have to send our newer, faster ships to the Mediterranean if the Austrian's intervene, assuming the Italians are no help."

"Well, lets hope it comes to nothing."

"Indeed, we are in an transitional stage at present, so we are running at lower levels, but contrary to what you have been advocating young Winston, it's bigger Navy Estimates we need. Pass that on to Campbell-Bannerman."

September 2018 - A blueprint of the road to war

1 September 2018, Imperial Naval Academy, Villegagnon Island, Empire of Brazil

It was what he personally considered a difficult assignment. Researching the period prior to the commencement of the Great War in 1915. Luis has certain advantages, whilst he was not His Imperial Highness Pedro Luís Maria José Jorge Miguel Rafael Gabriel de Haspburg de Orleans e Bragança, By the Grace of God and the People, Constitutional Emperor and Perpetual Defender of Brazil, like his father, he did at least have access to the private family library in Rio to further his research, which had produced wonderful tidbits like Luis I's letter back to his father-in-law stating that they were "dancing on the head of a pin of legitimacy" in 1905, "existing on a delicate blend of reforms for the poor and concessions to those in power" and could "ill afford a military entanglement". Like many previous royal third sons, the military had beckoned as a career and so he had chosen the Navy.

He had decided to look at the period from 1905 to 1908, where the system of alliances that ultimately dragged not only Europe but the Americas and Asia into war on a global scale not previously seen. He looked again over what he had written.

"In 1905, there took place a revolution in European affairs. It was caused not by Delcasse's hatred of Germany, nor by the British and their increased fear of isolation. It was solely of a German initiative. The Germans were not in any danger, indeed with Russian and UHE support and the Russian Army at a low ebb, they likely enjoyed greater security than at any time since the Crimean War. In France the Radicals, largely pacific, were in power and indeed many French Generals believed that they would struggle to hold the German Army out of Paris for more than a month in the event of a conflict. None the less, the Germans had come to count on an eventual conflict between Great Britain and Russia. However, the British not involving themselves in the Russo-Japanese War and then the Russian's more reasonable line on Persia saw a possible cooling the the Great Game and they sought a substitute. Although they talked security, their real object, likely not in any event fully formed in most minds except the Kaiser, was to establish peaceful predominance over the continent and thus be free to challenge the British overseas in Colonial adventures. This they could have if only France was forced into dependence on Germany. In 1905 the moment seemed favourable. The French Army was in a poor state and the Russians were tied to Germany and suffering unrest.

One would have thought it a gain for Germany when Rouvier and his pacifist policies became Prime Minister of France in March 1905, as he wished to end the Moroccan unrest and co-operate with Germany in the Ottoman Empire. The Germans had no clear idea what they wanted when they intervened in Morocco. They wished to show that Germany could not be ignored on any question in the world. More vaguely, they hoped to weaken the Anglo-French alliance. They started by complaining that they had not been informed on the Anglo-French-Spanish Agreement on Morocco, like nothing could ever happen in the world without their permission. They insisted on treating Morocco as an independent country, much like they had Transvaal and the Orange Free State that had so enraged the British before.

Bulow was satisfied such an argument would increase Germany's prestige and was already in possession of a plan from von Schlieffen; the Army Chief of Staff, with whom he was well acquainted, to sweep through Belgium and rapidly knock out France in the advent of a war.

The French were in a conundrum. They had to maintain a firm policy to placate their numerous colonial enthusiasts, but at the same time mollify Germany. They may have offered Germany concessions elsewhere, but the German seemed intent on a Conference. The Germans assumed the UHE and Italy would support them and likely Russia to. They also assumed the Americans would support an open door policy and that the British and Spanish would be glad to get out from under the concessions offered to France. These were all grave miscalculations. Once Germany sensed her power, it was seemingly like they forgot they had appealed to it in the first place to get closer to France and that a pyrrhic diplomatic victory had become and end in and of itself.

When the French finally buckled and agreed to a conference, defusing the crisis that had seen armies called up, it did not go to Germany's taste. Far from displaying French isolationism, it compelled the interested powers to acknowledge their commitments. Alarmed by the possibility that France may offer Germany a port on the Atlantic coast of Morocco to defuse the crisis, possibly Rabat, and, since much of the British Fleet was being moved to the North Sea, the British could do little but strongly support France in a bid to shore up her position. This pulled in the Ottomans, Belgium, Portugal, Spain and eventually the U.S, most surprising to Germany, Italy, onto the side of France, leaving only in principle support from the UHE and Russia. It also served as warning that France could not make concessions anymore to Germany without British approval.

The Germans took comfort from the fact that the pressure forced the hostile Delcasse to resign and a day later Wilhelm II elevated von Bulow to the rank of Prince. However, it was a false victory, for France, so long isolated, now had allies. Wilhelm II did not seem to appreciate this, the following year saying "we shall be good friends with the Gauls". Rovier's faith in conciliation with Germany, however, was dashed and France was irrevocably hostile. Over the next few years Germany's Naval Program would cement the British as anything but their ally. Campbell-Bannerman, who was to take office as Prime Minister in November 1905, had once favoured joining the League of the Three Emperors to try and pull it apart from inside, no longer had the opportunity to even attempt to do so. Grey, the new Liberal Foreign Minister, was concerned about the balance of power more than any Foreign Secretary since Palmerston. He was to say that "If France are left in the lurch a continental league involving her will form against us." His underlying aim was to prevent such a league and the German domination that would henceforth follow. He was to tell the UHE Emperor Rudolf in 1906 "The British people would not tolerate France's being involved in the war with Germany because of the Anglo-French Agreement and any English government, whether Conservative or Liberal, would have to help France." In earlier days, British support could be demonstrated by fleet visits, but this was of no help to France over Germany. As the French pointed out, the Royal Navy "did not run on wheels." The conflict over Morocco was the first foreshadowing of the war to come. It tied the English to the French and saw the first cracking away of Italy from it’s former attachment to the Triple Alliance and the start of its definite shift to France and the United Kingdom.

By 1907, the crisis was well defused and the British again assumed they had no quarrel with Germany, except in regards France. However, there was another problem emerging-rising German Naval budgets. The British had assumed they had no quarrel with Germany and they could not understand her reluctance to have her overseas trade and colonial empire dependent on British goodwill. They could find no rational explanation for Germany's building-only in hostile intent. In reality, there was no rational explanation at all. Germany had drifted into naval expansion partly for domestic policy reasons but mainly from Wilhelm and Tirpitz's desire for grandeur. They hoped a great Navy would make the British respect them, but did not understand that unless they actually out-built the British, the only effect would be to estrange them.

The British had no solution for breaking the deadlock, only that the Germans should cut their program. This would lessen tensions and save money for both sides. The British never understood the political differences between the two countries. In the U.K the taxpayers were also the ruling classes and economy was of immediate benefit to them. In Germany the ruling classes did not pay the taxes, economy brought them no advantage, but rather, since it reduced the contracts and income flow by which they kept the Reichstag happy, in fact increased their political difficulties. In addition, whilst the British naval program was settled each March, in Germany it was laid down years ahead making it harder to change. Of course, with neither side able to reach an understanding with each other, the laying down and building of ships accelerated, dragging in second tier naval powers as well.

As Basil Zaharoff was to say, "When you spend that much on armaments, eventually someone will want to use them."

March 1908 - The succession and Lola

18 March 1908, Maria Theresien Kaserne, Vienna, UHE

Rudolf watched as his now 14 year old daughter took the salute as the new honorary Colonel in Chief of the 5th Landwehrulanenregiment. It has taken a fair amount of diplomatic manoeuvring to avoid a war three years previous, the Tangiers Conference eventually coming to a conclusion far from favourable to Germany. This had been followed by another crisis in 1907 over the French decision to execute a German born Foreign Legion deserter, a decision that was eventually commuted. Relations between the two countries had gradually worsened and this had spurred greater military expenditure in both cases.

Rudolf turned his thoughts back to Lola. She reminded him of her mother in looks, blue eyes and a long mane of blonde hair. Lola would be a real beauty in a way neither her mother or her older sister would be. Whereas himself and Stephanie were more measured, Lola was someone who was always prepared to listen to petitioners and was a truly sunny soul, yet for all that was fiercely intelligent and was developing a strong personality with a number of fierce disagreements with her mother this last six months. The question facing Rudolf was what to do with the UHE succession. Erszi had provided a second child, also a son, named Charles and the question was whether to groom his Grandson for the position, which would require separating him from his mother and father, or to name his youngest daughter heir. Then, of course, there was the Congo. That was another question again and a potentially thorny one at that.

April 1908- A massacre at Lisbon

1 April 1908, Hofburg, Vienna, UHE

Rudolf again contemplated the newspaper in front of him. As was to be expected, every effort had been made to sensationalize the events in Lisbon. However, in this particular instance, perhaps the coverage in the newspapers was less sensational than what was contained in the diplomatic cables that littered his desk, which showed a dark picture of events indeed.

It was without doubt the most shocking act of regicide that had been committed in recent times and that included the assassination of Umberto I in Italy only some eight years ago. The King, the Queen and both Princes had been killed by a vicious combination of a bomb and rifle fire, leaving Portugal in stunned chaos. The nominal heir, 42 year old Duke Afonso had declared himself “unwilling to take the throne over the blood of my brother and nephews and without an endorsement from the people.”

Meanwhile, the PRP had spilled it’s members onto the streets of Lisbon and what had been initially scuffles and had rapidly spread both in depth and violence to what was now an all-out civil war in everything but name between PRP supporters on one hand; those favoring secularism, Republicanism and increased representation on one hand and those that followed the old order of Catholicism and monarchy as well as some moderates protesting the violence of the methods used to remove Carlos I and his sons.

It was already a threat to the existing order in Europe as well, with Germany and Spain among those in favour of immediate intervention and most others in favour of a denunciation of the act of regicide but willing to adopt a more measured wait and see approach.

Even after only four days, the Royalist side was seemingly at the disadvantage. The nominal heir, 42 year old Duke Afonso, was seen as weak and not keen to press his claims. Worse still, he was rumoured to be sterile after a bout of syphilis and the next candidate traced his decent so far back that it was to before Brazil split from Portugal itself in the Pragmatic Separation.

It was ironic that his daughter and son-in-law were now back in power, no matter how tenuous at times, in Brazil, whilst in Portugal what remained of the “senior” Bragazna line was almost extinct.

Needless to say, the Church was horrified by events and secretly the Vatican has made representation in favour of intervention, but Rudolf, whilst horrified himself at what had occurred, was pragmatic about intervention. There were advantages in such a scheme, not least of which was an improvement in relations with the Vatican, relations that had been correct more than cordial these last 15 years. However, as Stephanie had said, an intervention would ultimately be not only ruinously expensive both in terms of money and lives, but also quite possibly be poking their nose into a diplomatic beehive or taking the first steps into a war. Ultimately, if Portugal wished a Republican regime, forcing a weak King upon them would only likely result in a delaying of the inevitable and yet more bloodshed.

It was not like the perpetrators could be questioned, as these had been killed at the time and if the leaders of the PRP were to take power, the fact that they had secretly endorsed such actions could likely never be proven. In the meantime, if the wave of international opinion was in favour of intervention, well, he would allow the UHE to be carried along by such a wave. In the meantime, he had ordered intelligence assets to Lisbon, so if action was required, they could be in a position to carry it out, refused to recognize the self-proclaimed Republican regime. What was to happen in Angola, where UHE technical experts and African Queen ships were transporting Portuguese oil, well, that was another matter.

April 1908- Over the Adriatic

4 April 1908, over the Adriatic

“Port 60 degrees, make to line ahead, distance 1000 meters.”

The helmsman turned the brass wheel that brought OZ-6 Dalmatia onto a similar heading to her sister OZ-5 Transylvania.

“Captain, I can see the island.” Reported his navigator, as the island of Zut came into view and he could eventually make out the Navy destroyer anchored offshore.

Eventually the airship, travelling only 70km into a headwind, came over the island and the Captain throttled back the 120hp Maybach engines so they were making only limited headway.

Captain Stoltz was happy with his command. OZ-5 and OZ-6 were the first on the new airships that used the new duraluminium frame.

“Get ready to drop! Drop!”

The men had brought the crates towards the drop area and had the bombs, small 12kg incendiaries filled with what Stolz had been told was Thermite, whatever that was. However, that was not what made him go beet red with anger.

“Muller, you fool, do not kick the explosive device out of the airship!”

There was always an idiot in every batch. Bombs were being dropped by the men hefting them out of the specially built roll up hatch on the side of the gondola. Dropped by hand, not kicked out by foot for God’s sake.

Eventually, both Zeppelins completed their mission and turned for home after scattering some 64 bombs in what proved to be the general direction of the island of Zut.
------------------------------------------------------------------
SMS Warasdiner closed into the small bay, anchored a dropped two lifeboats. Rudolf jumped off quickly, wading through the gentle surf and onto the small beach. After four hours of inspection, including a climb to Gubavac Hill, one thing was quite clear. There was no way that such bombings would be in any way useful from a strictly military point of view. Only two out of 64 bombs had hit within 100 meters of the hill. Fully nine had seemingly not even hit the island, which was over three kilometers wide and long. Far from a ringing endorsement in terms of accuracy. No, this was a terror weapon only in an offensive sense. In a defensive sense, it was ideal for scouting fleet movements, even reconnaissance, but of little conventional use

April 1908- Winds of change in the U.K

10 April 1908, Whitehall, London

So, it was finally done, though Henry Campbell-Bannerman. The Scottish Home Rule Bill(1908) had followed that of it's Irish predecessor a months before. Both provided for the creation of separate Regional Parliaments for both Scotland and Ireland, with elections for such to take place before December 1908 and a functioning Parliament and Government to sit before April 1909.

Whilst "C-B" had always been in favour of such an arrangement, events overseas had also been very much the driver. It had started with the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Firstly the Ausgleich in 1867, then followed the creation of Czechia in 1891, then Illyria following , the creation of a separate but subordinate Parliament for the Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria with increased powers in 1898 and then finally in 1907 another subordinate Parliament in regards the Kingdom of Carnolia. It was, in many ways, these sort of arrangements for Regional Parliaments that had inspired Henry Campbell-Bannerman. That and strangely enough what was happening in Russia, of all places, where Regional Parliaments had spread from Finland to Poland to Armenia to Georgia.

With such changes afoot in what were perceived as backward and authoritarian states, how could not Britain follow suit and so it had proven. There had been increased agitation for at least fifteen years and eventually change was inevitable and so "C-B" had been the architect of such a change. He had been to the palace a fortnight before. There was no question of not getting Royal Approval, especially since the King had used his influence to help push such Bills through.

It was to be the last political act of Henry Campbell Bannerman who would resign as Prime Minister on the 12th, dying less than a fortnight later, leaving H.H Asquith to assume the Prime Ministership and leadership of the Liberal Party.

April 1908- Naval state of play 1908

24 April 1908, Admiralty, Whitehall, London, United Kingdom

"Jackie" Fisher was unhappy to see the news in regards the former Prime Minister Henry Campbell-Bannerman but at least thought that Asquith's new regime would be less parsimonious in regards Naval Expenditure. The Germans were well underway with a Program and were already proving duplicitous, Tirpitz laying down an extra two ships that were not in their estimates. Now that Japan was scattered to the four winds and Russia had also commenced a Program of Schrecks, all that England could possibly rely on for assistance were France and Italy, no matter how distasteful that thought may be. He had halted his scrapping of obsolete ships and numbers had now begun to climb again, being:

Royal Navy
Schrecks 8 + 8 building
Battlecruisers 3 + 4 building
Battleships 48 + 2 reserve
Armoured Cruisers 37
Protected Cruisers/Light cruisers 93 + 13 building

France
Schrecks 2 building plus 2 planned
Battleships 17 + 6 building
Battlecruisers nil
Armoured Cruisers 22 + 2 building
Protected Cruisers/Light Cruisers 20

Germany
Schrecks First 4 + 9 building
Battleships 12 + 4 building
Batlecruisers 2 + 4 building
Armoured cruisers 5
Protected Cruisers/Light Cruisers 38 + 6 building

Russia
Schrecks 3 + 4 building
Battleships 20
Armoured Cruisers 5
Protected Cruisers/Light Cruisers 18 + 8 building

USA
Schrecks 5 + 4 building
Battleships 16
Battlecruisers Nil
Armoured Cruisers 8
Protected Cruisers/Light Cruisers 24 +1 building

Italy
Schrecks One building
Battleships 16 + 3 building
Battlecruisers Nil
Armoured Cruisers 8 + 2 building
Protected Cruisers/Light Cruisers 12

UHE
Schrecks 5 + 1 building
Battleships Nil
Battlecruisers 2 + 1 building
Armoured Cruiser 1
Protected Cruisers/Light Cruisers 16 + 2 building

Ottomans
Schrecks 1
Battleships 2
Battlecruiser Nil
Armoured Cruiser 1
Protected Cruisers/Light Cruisers 3 + 1 building

Japan
Schrecks 2 + 2 building
Battleships Nil
Battlecruisers Nil
Armoured Cruisers 3
Protected Cruisers/Light Cruisers 11 + 3 building

Spain
Schrecks 1 building
Battleships 1
Battlecruisers Nil
Armoured Cruisers 5
Protected Cruisers/Light Cruisers 5

Brazil
Schrecks 1 building
Battleships 2
Battlecruisers 3
Armoured Cruisers 5
Protected Cruisers/Light Cruisers 4 + 2 building

Argentina
Schrecks 2 building
Battleships 4
Battlecruisers Nil
Armoured Cruisers 2
Protected Cruisers/Light Cruisers 4

Chile
Schrecks Nil
Battleships 3
Battlecruisers Nil
Armoured Cruisers 2
Protected Cruisers/Light Cruisers 5

Sweden
Schrecks Nil
Battleships 12
Battlecruisers Nil
Armoured Cruisers 1
Protected Cruisers/Light Cruisers Nil

The Royal Navy's numbers were low and she was under more threat than ever before, Fisher was well aware of that fact and would fight to increase Naval Budgets no matter the cost.

April 1908- Tapping steel in Brazil

30 April 1908, Paço de São Cristóvão, Rio de Janeiro, Empire of Brazil

Empress Elizabeth sat back and looked at both men. What was obviously their finest clothes were still of threadbare, if clean appearance. Erszi had done her best to quell both men's nervousness, despite the obvious difficulty of such a task.

Both worked at Brazil Steel, a brand new works owned 90% by Andrew Carnegie, the remainder by the Brazilian State itself. Erszi went on. "So, Gentleman, tell me more about what you do at the steel works, is it hard work, what hours do you work for what pay, what tasks and so on."

Joao Montes was the first to speak up. "Your Majesty...hard. Yes, it is hard, very hard. I lost fifteen kilograms in the first three months I came into this business. It sweats the life out of a man. I often drink two buckets of water during twelve hours; the sweat drips through my sleeves, and runs down my legs and fills my shoes."

"What about pay?" asked Erszi.

"We receive just over two silver reals a day. It is I suppose a good wage and it has taken my family out of the ghetto, but we work 12 hours a day six days a week with only Sunday off work."

"What does your job involve?"

"Joao Montes pinched the bridge of his nose. "Well Your Majesty, as I indicated it is hard work. We have eight furnaces-each producing forty tons of steel every six hours. The furnaces run at 3,000 degrees. The extreme heat burns out the impurities in the iron, resulting in steel. Before the furnace is tapped and the steel comes out, we bang on beams to warn others to take cover. If there is water in the molds when they we tap it, that is the most dangerous as it can explode and metal flies all over the tapping area."

The steel is finished by adding carbon and manganese.You lift a large sack of coal to your shoulders, run towards the white hot steel in a hundred-ton ladle and must get close enough without burning your face off to hurl the sack, using every ounce of strength, into the ladle and run, as flames leap to the roof and the heat blasts everything up to the roof. Then you rush out to the ladle and madly shovel manganese into it, as hot a job as can be imagined really."

Erszi thought afterward of the workers. It had been a coup to attract Andrew Carnegie's steel mill complex, the largest industrial concern in Brazil and it complimented the large iron ore reserves Brazil possessed, however, even though they had insisted on Sunday off for religious reasons, in reality more needed to be done to protect the workers. It was a delicate balancing act as they could not afford to not attract business to a country that was chronically short of heavy industry either.

May 1908- Naval aviation?

10 May 1908, Lochau, UHE

The aircraft's land borne companion had already undertaken it's first flight and now it was time for the seaborne version. Whilst Gustav Whitehead, the man that had undertaken the first powered flight had been killed when his experimental aircraft crashed in 1907, Igo Etrich had partnered with Camillo Castiglioni and Ludwig Lohner to found the Lohner AG Werke. It was this design, using the latest Maybach 90hp engine, that had proven so successful.

This machine was a delight to fly and had been taken at Ostrau to over 400 meters high and to a speed of more than 40 knots. The Army had taken an interest for artillery observation and now the Navy wished to explore the possibility of landing the aircraft, modified with floats, on the flat surface of Lake Constance.

Igo Ettrich watched the aircraft cut power and glide down towards the surface of the lake. He need not have worried. One of the aircraft's more benign features was it's capacity to glide without power and it duly touched down on the lake like an alighting swan. On the way out, once the aircraft had been pushed out into deeper water, it had proven itself capable of taking off from water without any great impediment.

Contracts from both the Army and the Navy would follow, with small numbers of deliveries commencing in 1909 of what was to be called the Lohner A and A1 respectively.

June 1908- Who do you think you are kidding Mr Hitler

1 June 1908, Port Helena, Austrian Sahara

As he alighted the gangplank he noted the small crowd that seemingly heralded the arrival of new ships. The port was busy, two small coasters and a large African Queen tanker lying at anchor. He was eager to prove himself, both to himself and also to the Director of the Vienna Fine Arts Institute". He showed an "unfitness for painting". Well Herr Muller could go to the Devil as far as he was concerned. For the second time he had been called to Africa in fortuitous circumstances. Clearly the Hofburg did not agree with Herr Muller. Official Court Appointed Painter to help document life in the Congo. It was a smallish stipend, but a comfortable enough one. By the evening he was painting on the deserted desert beach as they spent the night in harbour before proceeding in the morning.

An extract from The Life of Adolf Hitler, Adventure Novelist

"It was really the move to the Congo Kingdom in 1908 that was to provide the impedes towards Hitler becoming a household name in the era. Plucked from seeming obscurity to an appointment as Official Court Painter, he was to provide a valuable record of early development in the Congo. His painting in many cases pre date the everyday use of photography and therefore are a valuable record of conditions as they were at that time and for that reason alone often command a high price, despite their acknowledged lack of feeling or in some cases technical detail. One thing Hitler's paintings depicted was variety and he did not hesitate to paint subjects many others would avoid, such as slums or squalor.

However, it is not for his painting that Hitler himself is so well known. It is, of course, for his series of adventure novels featuring his central character Erwin Blitz and his mainly African and Middle Eastern adventures. Hitler's first novel in 1912, "Blitz's Folly", set in the Sudan in the Mahadist period, was an unqualified success as set the standard for beautifully illustrated books, all of which contained up to 20 actual prints painted by the author. It was to spark a series of books set on the same character, who becomes a "Heroic soldier and spy of the Empire", experiencing many 19th-century wars and adventures and rising to high rank in the UHE Army, being acclaimed as a truly great soldier, while remaining "a scoundrel, a liar, a cheat, a letch, a thief, plus sometimes a coward." Blitz often attempts to avoid danger but is just as often helplessly drawn into it none the less and therefore he usually ends each volume acclaimed as some sort of hero. His series of 15 novels ends only at the conclusion of the Great War, with many early works set in and around the Congo.

Typical "Boy's Own" yarns, the novels still retain a following today, although it was during the 1920's and 1930's they probably reached their peak in popularity, with another peak in the 1980's when Jürgen Prochnow starred in the 15 part Mini-Series Blitz, based on all the novels.

Hitler was to stay in Marienburg most of his life, returning to the UHE only in 1946 when his Parkinson's disease, the illness that would finally kill him seven years later, had become so bad that a more milder climate and better medical care was required and he moved to Split."

June 1908- Triple Entente-Into one camp or another

22 June 1908, Foreign Ministry, Vienna, UHE

Leon de Biliński's new appointment as Foreign Minister had started with a bump. It was not really a surprise he supposed, but was none the less bad news. Italy had completed a final drift away from Germany and the UHE and duly concluded a pact with Great Britain and France that was now being called the Triple Entente. With Great Britain's ties to Japan via the Anglo-Japanese Treaty and to Portugal via the Treaty of Windsor, the later a Treaty that Great Britain had indicated it considered valid despite Portugal's adoption of a Republican regime, it seemed that Russia, Germany and the UHE now faced a possible opposing block of five countries.

Of course, it was all only hypothetical, however, there was no doubt at all that such a gathering was aimed at the League of the Three Emperors, why else would such a coalition form if not to protect their own security in the face of such a perceived threat. Certain other countries lay within these camps as well. There was no doubt that Brazil, incensed by events in Portugal, would also likely support the UHE, as would Albania and the Congo, as well as quite probably Ethiopia. Canada and Australasia would support the British, Romania would of course be hostile, hoping to secure Transylvania.

Definitive alliances were forming and de Biliński's job would no doubt involve not only attempting to break such alliances, but also influencing true neutrals towards the UHE's position. These would no doubt include Bulgaria, Belgium, Serbia, the Netherlands, Spain, China, the Ottomans and, of course, the larger prize, the USA.

June 1908- Is it an enigma or a mystery

18 June 1908, Ministry of War, Vienna, UHE

"As one can see Your Majesty, it is a combination of electrical and mechanical parts, all working together. The machine consists of four main parts, the plug board, the keyboard, the lamp board and rotors. Now when you press a key on the keyboard, an electrical signal is generated. This moves through all the components to encrypt an alphabet. The first stopping point from pressing a key on the keyboard is the plug board. Some of the letters on the plug board may be connected to another letter. As you can see here, R is connected to M. The next stop is here at the static rotor, which does not change the signal, but it does turn the wires into contacts, since the signal can only pass when contact is made. The output from the static rotor as an input for the moving rotors and it is here much of the scrambling takes place.

There are three rotors of varying speeds. The electrical symbol passes through the fast rotor, then the slower until finally reaching the slowest. Each rotor has 30 alphabet settings. After one revolution of the fast rotor, a change of setting of the middle rotor occurs. Likewise, a complete revolution of the middle rotor triggers a change in the slowest rotor.

After the signal comes out as an output from the slowest rotor here, it goes through the reflector. This takes a letter that has been input and reflects a different letter as an output. The output traces the same path back through the machine, until it reaches the lamp board and activates one of the 30 letters. Therefore, going through the entire circuit, the letter R may be encrypted as M, with the light shown as M, as you can see."

"Very good Herr Tesla, very good indeed." said Rudolf.

"How did you come up with this idea in the first place Your Majesty?"

"Well, I like to consider that if circumstances had been different, I may have been an inventor. I dabble...don't I Lola?" Rudolf said, looking at his increasingly precocious 14 year old who was examining the machine like it was a particularly interesting species of bug.

"Oh, of course Papa."

"Well, it was an interesting idea and I confess that it held my interest for some time."

Thank God, thought Rudolf. Tesla had been a good acquisition, but he was in many ways more effective at stimulating the ideas of others than providing new ideas and innovations himself. A number of useful innovations had flown from Tesla's work, however, it had proven to be almost impossibly difficult to keep the man on track for projects allocated to him. He had spent more than five years researching the curative powers of electricity and little had come of it. "Not particularly shocking" was Stephanie's comeback, when he had complained. What a comedian. Well, this machine was very similar indeed to what he had become familiar with from his time in the Reichsmarine.

"Excellent, well I thank you Herr Tesla."

"I suppose all that remains now is to what we name it Your Majesty."

"Well, you did the labour on such a device Herr Tesla, what would you suggest?"

"How about Mysterija? It's the Croatian word for mystery."

"Excellent, very clever sir" said Lola, clapping her hands.

"Well", said Rudolf. "It appears we are in agreement."

July 1908- Case Green

16 July 1908, Ministry of War, Vienna, UHE

Beck had been retired for four years, but had participated strongly in the finalising of plans that were started during his tenure as the professional Head of the Army. The two men had spent the morning going over the plans for an Italian War, either individually, named Case Green, or as part of a larger conflict in conjunction with Russia and Germany, named Case Red-Green. There were certain similarities with both plans. Both envisaged leaving 40% of the UHE Army to guard the Balkans and Galicia, whilst the remainder concentrated in the North-west for a large blow against Italy.

Whilst the Navy sealed off the Northern Adriatic to any likely interference and much of the front would remain static, there would be two main thrusts. Firstly, twin pincers to rapidly take the Italian town of Agordo, which would open up the valley leading to the Pieve Railway and the Venetian Plain beyond. Secondly, a thrust involving much of the mobile units of cavalry, which would make two thrust, one for Udine and another along the coast, attempting to move quickly and encircle Italian units, their ultimate objectives Venice, Padua and Verona. Once onto the Northern Italian Plains, an advance to the Po would likely bring Italy to her knees. Rudolf planed to leapfrog some units along the coast with a series of amphibious operations to keep the Italian consistently off balance.

Hopefully such plans would not be needed, but it was better to plan for an event than be caught unawares.

July 1908- State of the Congo

29 July 1908, Marienburg, Kingdom of the Congo

Laura von Gieslingen thought again about what a transformative period that both she and Wladimir had overseen. Her husband had received the Congo Finance Minister Ralph Gotteshalk that very afternoon and one thing was clear-money was flowing into the country at an unprecedented rate. Standard Oil had 10,800 ton ships on the African run and now shipments had leapt to almost one sailing a day, hence oil income was at an all time high. In the UHE this had created two refineries in Fiume plus a third for kerosene locally in the Congo. Customs duties were fattened both in Vienna, Budapest and Marienburg. Rubber production had also continued to rise and the price remained healthy at 2800 crowns per ton, with a seeming shortage world wide still. What effect the newly minted British production field would have on world prices remained to be seen but at the moment the world as a whole was clamoring for the product that could only be obtained from Brazil and the Congo.

There was much to spend money on in the Congo and the rapid leap in transport infrastructure via river craft and railways had seen other products of lower value be available for export as well, namely grains, mainly Tef but also Acacia nuts.

However, it was in mining that the country had made it's economic bones. Two months ago the rail line to open up the Lado enclave finally was completed. It left the slowly progressing line South from Helena that would connect to the Katanga lines as the only project under construction, many of the men formerly employed being offered jobs on the Marienburg to Cabinda road construction. The completion of the line North to Rejaf had opened up the gold mines for bulk export and enabled an increase in ivory production as well, although, somewhat unpopularly, quotas existed for the numbers of elephants that could be culled. This had proven unpopular with some, such as British adventurer and hunter W.D.M Bell, whose forcible expulsion from the country had created a diplomatic scandal that had paradoxically put the "wild lands of Equatoria" into word attention.

However, aside from diamonds, which continued to provide an attractive income, most of the wealth came from Katanga's Copper and Tin fields, supplemented by more Tin from the Lake Tanganyika fields that were now coming on line. Congo had rocketed to second place in export for both Tin and Copper and the royalties from such, even taking into account the generous terms given to the British South Africa Company for use of their rail infrastructure were large indeed.

Immigrants were landing every day, mainly from the UHE's poorer areas like Galicia and Dalmatia, but also large amounts of poorer Americans. Not all were white, large numbers of blacks from Angola continued crossing the borders despite the efforts of Portuguese authorities to stop them. All or most were fortune seekers of some kind. Investment was also on the rise, many wealthy Viennese having their imaginations fired by the meteoric rise and fall of Congo shares on the Vienna or Budapest Exchanges and comforted by modern postcards depicting "civilized" towns with European buildings at Marienburg, Cabinda, Elizabethville and Helena.

It had placed an untold strain on the ability of the Government to build public facilities to keep up with expansion. Thankfully a surfeit of money helped there.

Whilst many rural Congolese still lived traditional lives, many now did not and these people chased the lure of the mighty Kroner as enthusiastically as their white counterparts. Literacy was increasing, now at 39% of the population and continuing to rise.

Wealth of any kind also equates to envy and to that end Queen Stephanie was only too well aware that many were casting a covetous eye on the Congo and to that end had taken steps to increase the Congolese Royal Army and Navy. The army now consisted of two full Regiments, six "small" Regiments, each of two Battalions only and ten more Independent Battalions. The Navy had sold back the older cruiser to the UHE Navy and now possessed a force of four small destroyers with two fast and lightly armed shallow draft mine-laying cruisers under construction, sisters to a class being built currently in Trieste and Fiume. In addition, there was a small river force of six gunboats. Recently, there was the first batch of native commissioned officers that the Queen had herself personally conducted the commissioning ceremony for. It had been good to see her friend again.

Numbers of whites in the Congo had exploded to well over 120,000 and, of course, that had raised the numbers of mixed race children as well. It was also estimated some 60,000 more Africans had crossed the border, most from Angola. Some 35,000 of the whites were UHE citizens, another 7,000 or so Americans, the remainder came from all corners of the globe. For all that, law and order was remarkably consistent and whilst their had been racial tension and even riots, there was little in the way of deep seated resentment, especially in mining areas where the rough and tumble of everyday life was a great equalizer. The recent hanging of two white immigrants for murder was evidence enough that justice could be even handed.

Income figures were now, in Crowns:

Copper/Cobalt 2,914,000
Tin 2,429,000
Crude Oil 1,018,000
Rubber 569,000
Diamonds 300,000
Gold 292,000
Silver/Lead/Zinc 214,000
Ivory 162,000
Fruits and fruit products 141,000
Manganese 68,000
Coffee 55,000
Coal 42,000
Grains 38,000
Palm Oil 34,000
Malachite 29,000
Palm Nuts 29,000
Port Fees 22,000
Acacia pods 18,000
Philatelic and Numismatic Sales 2,000
Company Taxes 122,000
Stamp Duty 115,000
Miscellaneous 19,000

TOTAL 9,632,000 Krone approximately

Naturally, expenditure jumped to keep pace with but a great deal of infrastructure expenditure as now being driven by the mining companies themselves and shareholder money and much had been done to focus on education, sanitation, health, public buildings, defense, communications like the telegraph network and even more would likely be done now that the pace of railway construction had slowed.

To make administration easier, the country had been split into eight Provinces, each with a district Governor under Wladimir himself as Governor-General, namely

Katanga(Capital Elizabethville)
Equatoria(Capital Lado)
Western Lakes(Capital Uvira)
Delta(Capital Banka)
Northern(Capital Stanleyville)
Central(Capital Helena)
Marienburg(Capital Marienburg)
Cabinda(Capital Cabinda)

Vladimir and her own tenures in the Congo were coming to an end after almost six years and soon she would return to Vienna. The Congo was an environment that her children, now numbering five with a new addition, had grown up in and now they would have to adapt to a new environment again.

July 1908- Congo map

Congo latest map(rough Province borders in red)

August 1908- A new arrival ,a naval discussion

18 August 1908, Fiume, United Hapsburg Empire

At slightly over 13,000 tons the Luciania would be one of the larger if not the largest civilian ship to use the harbour and would take over as the new flagship of Hungarian-American Lines. There was more than enough need for such a ship considering the success of the runs by the company to Rio and the River Plate. This had been in contrast the such services to Charleston, which had proven to deliver disappointing returns.

Newly minted Commander Miklos Horthy duly inspected the ship over the course of the next week, as he had been told to do. The huge triple expansion machinery and the 12 Scotch boilers could make 22-23 knots, but she had been rendered obsolete by the introduction of the huge Lusitania and Mauritania and put up for sale by Cunard. It had been the Navy that had provided some of the impetus for the purchase, likely some of the cash as well though Horthy. All three of Hungarian-American, Austro-Lloyds and Royal Illyrian had signed certain agreements enabling the Navy Department to convert certain ships to armed merchant cruisers or transports in the advent of war and this ship would be subject to just such an agreement.

Horthy shuddered as he looked over the passenger areas, as opposed to the neat economical engine room. All the first-class public rooms, and the en-suite staterooms of the upper deck were paneled, in oak, satinwood or mahogany; and plushly carpeted. Velvet curtains hung aside the windows and portholes, while the furniture was richly upholstered in matching design. The predominant style was Art Nouveau, although other styles were also in use, such as "French Renaissance" which was applied to the forward first-class entrance hall, whilst the 1st class smoking room was in "Elizabethan style", comprising heavy oak panels surrounding an open fireplace of all the things one would not wish to see aboard a ship at sea. The first class dining saloon, over 3m high and measured 30 m long by 20 m wide. Over the central part of this room was a well that rose through three decks to a skylight. The paneled walls were done in Spanish mahogany, inlaid with ivory and richly carved with pilasters and decorations. The opulence was beyond vulgar in it's excess and all would be quickly ripped out if ever she saw military service.

It was later that same day that he struck up another conversation with a fellow officer at the sunny little waterside cafe. The man, Georg von Trapp, was a submariner and had taken him to view his new command, a ten man submarine of a new class, three of which were moored near Whitehead's torpedo factory.

The port itself was busy, a third and final battlecruiser's bulk in the final stages of fitting out whilst two mine-laying cruisers, lightly armed with only a twin 5.9 inch turret and lighter guns and with light armour but rumoured to be capable of almost 30 knots, were under construction. They represented two of a class of five, two of which were for the Congolese Navy.

Von Trapp was a pleasant enough fellow and they discussed their families as well as the development of the Navy, one of the topics being the rumoured development of a new 355mm gun. There were no contracts to build new battleships beyond the five the Navy already possessed, however, it seemed unlikely that such a gun would have been developed without plans to place it on board a ship at some stage or another.

August 1908 - Italy lays a Schreck

30 August 1908, La Spezia, Kingdom of Italy

So, thought Prince Ferdinando of Savoy, here in his capacity as a naval officer and also as a representative of the House of Savoy. They had finally gotten around to it. The new battleship was finally of the Schreck type, incorporating 12 12 inch guns and turbine engines. It had surely taken it's fair time and Italy was building exactly one of them as a trial before a full class would be laid down and just laying down that first ship now.

It was comfortable, he supposed to say "the Navy has 20 battleships and six more are building", but reclassifying 10 inch armed cruisers as battleships, as had happened in seven cases and taking into account that ten of these battleships were ironclads, ironclads of the type that had seen the Ottomans slaughtered in the Aegean Sea some ten years ago should have rung alarm bells that what was really needed was a clean out similar to what Fisher had pursued in the Royal Navy. However, this had been ignored and now things had reached a stage where those who wished to save face could not go back at a risk of exposing their previous statements as nigh on lies. It was a conundrum of the highest order and mitigated against the security of the country as a whole.

Congo province map

Map Congo Provinces in 1908, as done by @Cool-Eh

February 2020- Women's rights a look back

27 February 2020, Schonbrunn Palace, Vienna, UHE

Crown Princess Edona Hapsburg. It still felt very weird to think of herself, a farm girl from Albania, in this way. Again Edona picked up the book "Times of Transformation-the Rudolf and Stephanie years) and proceeded to read on in her quest to further understand the history of her husband's family.

"For the cause of feminism in Europe the contribution made by Rudolf and Stephanie cannot be overestimated. For it was events in the UHE, that former Austro-Hungarian Empire, that set the tone for the rest of Europe to follow. For whilst it was Australasia that became the first state to grant full suffrage for women in 1901, it was the introduction into the UHE in 1902 that set the tone for Europe and was quickly followed by by others, namely Finland in 1905, Denmark in 1906, and of all places Russia in 1908. This was to place intolerable pressure on the government of Asquith and after the rejection of the "People's Budget" of Churchill and David Lloyd George in 1909, Women's Suffrage was adopted as policy by the Liberal Party and after they won a mandate in the 1910 elections for such policies this was to provoke a constitutional crisis only resolved when the new King threatened to create enough peers to see the relevant Legislation for both the People's Budget and the Electoral Reform Act(1910) pass the House of Lords, which both were to duly do in later in 1910. It was a move that was to see a crushing Liberal victory at election in 1914, the first that women voted in.

These events were followed by Argentina in 1911, Brazil in 1912, Norway, Iceland and Canada in 1913, Uruguay in 1914 and Germany in 1915 and finally Luxembourg and the Netherlands in 1916, all in the heady days of change just before the Great War.

Of course it was the Great War itself that also changed events, seeing the first full scale use of women's labour in non traditional employment.

Without a doubt it was events in the UHE, events so intimately connected with Rudolf and Stephanie and the radically transformative policies of their reign, that were the catalyst of not only change within the UHE but of world change. Within a year of the end of the Great War in January 1919, more countries than not within Europe had granted the vote to their female citizens."

September 1908- Phosphates in a mountain of sand

18 September 1908, Vila Cisneros, UHE Sahara

Captain Armand Cisternos had despaired of making anything of the sun beaten wildness that comprised his West African coastal colony. Whilst The Congo may have been generating 10 million Krone per month in income, the UHE's possession of the Saharan wasteland had proven to be little more than a money sink. A convenient coaling port to be true, but many of the larger ships did not need to make the stop and the Colony's expenditure far exceeded it's income.

Cisternos looked at the monthly income figures for the Colony again. Fishing was the main source of income, dates the only agricultural crop. These were:

Fishing 1,800
Philatelic and Numismatic Revenue 1,600
Port Duties 900
Customs and Excise 400
Dates 300

A total of only 5,000 Krone per month, a laughable figure when one considered that over 1.2 million Krone had been spent on mineral exploration alone over the last ten years. At least there was little to be spent here beyond port facilities, public buildings and sanitation for there was little in the way of native inhabitants, only trackless nomads aside from the coastal fisherman. Yet perhaps that mineral exploration had not been in vain. He looked again at the rocks found some 90 kilometres South-west of the Oasis. Phosphates, well they could be useful in agricultural development, if not in this God forgotten wilderness at least elsewhere.

October 1908- A new government in Budapest

18 October 1908, Budapest, Hungary, UHE

Ferenc Kossuth had little in the way of choice. A demonstration on the 2nd of October through the streets of Budapest against the Curia system had become violent all too quickly, resulting in 51 deaths, two of the policeman as the crowd had swarmed the inadequate police response. Panicked, the officer on the spot had authorised the police to open fire and that gunfire, along with a number of protestors trampled by horses, had all added to the toll of dead and wounded.

It had started so well for the Party of Independence and '48 with a landslide victory in the 1906 election, however, ideological differences had quickly split the party, then there were allegations of corruption ferretted out by the press. With pressure and denunciation from all sides, including a letter from the Hofburg indicating that he had lost the confidence of the Kaiser, there was little in the way of choice.

Gyula Andrassy would be come the new Prime Minister in an interim government and during 1909 abolished the Curia system in favour of the same system of Universal Suffrage for the literate, but with incorporation of plural voting, that existed everywhere else in the UHE. The 1910 elections were a disaster for the Party of Independence and '48, leaving it split in two and with less than 15% of the vote, the National Party of Work romping to a 46% share of the vote, followed by the SDP's 22%.

October 1908- Ethiopian sinking

27 October 1908, Zula, Empire of Ethiopia

The older four masted iron hulled barque was nearing the end of her useful life and was likely to be laid up by Royal Illyrian Lines if not this run then certainly after the next. It had none the less been an important run, bringing 300 Madsen light machine guns for the Ethiopian Army, as well as over 100,000 rounds of ammunition, in addition to a more regular cargo of dried fruits and wine.

Now she moved into Annesley Bay after departing the only port in Ethiopia, Zula. She carried only a mundane cargo of Tef and the Russian Military advisor, Captain Pyotr Wrangel, his wife Olga and their infant son. The older ship had reached the head of the bay and begun to tack towards the North when she brushed the mine.

The 85 kilograms of explosive were to produce a predictably quick result in regards the old ship. It was to be fully two hours before the old ex UHE torpedo boat Anibesa, one of two at the port of Zula that comprised the entirety of the Ethiopian Navy, summoned a crew, raised steam and reached the scene. Remarkably, one of the deckhands had survived, the only person to do so.

The torpedo boat, proceeding carefully under it’s ex Imperial Russian Navy commander, was proceeding carefully and spotted a second mine quite quickly, the manufacturer all too apparent. Gio. Ansaldo & C.

The Road to War

Extract from "The Road to the Great War" by Richard Westerman

"Relations between Italy and the UHE had been in decline since the accession of Rudolf as Kaiser, but they took a turn markedly for the worse after the Zula sinking in 1908 off the coast of Ethiopia, strongly suspected by both the UHE and Russian Governments to be the work of the local Italian Governor, likely exceeding orders to harass all Ethiopian sea traffic, in many cases using "pirates" that were paid locally. Whilst there were a number of strongly worded statements, Italy was to dig in and refuse to acknowledge any involvement in relation to events at hand and eventually the crisis was to blow over, but not without considerable ill feeling on all sides. However, it did serve to cement Italy, which was strongly supported by France, as a defined member of the Triple Entente.

It was only the start of a sharp downturn in relations, fuelled by a series of utterly ridiculous diplomatic incidents. Firstly in 1911 near Jamiano a UHE officer pursued his lost dog in the night over the border and was duly shot by Italian border guards. This was complicated by the officer in question, Franz Haber, having a father that was a member of the Carnolian Parliament. Needless to say this was to provoke a furious series of diplomatic exchanges. This was followed by the Clothes Pegs Affair in 1912 when a UHE diplomat's wife was accused of stealing clothes pegs from a nearby residence and duly jailed by an Italian court for six months. Finally it culminated in the "Battle of the Boar" in 1914 when an Italian peasant stole a pig from the island of Sazan and escaped via fishing boat, was duly pursued by a UHE police boat across the Straits of Otranto before finally being driven off by an Italian patrol boat for being inside Italian costal waters, but not before both sides exchanged a smattering of small arms fire, allowing the offending thief and pig to make their escape.

It was these sort of incidents that contributed to a steady rising of tensions between both the UHE and Italy at the same time that tensions in regards the German Naval Program were also driving a wedge between Germany and the United Kingdom. By 1914 Europe was at a state of high tension and war was considered inevitable by many, as evidenced by the large upturn in military spending as early as 1910. All that was required was a spark. Considering the tensions that had been built up, it was no surprise that the Zula incident in Ethiopia is now considered important since it was the assassination of Empress Zewditu in Addis Ababa on April 2nd, 1916, that started the "Guns of April" and the slide towards a truly World War, confirmed by the Snipe incident the following month that set Argentina against Chile and confirmed South America's involvement in the conflagration in addition to that of Europe and Asia."

November 1908- Getting older and sub machine guns

30 November 1908, Steyr Mannlichter, Steyr, UHE

It was bitingly cold outside, a sign of the coming winter and so Rudolf had taken Lola with him for the demonstration since Stephanie was in the Congo. It was quite impressive and when placed in production would provide the army with it’s first real modern sidearm, replacing the Rast and Gasser M1898 revolver over the next 10 years.

Rudolf had, of course, taken the opportunity to fire the weapon himself. It was good to be the Kaiser in that way at least. However, he was now 50 and although he still kept to his wife’s demanding physical regimen (at least whilst Stephanie was in Vienna), he would be lying if he was not well aware that he was beginning to show his age. His hairline had begun to recede at age 40 and now was more than a little sparse, his hair also heavily salted with grey. The very role of Kaiser itself was of little help, with punishing work schedules, separation for extended periods from those he loved, late nights, early mornings. Huge too large meals often indispersed with missing eating altogether and only small periods of time free from stress and responsibility.

Yet for all of that, for all of those negative thoughts, he was happier than he had ever been before. Here he belonged. Here he had people that loved him. Of course, he had investigated events in Halle an der Salle. How could anyone with only a reasonable level of curiousness not? A six year old girl and a two year old boy. Apparently there had been a middle child, a still born son, perfectly formed by no sign of life when delivered.

What he was doing here, well that had the capacity to shape the future world and he confessed to himself that he felt on one hand the weight of such responsibility yet on the other his ego soared to see his own position of importance in world events. Time as a signals and then gunnery officer seemed so very long ago now and of so little import.

Yes, he now felt the first signs of older age, a slight labouring to do tasks that formerly came easy. Tiredness at the end of a long day. Grey hairs, frown lines. Signs that, although he had been effectively granted two lives, this one was moving forward and that mortality had only been delayed, not in some way avoided.

There was only one real form of immortality, he thought, and that was leaving a part of yourself behind in your children, as he looked sideways at his daughter, tall already at 167cm and with a mass of blonde hair cascading down her back. Inwardly he had laughed at the incredulous expression on Herr Salle’s face as he had handed the pistol to the young 14 year old Archduchess, who had cleared and loaded the weapon before she started popping off rounds from the M1908 automatic pistol, perforating the bull at 10 metres. He had taken care to teach her how to shoot. Her mother had needed no such instruction, already being quite familiar with firearms.

Now that Erszi had delivered a second son, Charles, to follow her first, Pedro and a daughter, Isabel, the question of a successor again raised it’s head, this time with real urgency. Should he take a boy away from his mother and across the world and teach him the necessary facets of Kingship or look to the daughter that remained to him? Perhaps less intelligent than her elder sister, but more compassionate and with an easy, winning manner and boundless confidence. That was the question.

He came out of his thoughts to the sound of the voice.

“Majesty?”

“Papa”, from Lola.

“I am sorry Herr Salle, lost in my own thoughts. You were saying?”

“Very good, err shooting from Archduchess Helena, Your Majesty.”

“Yes, I have taught her myself. Now, Her Salle, you mentioned your other project?”

“Yes, of course. It is of course in your response to your request as to the feasibility of such an arrangement.” The older man reached down and extracted the weapon, a variation of the basic pistol, with the elongated magazine enough for three eight round stripper clips and a short stock joining the original magazine just below the trigger mechanism.

Well, thought Rudolf, it is certainly interesting.

“As you can see Your Majesty, there is a selector on the side to allow you to fire single shots or in automatic mode like a machine gun.”

“Very well Herr Salle, let us see how it goes.”

Rudolf flipped the selector to automatic, lined up the target and pulled the trigger. A burst of fire hit the target before the gun kicked up at 45 degrees and eventually sprayed the wall, bullets gouging holes in the board and punching out wood fragments. Christ, he thought. It certainly spat out some firepower, even if holding the gun on the target was difficult in the extreme.

“Papa, let me try” said Lola.

“No my dear, I don’t think this one is for you.”

November 1908- UHE Naval update

30 November 1908, Hofburg, Vienna, UHE

The Navy budgets had been modest the last few years, mainly devoted to constructing small craft and completing existing programs. He had trimmed the Navy's desire for a fleet of 12 battleships, 4 battlecruisers, 10 light cruisers and 24 destroyers, as well as 8 submarines to 9 battleships, 4 battlecruisers, 10 light cruisers but had increased the numbers of destroyers to 36 and submarines to 16.

Next year it would be time to obtain the funds for the first two ships of a new class of four battleships, all mounting the new 355 gun. They would be larger and more expensive than the previous classes, carrying 8 main guns on 24,000 tons and being capable of 24 knots. The design had been completed.

Currently all that was under construction was two large submarines capable of operating out of the Adriatic and four fast minelaying cruisers, two of those for the Congo. Two older cruisers, three old destroyers and two submarines had been sold to China, freeing up some money for new construction.

Capital Ships
2 19,800 ton Kaiserin Stephanie Class battleships, 9x12.2 inch, 12x5.9 inch, 21 knots(Kaiserin Stephanie, Szent Istvan)
3 18,300 ton Schreck Class battleships, 7x12.2 inch, 10x5.9 inch, 22 knots(Schreck, Kaiser Rudolf, Heiligedreifaltigkeit)
1 17,200 ton Tegettoff battlecruiser, 17x9.2 inch, 9x3.9 inch, 24 knots
3 18,400 ton battlecruiser Veribus Unitus, 12x9.2 inch, 16x3.9 inch, 26 knots(Veribus Unitus, Prinz Eugen, Hapsburg)

Cruisers
1 9,700 ton Lissa armoured cruiser 16x5.9 inch, 26-27 knots
2 6,180 ton Budapest Class protected cruisers, 2x9.2 inch, 6x5.9 inch, 25 knots(Budapest, Wien)
4 2,580 ton Pula Class light cruisers 2x5.9 inch, 9x3.9 inch, 27 knots(Pula, Fiume, Zagreb, Prague)
6 1,900 tons Ostrau Class light cruisers, 7x3.9 inch guns, 28 knots(Ostrau, Brno, Pressburg, Trieste, Lalbach, Salzburg)
0+2 3,400 ton minelaying cruisers, 1x5.9 inch, 3x3.9 inch, 30 knots

Destroyers and destroyer/minelayers
10 1020 ton Kaiser Class destroyers 4x3.9 inch, 27 knots
3 480 ton Planet Class, 22 knots, 2x2.6 inch, 8x1.8 inch
1 350 ton Destruktor, 23 knots, 1x3.9 inch, 6x1.8 inch(*Sahara)
11 260 ton Tatra Class, 25 knots 1x3.9 inch , 2x2.6 inch
16 370 ton Libelle Class, 28 knots, 2x 3.9 inch, 2 1.8 inch

Submarines
1 U4, 200 tons, 8/7 knots, 2TT
3 U5 Class, 370 tons, 10.5/4.5 knots, 7TT
3 U-8 Class, 425 tons, 13.5/7 knots, 6 TT
0+2 U-11 Class, 850 tons, 15/7 knots, 4TT

Various:
1 400 ton sail training ship Mowe
1 3500 ton Custoza cadet training ship/transport 2x5.9 inch, 18 knots
1 4560 ton Dandalo repair ship/transport 1x5.9 inch, 13 knots
3 980 ton Jupiter Class colliers 1x5.9 inch, 12 knots
1 310 ton colliers, 12 knots
10 150 ton landing craft(two modified as a water tankers)
6 river monitors
8 240 ton minesweepers, 1x3.9 inch, 12 knots

Congo Navy
Cruisers:
0+2 3,400 ton minelaying cruisers, 1x5.9 inch, 3x3.9 inch, 30 knots
Destroyers
1 140 ton Kap Weiss, 24 knots, 5x1.8 inch
Various:
2 150 ton landing craft(one modified as a water tanker)
4 river monitors

December 1908- A return from the Congo

2 December 1908, Cabinda, Kingdom of the Congo

Wladimir von Gieslingen took the salute, dressed now in his new uniform as a Lieutenant-General as his wife and five children looked on and prepared to follow him up the gangplank. It was only the previous day that he had transferred his responsibilities as Governor to Ludwig von Hohnel and now he would accompany Laura and his children back to Vienna for a month’s leave before commencing a new post as the Commander of IV Corps, based in Vienna, a plum assignment. He would be replacing his brother and finally he would have caught Arthur in regards rank, both now being Corps Commanders. He was within one step of the highest field office, command of an Army.

His father would perhaps be proud if he was still alive and in some ways so he should be, thought Wladmir. They had lost a child, a little girl, in the Congo and Laura had birthed two more, making their family complete at three boys and two girls. It was a sadness that never retreated. Personally the post had been an eye opener for himself. He had thought some of the blacks largely indolent, but if given chances this had often proven not to be true and the local Congolese Army was proving to be quite a formidable force in it’s own terrain when faced with visiting UHE Common Army Units, proving to be quite adept at the sort of irregular warfare performed by the Boers in the Cape Campaign.

Now he would finally have his chance at a line command and create his own imprint on a unit. It was what he had originally dreamed of as a young cadet. Vienna would no doubt be pleased and scandalised to see both himself and his wife, but the later was of little concerns as he had long ago learned to deflect the attentions of the fools that ogled his wife with horror. Without Laura he would not have been able to fully realise the potential of the land he had administered these last few years.

December 1908-Succession resolved

24 December 1908, Hofburg, Vienna, UHE

“Well that was a nice pre-Christmas present I must say” said Stephanie, putting her robe back on. “However, I think we had better get to our daughter who I am quite sure will be eager to open whatever presents we may have. Rudi, now that you have made up your mind, I think it incumbent on us to take her aside and let her know.”

“I agree” said Rudolf. ”The burden is coming down from me after all. Mostly. You still need to decide the Congo. I will have a chat to her now.”

Ten minutes later both Kaiser and Konigen moved into the family sitting room, warmed by a large fire and where their daughter sat practicing on the piano. It was Rudolf who spoke first. “Helena, darling girl, can you sit. Your mama and I wish to talk to you.”

It was as if the Archduchess could sense the gravity of the situation, amplified by the use of her real name. “What is it father? Nothing has happened to Erszi I hope?”

“No my dear, this is all about you. I have had a number of talks to officials, all four Prime Ministers, your sister via telegram and of course your mother. Helena…Lola, I have come to a decision and that decision is to proceed with what I have worked towards preparing you for. You will be my heir here in Vienna.” Rudolf rushed on. “I know all too well that it can be a fearful burden, that your life will in many cases not be your own. You will face doubt on all sides and marriage will be a constant source of speculation.

The estate of monarchy is the supreme thing upon Earth; you have so much power how can it not be? We may be slowly devolving our powers, yet still events can be enacted by my will alone. Monarchs are also compared to fathers of families; for a monarch is truly parens patriae, the mother or father of their people.

Some say we exercise a manner or resemblance of divine power upon Earth, but this has never been my thought. I think we serve at the will of the people and must do all we can to enrich all our subject’s lives. Your mother has taught me the true meaning of this. For you see we retain in the person of a monarch, the power make war or unmake, to give life or death, to judge, to raise low things and to make high things low at your pleasure. Yet you must temper these powers with judgement, common sense and fairness.

I have confidence in you, as does your mother. Your personality, your temperament, is well suited to such a task. I see none of what I despise in myself within you and therefore I see you as being well suited to the role.”

Lola sighed, brushing down her dress as she thought. “What will this mean papa, practically?”

Rudolf smiled. “See, a pragmatist already. What it will mean? Well, we will hold a gala on your 15th birthday in February next year. It will be to present you to society and at the same time we will make it clear that it’s other purpose will be confirm you as my own heir. At that point in time, you will cease your formal education and instead receive full time training split between your mother and myself on statecraft.

Also, from that point in time you will receive your own staff-dresser, private secretary, equerry, security unit. Everything your mother and I have.”

Lola sat back to digest the ramifications of such change. “What else?”

Stephanie laughed. “Well, that is it. Mainly. There is no pressure to marry for a number of years, in fact, although I have been lucky and love your father, I was married far too young. Do not feel the need to be pressured into such a union, even though such an event will be the topic of endless speculation. You will need to beware fortune hunters, those that seek to rule through you and those that seek a foreign engagement simply to exercise political influence.

In regards other matters, well. You can now get your ears pierced, like you have been bothering me about. You will have partial access to jewellery vault along with your Grandmother and myself. However, more importantly, you will have unfettered access to both myself and your father at any time, both for advice and support.”

Rudolf sat forward and pinched his nose. “Do you think you are ready Lola?”

Lola hesitated. “I have always thought that this day would one day come. Of course, Papa, of course I am ready, how could I be anything less?”

“Very well then. I love you. Your mother loves you and we are both very proud of the young lady you have become.” Rudolf hugged his daughter and kissed her blonde tresses.

“I will make you proud Papa. Mama as well.”

Good, thought Rudolf. Some certainty was surely needed, as he watched Stephanie gift Lola a long string of pearls. Many things were contributing to world instability. The British were drifting further away, alarmed by naval events in Germany. In South America a naval race was also seemingly taking place. A civil war had been recently resolved in Morocco. Roosevelt had won a second term in America, an America that was no longer isolationist and had shown little patience for dissidents in Cuba under his Presidency any more than the bullying of Columbia had seen the creation of Panama as an American puppet state. China had a child as Emperor, the previous incumbent certainly poisoned as the Qing lurched from one crisis to another. Willy was as unpredictable as usual. Edward VII, his friend, was starting to fail in health, his son George inexperienced. In Brazil at least things were as stable as could be expected and in February both Erszi from Brazil and Nicholas and Nina from Russia would visit.

January 1909 - It is a new broom here in Vienna Mr Trotsky

16 January 1909, Cafe Central Vienna, UHE

Her early morning run had taken her to the door of the Cafe Central not long after opening time. It was as she was ushered through to her private booth with her bodyguards that she saw him along with another man she somehow saw as familiar. She moved to pass by the table and spoke to Victor Alder.

"Hello Victor, early morning start?"

Victor Alder looked up. "Yes, ....errr Your Majesty." Stephanie noticed the other man's eyes harden but chose to ignore it.

"I am very much looking forward to the debate on your proposal for equal pay for women and hope for a positive outcome." said Stephanie.

"I fear that such a bill will likely be defeated. The numbers for such an outcome are simply not with us."

"Perhaps so. I wish I could help your more but there is only so far that I can push with..social issues. Who is your friend?"

"This is a Mr Lev Bronstein, from St Petersburg."

Stephanie did a double take. "Lev Bronstein or Leon Trotsky? Either way it is nice to meet you Mr Bronstein."

Trotsky was flabbergasted. "Likewise."

After she had gone he turned to Victor Alder. "How do you know the Empress? For that matter why do you know the Empress?"

"We have met a number of times, we even share some political objectives in certain areas. It is a new broom here in Vienna, a completely new regime and although there are many things I would change at the moment change is coming in any case and most of it good, hence what I was saying about evolutionary rather than revolutionary change." said Victor Adler.

Trotsky made no reply.

February 1909- A Tsar and a Kaiser

4 February 1909, Sparbach, UHE

The two men walked through the woods, their boots crunching lightly in the snow. Between the they ruled over 200 million people and 37 million square kilometers as largely unfettered absolute rulers. It was the shorter of the two that spoke first.

"Thank you for the invitation. It has been a pleasant distraction to be away from St Petersburg. With this burden and a wife and seven children, it seems that there is never time to just be a family, to just be a man for that matter. I am just a plain and simple man, yet all around me lurks deceit, cowardice. Yet there is no option but to go on. We have started down a path that my Uncle Vladimir is implacably opposed to, so all I can do is go on for the sake of my son, who at 13 is far too young. What can one do but fulfill one's destiny. It seems to be God's will."

"Are things really so bad Nicky?"

"At times almost impossible. Fist fights in the Duma. They say the most horrible things about me there, things to vile to repeat. Witte does his best and in all fairness some reforms have worked well, however, I am constantly beset by Witte, the Ministers, members of the Duma, my Uncles, even my wife. How can I devolve more power to a body that saw one member shoot another only three months ago? That is in a constant state of turmoil? The Black hundreds wish to shoot the SR's. The SR's seemingly wish to shoot all of us, despite the fact that we have made every effort to allow them to sit members in their elected seats. Such arrangements in all fairness seem to have worked well in Finland. Yet not in Russia.

At least the victory in the Far East has kept events reasonably stable. I just wonder where things will go. I have tried. The Duma. Land reforms. Wage increases and labour laws. There seems no way forward and now no way back. It has been a blessing here, to see my oldest two get on so well with your girl, the boys happy and carefree. Not having to be afraid. I love Russia but I love my family to."

"Well Nicky, it is not like we have not had successes. The Balkans seem stable. The Straits are open, or closed at Russia's option. The outcome in the Far East is a stable one. Your personal life is at least serene, your children healthy. Russia has two strong allies in ourselves and Germany."

"Yes, true. I am just dreading going back I suppose. I note Japan are rebuilding their Navy again, probably looking at round two at some stage I would think. In France Clemenceau appears to have abandoned his pursuit of ourselves as an ally and had tightened loan terms and made a number of denouncements of myself and my government personally. With Italy relations are also at a low ebb. At least we were able to reach an accommodation in relation to Persia with the British. Yet for all that we have had to authorise a new class of four battleships, much bigger than the last small Black Sea class, these ones mounting 12 12 inch guns. The money, well, it could probably better be spent elsewhere."

"Yes, I know. Willy's High Seas Fleet has five of the new ships and is building nine more. I personally have greater worries than spending a fortune on battleships, as I am sure you do as well, but what can one do but respond. In addition, it is alarming to the British, to be sure."

"Yes, I am well aware" said Nicholas II.

"What say we go back?" said Rudolf. "We are just freezing here for little return. Schnapps?"

Nicholas smiled. "Yes, Schnapps."

February 1909 - A ball and the affirmation of an heir

16 February 1909, Schonbrunn main ballroom, Vienna, UHE

Stephanie watched as her daughter sat, her gold and black ball gown espousing her Hapsburg heritage as she talked to 16 year old Tatiana and her 14 year old sister Marie. She was pleased to see the girls so friendly, chatting away in Russian. It was an important event, one that showed family solidarity and therefore helped to fend off the disgruntlement felt by some in regards the change to the succession laws.

Stephanie looked again at Nina beside her. Genetics had certainly favoured all of her children, especially the girls, Tatiana already a great beauty whose hand would no doubt be sought by any number of potential suitors. She turned to her friend.

“So Nina, how goes it in Russia?”

Nina sighed. “It is a constant struggle, one that bears heavily on Nicholas. He is not a natural communicator and at heart he is quiet and shy and despite every effort I have made to build his confidence I think it will always be a struggle for him. Combine that fact with the simple fact that in Russia the gap between the reactionaries and the revolutionaries is so wide that it can seemingly never be bridged.

All one can do is try and steer some sort of middle course that enriches if possible the average peasant whilst at the same time does take too much away from the great landed aristocracy that controls so much power.

I am still in love with my husband as much as I was almost 20 years ago and he is the perfect husband and father. That, however, does not make me blind to his faults. He is far too easily influenced by the last person he talks to, is shy and diffident, not wanting conflict in an Empire that is full of just that. He is a poor public speaker, something increasingly required in this modern world and he craves time alone and not public office. It is a conundrum and one we must just make the best of. Alexei is only 13, far too young and in any case, the office of Tsar is for life. Nicholas’s mother also does not help, consistently trying to influence matters in one way or another, usually by rallying against proposed reforms.”

Stephanie looked at her friend. “Well here at least Rudolf’s mother is now under control. She has finally given into the fact that she is a Grandmother and over 70. All we can offer you is whatever support we can. No matter what happens, you will always have a home here.” It was less than 10 years before Nicholas II and his whole family were butchered in a squalid cellar in the Urals in her own memories. She could not let that happen again, not to this woman that she had made her friend. How to avoid another ruinous Civil War in the country of her birth? That was one awfully difficult question.

January 1912- The fall of the Qing

2 January 1912, Hofburg, Vienna, UHE

Rudolf’s Private Secretary knocked and came in. "Sire, it is confirmed from Peking. China has declared itself a republic and ousted the Qing. I suppose the question now is do we recognise the new regime?"

"Of course we recognise it Otto. We have no choice in the matter. As it is we retain more cordial relations with China than many do and with Japan hostile to our ally's interests we need China as a counterweight." Let us hope that this Republic of China is better than the one he remembers, thought Rudolf. So, another monarchical deposition, thought Rudolf. First France in 1870, then Portugal and now China. It was likely the way of the world, although as a counterweight Brazil, Albania and Norway had emerged.

It had been a difficult last three years. First the controversy near to Christmas in 1909, when Stephanie's father Leopold had died and left instruction blocking Stephanie's return to the country, instructions that were eventually overridden by the new King Albert I, but not until a series of diplomatic incidents occurred. She was then the subject of attempted blackmail by the late King's mistress Caroline Lacroix, who had received virtually all of Leopold's estate. As Stephanie was to later say, it was her sisters that she was concerned about, certainly not money, of which she had more than enough and which held no interest for her. Rudolf himself was more than well aware that her bank accounts alone held over 55 million Kroner or 2.4 million Pounds.

1910 had brought the creation of South Africa and the death of Edward VII, a funeral that made him very sad personally as the late King was a stabilising influence that would be missed, as well as an engaging personality. However, it was 1911 that had proven a trial. First the commencement of the Mexican Revolution and bitter fighting there. Then disputes between Chile and Argentina in regards land near the Cape of Horn that had hovered on the verge of war, then finally the long awaited clash between Germany and France over Morocco, seemingly an obsession for Wilhelm II. Gunboat diplomacy involving German naval forces sent to evacuate exactly one German citizen had drawn France and Germany to the brink of war. It had required all of his considerable efforts in conjunction with the British to broker a peace deal that finally dragged the crisis back from the edge. Even then, Rudolf was not entirely certain that it was his own good offices that had made the difference. In September 1911, the French battleship Liberte had exploded at anchor and in shades of the Spanish-American War many blamed German mythical saboteurs. What likely caused a backflip was that soon afterwards, Germany was hit by financial turmoil. The stock market plunged by 30 percent in a single day, the public started cashing in currency notes for gold, and there was a run on the banks. The Reichsbank lost a fifth of its gold reserves in one month. It was rumored that the French finance minister had orchestrated this crisis, another fanciful allegation. Faced with the possibility of being driven off the gold standard, the Kaiser finally backed down. Britain had attempted to restrain France, but had shown in the finish they would support her if forced, David Lloyd George giving a speech "If Britain is treated badly where her interests are vitally affected, as if she is of no account in the cabinet of nations, then I say emphatically that peace at that price would be a humiliation intolerable for a great country like ours to endure." The speech was clearly a warning to Germany that she could not impose an unreasonable settlement on France.

In the finish Morocco became a full French Protectorate, with a small Spanish concession and Germany and France swapped some colonial land in Kamarun and Chad to the favour of Germany. It was not the sort of issue that was worth a world war, yet was one that had driven Europe to the brink of one none the less. In any case, it had driven up tensions yet again and solidified the countries into their fixed alliances even more. All of which had driven up defence spending exponentially, spending that was already inflating by the increasing size of capital ships, the emergence of aircraft and vehicles and the increasing complexity of all equipment in general. Despite both himself and Stephanie's best efforts, they was on the back of a horse that had seemingly already bolted.

January 1912- Naval state of play

16 January 1912, Admiralty, Whitehall, London, United Kingdom

"Jackie" Fisher had pushed things as far as he possibly could, even gaining an extension on the usual mandatory retirement age of 70 in view of "extenuating circumstances" but retirement had still come around. To his mind their certainly were extenuating circumstances. The Royal Navy's traditional two power rule had been blown out of the water and it's place as the leading naval power of it's day was under threat like never before, the Germans laying down a ship almost one for one for every hull the RN laid down. He had culled all of the old junk, almost every last one of them was loath to cut any further. The situation as it now existed was:

Royal Navy
Battleships 23 + 9 building
Battlecruisers 14 + 4 building
Pre Schrecks 43
Armoured Cruisers 37
Protected Cruisers/Light cruisers 108 + 5 building

France
Battleships 2 + 6 building
Pre Schrecks 22
Battlecruisers nil
Armoured Cruisers 23
Protected Cruisers/Light Cruisers 17

Germany
Battleships 13 + 9 building
Pre Schrecks 12
Battlecruisers 5 + 2 building
Armoured cruisers 5
Protected Cruisers/Light Cruisers 44 + 6 building

Russia
Battleships 7 + 4 building
Pre Schrecks 17
Armoured Cruisers 6
Protected Cruisers/Light Cruisers 17

USA
Battleships 11 + 4 building
Pre Schrecks 16
Battlecruisers Nil
Armoured Cruisers 8
Protected Cruisers/Light Cruisers 25

Italy
Battleships 4 building
Pre Schrecks 24
Battlecruisers Nil
Armoured Cruisers 3
Protected Cruisers/Light Cruisers 12 + 3 building

UHE
Battleships 8 + 2 building
Pre Schrecks Nil
Battlecruisers 3
Armoured Cruiser 1
Protected Cruisers/Light Cruisers 18 + 2 building

Ottomans
Battleships 1
Pre Schrecks 5
Battlecruiser Nil
Armoured Cruiser 1
Protected Cruisers/Light Cruisers 4

Japan
Battleships 3 + 3 building
Pre Schrecks 2
Battlecruisers Nil
Armoured Cruisers 3
Protected Cruisers/Light Cruisers 12 + 3 building

Spain
Battleships 2 building
Pre Schrecks 1
Battlecruisers Nil
Armoured Cruisers 5
Protected Cruisers/Light Cruisers 5

Brazil
Battleships 1
Pre Schrecks 2
Battlecruisers 3
Armoured Cruisers 5
Protected Cruisers/Light Cruisers 7 + 3 building

Argentina
Battleships 2 building
Pre Schrecks 4
Battlecruisers Nil
Armoured Cruisers 2
Protected Cruisers/Light Cruisers 4

Chile
Battleships 2 building
Pre Schrecks 2
Battlecruisers Nil
Armoured Cruisers 2
Protected Cruisers/Light Cruisers 5

Sweden
Battleships Nil
Pre Schrecks 12
Battlecruisers Nil
Armoured Cruisers 1
Protected Cruisers/Light Cruisers 1 building

January 1912- A split within and without the SD's

17 January 1912, Prague, UHE

The 6th All-Russian Conference of the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party had come to an end. Georgi Valentinovich Plekhanov was grateful that he had decided to come. There were those among the Bolsheviks that favoured a complete split from the mainline SD's. Georgi Plekhanov did not agree and had garnered enough support from the 17 members of his faction to assume the mantle of General Secretary. With Lenin, Frunze and Zinoviev dead, they had effective control of the party, but many such as Goloscchekin did not agree and so yet again the Party had split, the new Russian Communist Revolutionary Party dragging Sverdlov, Ordzhonikidze, Stepnaov, Bubnov, Kaminev and Mikoyan. Others such as Malinovsky, Kalinin, Bukharin and Elena Stasova stayed loyal.

By the end of 1912 the Bolshevik Party had ceased to exist, amalgamating again with the Mensheviks and leaving Goloscchekin at the head of the new Russian Communist Revolutionary Party, or CR's.

All events were faithfully reported to the Tsar's Secret Police via Malinovsky, the Okhrana's most highly paid agent.

February 1912- Aircraft competitions

18 February 1912, Budapest, UHE

Igo Etrich looked at the Hungarian aircraft. The Heinrich Bier designed Lloyd would likely provide solid competition to his own designs, the Taube C1 and the design he had collaborated with his new Chief Designer, Edmund Rumpler, the Trau B1.

The War Ministry had asked for competing designs and, subject to airworthiness, would purchase an incredible 75 aircraft of the successful design and five of any other that proved airworthy, all to be suitable for aerial reconnaissance and artillery spotting. There had been a second requirement for a seaplane that would be suitable for longer ranged fleet reconnaissance, with 30 units on offer for purchase. The new company, Trau Flugwerke, were the favourites, but he would not discount the Hungarian design. All must go according to plan on the day in April, as both companies were likely to use the new 160hp Maybach engine. The army had already purchased 22 of his Taube aircraft, the navy some eight units and there were more of those in use than the expensive Zeppelins, of which the army and Navy each had two. Now was the chance to sell still more aircraft.

Lloyd F

Trau B1

February 1912- The first stirings of carrier aviation

2 March 1912, Pola, UHE

It was too late to obtain funding in the 1912 Naval Estimates, but likely not for 1913. By that stage the last of the new battleships would be near completion, as would the new class of four scout cruisers. With no other builds planned, that would leave room for what would be a relatively cheap class ship, since there was no armour to speak of and no main armament to purchase. Rumpler and his brand new protege Heinkel had been certain that they could design a seaplane with enough power to lift a naval torpedo and have such a contraption ready by the end of the year. Of course, experimenting with the aerial dropping of such a weapon would take time as well. To carry such a large payload only a seaplane would suffice due to the length of takeoff required, or so he had been assured.

To that end, he had designed the 5,400 ton ship to be capable of operating two of the large seaplanes forward of the bridge and 6-8 of the smaller scout and reconnaissance aircraft aft, such as Rumpler's new B1. She would be built from scratch with a new designed bow and was designed to be able to keep pace with the fleet's main body, being capable of 22 knots. If started in the summer of 1913, when he was hopeful the details of the aircraft the ship would carry would be finalized, the ship should be available by 1915.

Possible new design

March 1912- Zipping to success

14 March 1912, Tarnopol, UHE

Natalia Sidor hurried along the newly paved sidewalk after alighting the tram. At 23 years of age, she had been a witness to some remarkable changes within the city over the last 12 to 15 years or so. First the introduction of electric power, then public transportation in the form of trams, a large new Roman Catholic Cathedral in 1908. This region of Habsburg Galicia and was an ethnic mix of mainly Roman Catholic Poles, Greek Catholic Ruthenians, and Jews and intermarriage between Poles and Ruthenians was common, as was the case in her own family.

What had really changed the face of the town more than anything else was the large new factory had been constructed to manufacture the new invention in 1898. Protected by initial production agreements that restricted the patent, the factory, which produced large quantities of one product only, zippers, the popularity of which had become world wide, taking much of the fashion world by storm, especially in America.

The huge factory, less than 15 years old, had grown and grown again and now employed as many as 5,000 people, all of which had served to double the population of the city from 26,000 in 1892 to 55,000 in 1912. The other development that had seen a swelling of population was the large increase in trade to Russia, for which Tarnopol was one of the gateways. Exports to Russia had tripled, imports from Russia had increased by a factor of half, again most of this in the last 15 years.

All of this had brought wealth to the cities, wealth and jobs. It had improved the lot of all that lived there and at the same time had done much to attract landless peasants such as younger sons into the city in search of work, adding further to it's growth.

It was all part of a larger picture that Natalia Sidor was unaware, namely that the wealth of Galicia was increasing, along with a number of smaller provinces in Illyria and even in Bukovinia, as many industries moved to source cheap labour, no longer afraid of a hostile power on the other side of the border and buoyed by economic incentives to open business in the smaller provinces and increased trade. It was only in Transylvania that wages were still low and economic prosperity static.

April 1912- Brazilian economy turns slowly

April 5 1912, Rio Cathedral, Rio de Janeiro, Empire of Brazil

Luis I of Brazil knelt to receive the benediction from Cardinal Joaquim Arcoverde de Albuquerque Cavalcanti, alongside his wife, two sons and daughter. Like all things in Brazil, attendance here was walking a tightrope of competing factions, religious fervor being the key to salve the discontent of the population of the regions more distant of the sertão Northeastern and regions of recent colonization like Paraná and West of Santa Catarina, since this population was predominantly Catholic and did not accept with good eyes the aims of the previous Republic that appeared totally dominated by Masonic ideals like the separation of Church of the State. On the other hand, Luis could not bring himself to restore Catholicism as the official state religion either, both for his own good conscience since has was not overtly religious but also because many in Brazilian society, which was still so stratified by wealth, believed in a reduced role for the church. So, he honored the Church but kept it out of the political process, hoping yet again to steer a middle ground.

It was not only in regards religion that such a middle ground needed to be steered. In regards the Navy, he had purchased a capital ship new from the UK to maintain traditional links to Britain but three older battlecruisers from the UHE to foster family links. These had allowed the retirement of two old capital ships.

In regards the Army, jealousy of the Navy was rife and, of course, much of the senior leaderships had needed to be removed as strong Republican supporters. None the less the Army had been enlarged to 42,000 regulars and equipped with largely modern artillery for the first time.

As far as the country as a whole was concerned, he had made every effort to stimulate industrial development. How could he not? Poverty was endemic among the lower classes but probably worst of all in the cities. Not only was that, but the economy of Brazil far too firmly rooted in agricultural products. Far too much that could and should be manufactured locally was instead imported and that was only gradually changing. Coffee, sugar, cotton, rubber and skins. These five items had formed 87% of Brazil’s exports in 1890 and only 1% less in 1902. The Empire of Brazil had a GDP almost 40% higher than the one of Argentina in 1890, however, the Republican Government's disastrous financial policy caused an economic stagnation that had seen Argentina comfortably take the lead and it has taken all of his efforts to see that gap not widen further, in fact, the last year Brazil had again begun to close the gap.

It did not require a genius to arrive at the conclusion that a war would be a disaster for an economy whose exports were based 51% on a luxury coffee, as they were in 1902, a luxury that would be quickly discarded in harder times. That being the case, every effort had been made to stimulate mining and manufacturing. In regards manufacturing, 11.2% of the capital of the Brazilian economy was directed toward industry by 1885. This figure dropped sharply during the Republican period, falling to 5.6%, however, this had risen again to 11.4 percent and was seemingly still on the upswing.

All was not sweetness and light, however. The Brazilian economy had risen sharply on the price of rubber, which had given the Government a marvelous boon in terms of tax revenue on the back of a 1911 price peak of 985 pounds per ton, a remarkable price. It was not to last, the price tumbling already to 610 pounds per ton and seemingly in freefall with large increased production from the Dutch in the East Indies and the British in Malaya crushing the market price, which many predicated may fall to 200 pounds or less. Again, it was a balancing act between improving the lot of rural workers versus the elite landowners, versus industry and Brazil’s traditional industries.

Relations with his wife had vacillated between affection, love and arguments, with Erszi wanting to push reform at a pace that he thought far too high and her naturally volatile personality combined with forthright personality type had generated a number of blazing arguments, yet for all that he still loved his wife and valued her intelligence.

April 1912- An uneventful trip

20 April 1912, New York, United States of America

Miklós Horthy was proud to have the old cruiser Budapest as his first major command. The ship had been an important part of the fleet for a long period. American built, she had followed her sister into refit, with a possibility of a sale to Greece looming, the Greek Navy all too alarmed by the recent sale of four 18 year old battleships to the Ottomans to reinforce the new unit they had obtained from British yards.

The UHE yards had missed the much sought after contracts to construct four ships for the Royal Netherlands Navy, as well as losing another contract to build a battleship for the Greek Navy. However, it appeared Budapest and her sister would soon be sold and contracts had been signed for the building of a light battlecruiser for Greece in a UHE yard to commence some time in the next year or so.

So, his next question was, what would he obtain command of after the old cruiser? That was one question. The other was what he had been doing this last two weeks. He had received personal sealed orders from the Kaiser. Yes, to take Budapest to New York for a final refit. But that was not all. He had been directed to proceed to Queenstown by the 10th April, to await the arrival of RMS Titanic. Bizarrely, he was then to shadow the liner on her progress across the North Atlantic to New York. No reason given at all for such behavior.

In any case, the huge ocean liner had not arrived on the 10th at all, in fact not until the 12th, delayed by technical issues with the oil sprayer system that had become standard on most modern ships powered by coal. An invention from the UHE, he thought to himself. He had duly followed the liner as requested, until finally and reluctantly losing sight of the ship on the night of the 16th when the British Captain, foolishly from his own point of view, had maintained 22 knots through waters that were dotted by icebergs. He had instead slowed Budapest to 16 knots after sunset at 7.31, alarmed at the prospect of a potential collision.

He had finally docked in New York on the 18th, three hours behind the White Star Line flagship. As if that was bad enough, he had then faced an official complaint from White Star Line and the British Admiralty today for "stalking" the British liner. It was all a curious business. Sealed orders, and bizarre ones to, but what was one to do but one's duty to the best of his ability?

May 1912- The army gets a new commander

10 May 1912, War Ministry, Vienna, UHE

Promotion to Colonel-General had brought Svetozar Boroević to the top of the tree in the UHE Army at an age when he would still be young enough at only 55 to truly transform things in a period of command that could be as long as ten years. The Common Army had undergone a number of changes these last 25 years, many of which would likely be invisible to the average layman. For instance, it still contained the 104 Regiments of Infantry and 44 of Cavalry that were present some 20 years ago. The same 56 Regiments of Field Artillery also.

The changes had instead been in other areas. Engineer Battalions had increased from 10 to 30. 18 Railway Artillery Battalions had been formed, each containing at least four armoured trains, aside from two that contained two super heavy 420mm mortars each. Four telegraph and communications battalions, two bridging battalions and 16 medical companies, each with enough equipment to staff a field hospital. 8 new Light Cavalry Artillery Regiments, 10 new Mountain Artillery Regiments and lastly 16 new Heavy Artillery Regiments, some equipped with the new 305mm mortars.

The introduction of dedicated Intelligence Officers at Battalion level, a streamlined central administration, better field communication, larger stockpiles of ready ammunition. New infantry weapons like automatic pistols, flamethrowers, small mortars, machine guns. New uniforms and new doctrine, removal or sidelining of incompetents. Plus retirement of the older artillery pieces, like the 12cm, 15cm and 18cm Kanone 1880, all of which had passed to reserve or been sold to foreign powers, some indeed to the Congo.

No, it was not the numbers of the Army that had changed over much, but much rather it's teeth that had been sharpened and that was all to the good with tensions in Europe seemingly rising with every passing year.

June 1912- E Boats?

1 June 1912, Split, UHE

The boat's two 160hp engines revved as the cavitation within the shallow water was viewed and any leak points tested, all whilst a crowd of interested onlookers viewed the goings on. The 11 ton, 320hp craft would be built to two standards, the first carrying twin torpedoes and up to four mines, as well as a Scwarzlose machine gun. Sixteen were planned to be ordered. The second variant would have a 47mm gun and a dual machine gun mount and was designed for use by naval troops.

Both were to be capable of 21.5-22 knots, not a huge speed perhaps, but a workable one none the less and at the pace that gasoline engines were developing, if they proved a success, larger, faster classes could possibly follow. They ere not resource intensive and carried a crew of only eight or nine men, after all.

June 1912- Rise of the USA plus planes, trains and automobiles cost money

28 June 1912, Villa Brijuni, UHE

Rudolf watched the children play in the sand whilst his wife, the two Von Gieslingen women and Maria Mosconi watched. He snaked a look at his own daughter. At 18 she was a woman now, or near enough to one. Sad as he still thought of her as a little girl in many ways, even though he no longer had the luxury of doing so since he was involving her in everyday affairs more and more and had been for the last two years.

He considered the economic figures yet again. In 1850 Great Britain had been the only economic power of any importance and France the only continental country where industry counted for anything at all. Things had changed rapidly and by 1870 Germany had outstripped France in coal production, making the Franco-Prussian war a war between equals. In Bismarck's time, between 1871 and 1890, Germany pulled away from France and caught up with Great Britain by 1900, surpassing the British these last ten years. Yes, the British still produced more coal, however, the British exported their coal, Germany used most of hers at home. Austro-Hungary(later UHE) had risen as an economic power to French levels. Russia had remained backwards until the late 1880's when French and then German and UHE loans had kicked off a development whose growth rates were greater than any other power. By 1912 Russia had shot past Italy, the UHE and France in steel and pig iron production.

However, Europe was not all there was to the world. Until 1880 the United States counted for little.Then she had undergone the greatest of all industrial revolutions. By 1912 she was not only an industrial power on a European level but a rival continent. Her iron and steel production passed that of Germany, France and Britain put together, her coal production half again as much as Germany or Britain. It was clear that Europe was no longer the center of the world. Between 1885 and 1912 British industrial production increased 2.11%, Italy at 2.65%, France at 2.93%, Germany at 4.5%, the UHE at 4.8%, the USA at 5.2% and Russia at 5.85%. In 1860 the UK had 25% of the world's industrial production, now less than 10%. Germany had raised her percentage from 15% to 17% and now slipped back again to 14%. The USA had not much more than 16% in 1878 but 35% now. In 1870 German production was 90% of that of the USA, in 1900 48% and now 38%.

In political terms, this had caused great changes. In 1850 it was Austria and Prussia that feared the power of France, relying on the British as a counter balance. After the Franco-Prussian war and especially 1890 this began to crumble. Germany began to tower over the other continental states, her position of power even more assured by the economic revival of the UHE and this was hardly redressed when the power of the British was thrown against such an arrangement. The United States could challenge both, but would she be likely to do so. The other factor was the third country in the DreiKaiserbund. Russia was developing faster than any other power, all of which made it clear in Paris, Rome and London that unless an opportunity to break such an alliance occurred soon, then they would descend into economic irrelevance. The French, in particular, nursed old grudges and wanted to bring Germany down and after Willy's fiasco in Morocco, all to no effect, events had increased defense spending significantly. Italy's had shot up from 14.6 million pounds in 1900 to 26.6 million pounds in 1912.

All of this had translated into an alarming spike in defense expenditures, a trend the UHE had little choice but to follow despite the ruinous effect on recent budgets. The defense budget had climbed from the equivalent of 21.2 million Pounds in 1910 to 29.8 million Pounds in 1912. Everywhere, increased levels of armaments expenditure was the norm.

July 1912-Roosevelt contemplates

4 July 1912, White House, Washington DC, United States of America

“Teddy” Roosevelt watched the fireworks on the national holiday from the balcony. It would be his last 4th of July as President. Hay had died so soon into his second term that Roosevelt, after eight years as President, would not contest again. It had been a transformative last 15 years for the Americas. The number of states alone had gone from 45 in 1898 to 51 now, with new states Oklahoma, New Mexico, Arizona, Alaska, Carabinia and Lincoln. Convention dictated only two terms and so he would and had allowed himself to be dictated by it.

America had surged ahead after she defeated the moribund Spanish regime in 1898. The Navy had gone from a coastal force to an international one, as evidenced by the Great White Fleet’s passage around the world, an event that had made the British sit up and take notice. Recently, he overseen modest increases in the Army in view of the chaos South of the border, where the Mexican Revolution raged. The restoration of Empire in Brazil was also a distant possible threat taking into account the Monroe Doctrine in view of the new regimes dynastic ties to Europe, but in his only meeting with Luis I had shown him to be an unassuming man with no ambitions beyond his own borders. However, tensions were rising between Chile and Argentina and Brazil had parked themselves firmly in the camp of Chile.

He had thrown his support behind William Taft, who had coasted to victory in the Republican primaries a week ago. The Democratic nomination had been a much harder fought affair, with Speaker of the House and well known Anglophobe Champ Clark narrowly defeating New Jersey Governor Woodrow Wilson. It was those two men who would contest the Presidency, if one discounted the Socialist’s Eugene Debs.

Roosevelt was quietly confident of a Taft victory. The man was more conservative than Roosevelt would have desired, but should be a steadying hand none the less. Now that things had settled in Carabinia and the situation, on a power-keg for so long, seemed to have been ameliorated, Taft’s administration should largely be uneventful and allow for further consolidation of America’s place as a leading world power, or so he hoped.

July 1912- Sales to Greece, orders by Greece

31 July 1912, Pola, UHE

The sale of the large battlecruiser Tegettoff, a ship that had caused such fear in the Royal Navy when first built some 15 years ago, as well as two large protected cruisers and six destroyers, all to Greece, which was desperate to keep pace with Ottoman Naval developments and needed a stop gap fleet, had freed extra money in the naval budget.

It was already planned to refit the three Veribus Unitus Class battlecruisers by replacing the four triple 9.2 inch turrets with twin 12.2 inch fixtures but in addition to such factors a second aviation cruiser would now be laid down and six more submarines built.

With the construction of the last two battleships due to complete at the end of the year, Rudolf was only one ship away from his stated goal of nine battleships, and three battlecruisers, that being a final ship as a fleet flagship. He was hopeful of obtaining the funds to commence such a ship in 1913, which would see the laying of such a ship and also the commencement of construction of the Greek battlecruiser Salamis, the one order that UHE shipyards had secured, even if they had missed on others.

August 1912- Congo rail completion

Extract from "Why couldn't all of Africa be like that", By Horst Limpopo.

"The line linking Helena to Kolwezi and the Katanga resource area was finally completed in early August 1912, completing a remarkable transformation in terms of communications where virtually all major towns aside from Isiro in the Kingdom were connected by rail or water, or a combination of both methods. It was a significant achievement and the amount of traffic is indicated by the fact that by 1914 93 locomotives plied the rails of the Congo. Congo locomotives were not only carrying goods from inside the Congo. From Rhodesia and South Africa goods also came North to be ferried onwards to Kenya and it's coastal ports.

Cecil Rhodes had dreamed of a Cape to Cairo railway but this was not to be, at least in the Georgia era. It was not until 1958 that the railway was extended from Babanusa to Wau in Sudan and not until 1961 that the Congo border was finally reached, creating a true railway that spanned the continent.

It represented the last great rail project for the Congo, with a small branch to Isiro constructed in 1931 completing the rail net. Considerable investments had been made in infrastructure but the sheer weight of oil, resource and mineral traffic was to more than justify the amount expended and enrich the Kingdom, making it the envy of all of it's neighbours, an envy that boiled over into war in 1916."

September 1912- The 1912 census

16 September 1912, Schonbrunn Palace, Vienna, UHE

The great census of 1912 had completed it's findings in both the UHE and Congo and the finding were of some interest. Just the basic demographic breakups were interesting enough. These were:

Cisleithania: 21,141,000 Germans 45%, Poles 20%, Ruthenians 16%, Slovenes 7%, Italians 4%, Czechs 1.5%, Various 6%
including
Greater Austria: Germans 87%, Italians 5%, Slovenes 4%, Czechs 2%, Various 3%
Galicia and Lodomeria: Poles 56%, Ruthenians 42%, Germans 2%
Carnolia: Slovenes 93% Slovenian, 7% German
Transleithania: 18,446,000, Hungarians 56%, Romanians 18%, Slovaks 10%, Germans 10%, Ruthenians 3%, Serbians 3%
Czechia: 6,891,000, Czech 95.5%, Germans 4.5%
Illyria: 4,812,000 Croatians 69%, Serbians 25%, Germans 3%, Hungarians 2%, Others 1%

Austrian Sahara 48,200
Coco Islands 29,600
Sazan 8,600
Galite Islands 560

Religious composition overall Catholic 81%, Protestant 9%, Orthodox 5%, Jewish 4.5%

Congo
Population 18,274,000 Native 16,566,000, Mulatto 346,400, Native(Portuguese speakers) 289,400, White(UHE) 654,700, White(Americans) 76,900, White(Belgian) 16,900, White(Others) 92,300, Chinese 41,000

Religious Composition overall Catholic 78%, Protestant 3%, Muslim 14%, Native beliefs 5%

For Rudolf the most obvious question was how to deal with the Romanian question. His preference was to create a Transylvanian entity that was semi independent within the Kingdom of Hungary, but firstly how to get the Hungarians to agree and secondly there was no denying such a body was dangerous. If it was to turn around and vote for unification with Romania what options were available then beyond force. None, likely. The Slovaks were the other ethnic group, once that had sadly been fully subject to the policies of Magyarization to the detriment of their own language. For the moment, he was hamstrung. No further reforms were possible presently, not without risking the delicate fabric of the arrangements that had already been put in place.

October 1912- And the money keeps rolling in

1 October 1912, Hofburg, UHE

Stephanie and Rudolf sat quietly as they listened to the remarkable new invention. It was only the previous year that the factory manufacturing wireless Marconi devices was established in Vienna and the Hofburg had quickly obtained one in preparation for the first broadcast of an official radio station in May 1912. It had proven to be a popular but expensive trend, affordable only be those with money, although increasingly many of the Viennese hotels were obtaining then and in some cases adding "radio rooms".

It was Stephanie who broke the silence. "Rudolf, this is a bizarre thing to say, but I am not sure what to do with all the money."

Rudolf looked up from his papers. "What money is that my love?"

"Money from the Congo, as you know I have been putting aside 1% of revenues. Money from African Queen. Money from patents like the zipper and the brassier. Money from investments made. Money from small shares in companies. For you it is money from the Familienversorgungsfonds, our fixed allowance from the State, money from your estates."

Rudolf put down his paper. "How much money are we talking about?"

Stephanie sat back. "Well, as you know, since our arrangement I have always handled the money side of things. Your own accounts contain 1.2 million Pounds, or just over 30 million Krone. That is, I suppose, to be expected. However, mine just keep going up and it's getting embarrassing, or would be if it was not strictly private information."

"How much?"

Stephanie sighed. "4.3 million Pounds, or over 100 million Krone, spread over various accounts. As you know, I have placed Laura von Gieslingen in charge of my charitable donations and money is going out, a lot of it, but it is coming in even faster. In relative terms I am now richer than I was in my previous life and that took some doing. I just do not know what to do with it all."

Rudolf looked at his wife. "As you know, I think the road ahead may be rocky. Hold on to it. It may prove more than useful to this family and indeed the State to have such money squirreled away" Rudolf smiled. "You know that is almost enough money to lay down two battleships?"

"Rudolf you are not using my money to lay down two of your pet battleships, I would rather it be used to help people."

October 1912- A colossus of a President falls

Extract from "Teddy Roosevelt-Larger than life" by D.B Fiedler

"The assassination of Teddy Roosevelt in Milwaukee on 14th October 1912 by John Flamming Schrank was the second such assassination of a sitting US President in the last 12 years and was a deep shock to all Americans. The President was an enormously popular figure and to many it was a shock that he did not seek a third term, instead conceding the nomination to William Taft. Schrank, a German immigrant who had made money and then lost it, was a drifter, who had been unwell for some time, with "insane delusions, grandiose in character." What he hoped to achieve by such an act can never be known, be he came close enough to shoot Roosevelt in the chest, puncturing a lung and causing such internal bleeding that the President could not be saved despite doctor's best efforts. Schrank was also not to survive the encounter either being killed on the spot by the angry crowd, knifed by person's unknown.

It was an event that came at a pivotal time and elevated a man Roosevelt had little time for, his Vice-President, Charles.W Fairbanks, to the office as President. It was to create a conundrum. Fairbanks had chased the Republican nomination earlier that same year and lost to Taft. Now as President he would actively chase it again, asking for the Republican nomination to again be thrown open, but without success. Even with Roosevelt's posthumous support, Taft was to keep the nomination and so Fairbanks would remain the shortest lived United States President that did not die in office such as Harrison and Garfield, in all a term of less than six months.

What it was to do was harden the attitude of the United States, initially towards immigration for a time, but mainly towards Europe in general and cement a move towards isolationism, so much in contrast to administrations like that of Hay, President only some seven years before. Taft's administration, when elected in 1913, was strongly against involvement in European affairs and this was to be pivotal in the 1917 Presidential elections when war raged around the globe."

November 1912- The Regia Marina awakes

16 November 1912, Taranto, Kingdom of Italy

Vice Admiral Giuseppe Valseccchi looked at the Dante Aleghieri at the battleship lay at anchor. Commissioned earlier that same year, she was the first of her kind in the Regia Marina. It was just as well for tensions were on the rise and thankfully the powers that be had finally woken to the fact that the Hapsburg Navy represented a very real threat. Even after the scrapping of seven older ships, the Navy still had 18 other ships it considered battleships. However, full eleven of those mounted only ten inch guns, three more main guns mounted only in barbettes and two more only single 12 inch guns. Taken just as a number, 19 capital ships sounded very impressive, but he feared it was largely an illusion. Instead he placed his faith in the five new ships currently under construction, all mounting 12 or 13 12 inch guns, with new turbines and capable of 21 knots. With 20 knots likely to be the new speed of engagement, that would likely spell the scrapping of at least another five ships as soon as the new units became available.

The new ships would be needed soon enough to be sure. Intelligence indicated that the Austrians would authorize another ship as a fleet flagship in their 1913 estimates, giving them 10 ships, 13 if their large battle-cruisers which had commenced a transfer to 12.2 inch guns were considered. It placed Italy a long way behind if anything other than numbers of hulls were considered. Not only that but UHE yards were construction ships at a rate 6-12 months faster than Italian yards, yet another intolerable problem.

It was not only capital ships that provided a concern. The whole navy only possessed twelve cruisers, some slower than the battleships they were designed to operate with, with only two more ships building. It was only in light forces that he was more confident, the newest class of 38 torpedo boats being excellent.

December 1912- Charitable arrangements

10 December 1912, Hofburg, Vienna, UHE

Baroness Laura von Gieslingen sat at her desk going through papers. She had accepted the position when both her and Wladimir had returned from The Congo. It was getting to be a larger and larger commitment as time went on. Head of Her Majesty's charities seemed a small appointment but the amount of money allocated continued to grow, now standing at over 1,500,000 Pounds or 35 million Kronor per annum. Not all came from Stephanie, although over half did. Some came from associated charitable organizations, some from donations from wealthy families, either from genuine charitable intentions or sometimes to gain influence, or more likely in most cases a combination of both.

It was a position that saw her working closely with Stephanie every day. Luckily she saw her husband every day as well as Wladimir had advanced to full General and was based in Vienna. It was her own oldest daughter that came into the room. Maria-Stephanie was no longer a girl, taller than herself at 16 she was an unusual combination of genetics, unruly curly red hair, tanned skin with full lips and hazel eyes. Unfortunately her temporary employment during holidays at the palace had shown her daughter ample opportunity to indulge her newest interest, boys.

"Mother, Mr Alder is here to see you."

"Thank you dear girl please show him in."

"Victor, it is very nice to see you again."

"Baroness, thank you for the invitation."

"Of course. Now, I wished to know what you thought about my proposal."

"Using the SPD's Arbeiter Zeitung to promote your investments in charitable homes for unmarried mothers to allow birthing and support? Well, there were a few objections, of course, but I believe that it may be doable...possibly."

Laura von Gielsingen narrowed her eyes. "You know it is the right demographic Victor. However, I sense you want something as well."

Victor Alder smiled. "Well.....one thing that is desperately needed is the formation of a legal service that could be available to the common man at free or nominal charge, especially one that can represent an average working man in industrial matters and the like. It seems that even a small such clinic would make an enormous difference if funded."

"I will see what I can do Victor, as long as you do the same."

January 1913- Naval developments and laying a fleet flagship

Extract from Jane's Fighting Ships 1919

"For the United Hapsburg Empire, no larger ships were to be constructed after the end 1912, aside from the Fleet Flagship Kaiser Franz Joseph. Probably the best pre Great War design, construction was approved in January 1913. A singleton unit, she was almost twice as expensive as the revolutionary Schreck Class ships. Mounting 12 14 inch guns in four triple turrets, well armoured and capable of over 25 knots, she was to prove a handful in the Great War. Her shorter range would not have made her suitable for Royal Navy service, but she was none the less a very competent design. Built alongside the Greek battlecruiser Salamis at STT, she was not to complete until June 1916. She is shown below in her unusual wartime camouflage as completed.

Aside from this ship, the UHE Naval programs for 1913, 1914 and 1915 consisted of smaller ships. Two aviation cruisers, the Town Class scout cruisers and Battle Class destroyers(both shown below), along with pursuing their previous interest in submarines and small motor attack boats."

Kaiser Franz Joseph

Town Class Scout Cruiser

Battle Class destroyer

February 1913- Army developments

Extract from "The UHE Army in the Great War", by Kurt Phisler

The changes from the old to the new UHE Army were dramatic with the 25 year period from 1890 to in final year before the Great War, 1915, being particularly pivotal. It was not only that Army expenditure rose from the equivalent of 11.6 million Pounds in 1890 to 35.2 million Pounds in 1915, the changes went much deeper than that.

The old Austro-Hungarian Common Army's basic unit was the Regiment and in the new UHE Army this basic fact had not changed. Each Regiment consisted of four Battalions, each Battalion consisted of four companies, each company of three platoons. Numbers per Regiment had seemingly reduced by cutting each company to three platoons, but this was illusory. Each company now contained a heavy weapons and support platoon of two machine guns, two 47mm mortars, two flamethrowers, three medical staff and two communications staff.

Brigade level was the other large change. Each Regiment was equipped with an Infantry Gun Company consisting of eight of the 70mm M1897 gun, an Assault Company equipped with mortars and flamethrowers, but armed with a mixture of light machine guns, mainly the Danish Madsen and assault pistols, as well as conventional rifles and a Support and Communications Company. In terms of Divisions, each Division was meant to be equipped with two Artillery Regiments, any combination of Field Guns(30 guns), Field Howitzers(30 guns), Heavy Gun(20) or Mountain(20), although in a number of cases only one was attached or at times armoured train Regiments were assigned as a second unit. Equipment was a mixture of designs, most quite modern, the most common the 70mm M97 guns and 105mm M1898 gun, or the 105mm M1899 Howitzer or 150mm M1899 Gun. Rarely the M 1913 128mm long range gun or the 305mm M1909 mortar.

The standard machine gun was the Schwarzlose m.07/12, although it was never to replace the Maxim, purchased as it was in such quantity in the 1890's and early 1900's. Many Maxims were equipped a gun-shield and even for towing by light vehicle. The Steyr-Mannlicher M1898 and it's 1900 carbine variant were the standard personal firearm for soldiers, being reintroduced to replace the M1915 in 1916 due to it's ease of manufacture. It was a lightened and improved version of the older M1895 designed from the start to chamber the 8x56R cartridge and was one of the earlier Spitzer rounds.

All soldiers were equipped with the standard steel helmet, standard army knife and spade, the 1890's Standard Service Pattern uniform in Steingrau, although some specialist troops wore specialized camouflage. The UHE Army was the first to introduce "webbing", allowing easy carrying of such things as water-bottles, food and ammunition.

Wireless communication was standard at Regimental level, Mysteriya machines were supplied at Divisional level. Motor transports was not common in 1916, but more widely used than in most armies. Tracked artillery tractors had been in use in Heavy Artillery Regiments for some time and derivatives of these were to quickly lead to tanks. Armoured cars had long been in use and it was these and in particular motor cycles with sidecars that saw use three in particular "Motorised Cavalry Regiments" as alternatives to horses.

February 1913-Russian letters

28 February 1913, Hofburg, Vienna, UHE

Rudolf sealed both letters with his own private wax seal and placed them onto the silver tray for outgoing mail. It was an ever increasing pile, no great trial on a day when the weather was so poor. Both missives were going to Russia. He thought over the contents again.
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To: Mr Igor Sikorsky, Russo-Baltic Carriage Factory, St Petersburg

Sir, I note with pleasure your endeavors to produce an enclosed multi-passenger airliner. The prospect of such an event I personally view with unparalleled enthusiasm and to that end believe I may be able to offer you some assistance. Rather than making use of less powerful engines, I can offer the use of four of Maybach's new 160hp Mark V engines that have already proven themselves in an airborne setting.

I make this approach merely as an enthusiast and ask for nothing in return except perhaps your own good will. If you wish to take up this offer, you need only send a telegram to the Hofburg and will happily make the arrangements for delivery. In any case, I wish you well in your efforts.

Yours,

Rudolf at all
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To: Nicholas II, et all, Alexander Palace, Tsarskoye Selo

To my friend, I wish you and Nina warm greetings and also to Tatiana, Marie, Alexis, George, Alexander, Nicholas and finally little Irina. I write to take the opportunity to formally congratulate you on the Tercentenary of Romanov rule in Russia. I am aware, as I am sure that you are as well, that the next few months will produce boundless amounts of hand shaking and the usual morbidly dull receptions and events, interleaved by occasional meaningful moments. Yet for all that your appearance and that of your family will be a highlight for so many of your subjects. Take comfort in that.

Nicholas, I am proud that you have taken up the cudgels for change and the courage you have shown. Continue to be that man and know I value you friendship at all times, in fact it gives me warm comfort on a truly appallingly cold day.

Rudi, Steffi and Lola, Vienna
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March 1913-High Seas Fleet

16 March 1913, Kiel, German Empire

Alfred von Tirpitz watched the long lines of capital ships form up for a peacetime visit to Kronstadt to celebrate he Romanov Tercentenary. German battleship construction had been steady, but he worried that British constructions level were still pulling away. For that reason he had ordered the scrapping of the older Siegfried and Odin Class coastal defence ships immediately and had sold all four of the Brandenburg Class ships to the Ottomans. That had created enough spare money to order a fifth Baden Class ship. The Baden Class ships would be the first built with 15 inch guns to match the latest Royal Navy ships and the 14 inch UHE ships. Numbers wise the High Seas Fleet would consist of the following new battleships by the end of 1913:

4 Hannover Class
4 Nassau Class
4 Helgoland Class
5 Kaiser Class
1 Konig Class

3 Konig Class ships and the first two Baden Class ships would remain under construction. Of course, the first class of ships were not turbine powered but were fast enough to keep pace with the fleet.

Likewise with battlecruisers, which would consist of:

Blucher
2 Von de Tann Class
2 Moltke Class
Seydlitz

with three Derfflinger Class ships under construction. Again, the Blucher was not turbine powered. The shipyards were certainly busy, with an order for two battleships to be built by Krupp only just received from the Dutch with an option for a third. Both would likely be laid in 1914.

March 1913-Assasinations and marriages

18 March 1913, Hofburg, Vienna, UHE

Stephanie put down the newspaper. "Terrible news about George in Greece. I wonder if these assassinations will ever stop?"

Rudolf looked up. "I tried, I really did, but I could not remember enough about it, only that he was assassinated sometime near the start of the Great War as I remember it. We will have to go to Athens, of course."

"Of course. Why not take your mother and afterwards spend some time on Corfu? We can leave Lola in charge for a couple of weeks. A little challenge for her."

"Very well my love. Remember that we will need to go again to Germany in May for what will no doubt be a large gathering."

Stephanie smiled. Ah, the reconciliation between the House of Hanover and the House of Hohenzollern, Victoria-Louise's marriage. Erszi has written to say that even she will be attending so it will be nice to have everyone together in the one spot again, even if only for a short time."

Rudolf smiled. "Yes it will. You realise that in less than four years we will be celebrating a Silver Jubilee ourselves? February 1917. However, before that it will be your own Silver Jubilee as Queen of the Congo in July 1914?"

Stephanie grimaced. "Dear God, has it really been almost 25 years since I was punched in the face by my own dear father? Time goes by like the blink of an eye, a third of a lifetime gone. One can only hope that we have achieved something worthwhile, I suppose. You will have to accompany me when I visit in 1914."

"Of course. now do you think....."

Rudolf was cut off by Lola barging into the room, dressed in a breeches and loose peasant smock of all things. "Ready mama?"

"Of course darling."

Rudolf looked bewildered. "Ready for what in God's name? What are you dressed in?"

Stephanie smiled. "We are going for a run Rudolf, then a game of tennis. You father is too tired for such activity Lola, he is too old at nearly 55 for such activities, plus the sun burns his bald patch."

Lola dissolved into laughter. "Poor papa."

"I will give you two too old.."

April 1913-Phosphate rails

1 April 1913, Die Federn, Austrian Sahara

Lothar Muller had little concern. After all the years of constructing railway infrastructure in The Congo, the crews were highly experienced and knew exactly what they were doing, always a comfort to an engineer like himself. It had made sense to use labour from the Congo for the construction of the railway from the coastal port to the only thing of significance in this wilderness, the phosphate deposit at Dunedorf. One good thing about laying track over a sun blasted wilderness was that there was no requirement for vegetation clearing, no need for turns, a limited need for bridging. The heat, of course, was another matter. That and the lack of water.

Whilst one crew worked on the upgrading of port facilities, the remainder would begin construction of the 93.8 kilometres of track required to access the mine site. There would only be five stations, Ferden Port, The town of Die Ferden, itself the site of the only agricultural land at all in the Colony, amounting to some 2000 hectares, Ferden Sud at the South end of the water course, an additional watering station with a bore in the middle of the desert and the phosphate mine itself at Dunedorf.

Despite the heat, he was well aware of a the capabilities of the crews and anticipated opening the line by mid 1914 at the latest. In the meantime Kongobahn's arrangement with the UHE Colonial Office was a comfortable one, all works were to be billed at cost plus 15%.

April 1913-Covering the Bosphorus like Jason and the Argonauts

26 April 1913, Lamov, Russian Empire

The common name used for the two enclaves was Frantsuzskaya zhenshchina sis'ki or the Frenchwoman's tits, in reference to the fact that both lighthouses that spanned the North end of the Bosphorus had originally been French concessions. The old battleship Sinope had been carefully grounded on the breakwater on the European side, her eight 152mm guns designed to add to the firepower covering the Northern end of the strait. Whereas the Asian side enclave was much smaller, only 600 meters by 300 meters and manned only be Russian Army and Navy personnel, the European side was fully 12 square kilometers and had been turned into a fully fledged fortress, fully enclosed by a ring of concrete pillboxes and checkpoints and guarded not only by the Sinope's original armament, 3 12 inch gun turrets and a torpedo tube battery, but numerous other installations as well. It had grown to be not only a military but a civilian town as well, with a population of near 6000, fully half of those military personnel.

Relations with the Ottomans had been correct and formal but cold and this had not varied now for many years, yet still the fortification of the enclave continued, a testament to the importance of it's strategic position, blocking as it did any hostile force from exiting into the Black Sea. Of course, if held it could also act as the springboard for a land assault on Istanbul.

May 1913-A German wedding and conversations

24 May 1913, Stadtschloss, Berlin, German Empire

Together the three men ruled Empires spanning vast millions of square kilometers and people numbering almost 300 million. They represented a varying group. One loud and bombastic, but with a withered arm and a chronic inferiority complex despite a brilliant but erratic mind. The second handsome even at 45, yet shy and diffident, with an intelligence that was only adequate. The last was slim but balding, the oldest of the trio, a man with intense and intelligent eyes and a sharp and quick witted manner, yet a man that did not have much in the way of pleasantries, one that lacked the empathy of speech that natural orators obtained.

"It is the British, they always misunderstand my intentions. How many times must I say that I wish no war with them before someone understands that fact." bemoaned Wilhelm II.

"I keep on telling you Willy that it your own Naval Estimates that infuriate the British. You have commissioned the building of another five capital ships and eleven more submarines will follow the eleven funded last year."

"I will not be a hostage to those strutting popinjays at the British Admiralty. Germany will take their place as a great power and with our increased colonies in the Pacific and Africa from our Spanish purchases we need a large fleet to protect our interests. Not all of us can control a territory as compliant and astoundingly rich as your wife's possession" Wilhelm II tarty replied to Rudolf.

Nicholas II looked up. "It is in the Pacific I have my concerns. Japan clearly wish to challenge again. Two new and two older battleships and fully six ships of very large size under construction at what must be an incredible cost. Now they are laying them down domestically and our own Pacific squadron contains only six old ships. Yes, we have four of the new ships nearing completion but this could leave us badly outnumbered. What is more, there is only so much that our budget can stretch to. We have ordered three more ships for the Black Sea in the hope that the units there can be released to the Pacific but that has left little in the Baltic so we order another class of four for that theater, all at ruinous cost. Where will it all end?"

"We must court China as an ally to counterbalance the weight of Japan. Let the Yellow Peril fight among themselves whilst we maintain our position. We need to do all we can to support China, encourage the ambitions of Yuan Shikai, perhaps encourage him to make them Imperial ambitions. That way they can fight the Japanese for them, along with Nicky's Korean lapdogs."

Rudolf sighed, although much of Willy's statement was correct. China must be supported. He turned to Nicky. "How go things in Korea?"

"Well enough. We have established a Protectorate, but in fact we have in reality left the Koreans to their own devices aside from lumber and railroad concessions. They have moved quickly towards modernizing themselves and have proven a useful outlet for the sale of obsolete or second line military equipment. If Japan attacks again I must rely on our compact for all assistance."

"Of course, my dear Nicky" said Willy. You can rely on us, correct Rudolf."

"Yes." said Rudolf. "However, this is the problem. We have now divided into two distinct camps, ourselves on one side and the British, Japanese, Italians and French on another. There appears to be no way to bridge the gap of distrust that has sprung up. How do we avoid war?"

"I do not know" said Nicholas II. "However, I pray to God it will not come. I have tried to be more conciliatory with the British. Hopefully that will count for something." Wilhelm II merely waved his arm.

"I have tried a similar approach with the Italians to little effect, despite their provocations in East Africa."

Wilhelm II spoke again. "Look at my beautiful daughter", with Victoria Louise dancing with her new husband.

Rudolf looked. She was an amiable girl. He looked at his own daughter dancing with Prince George of Battenberg, now the son of the British First Sea Lord but a German Prince none the less.

Wilhelm II spoke again. "Your daughter is looking happy Rudolf. We need to find her a good German Prince to marry."

And let you influence events in Austria. I think not Willy, thought Rudolf as he glanced over at his wife making conversation with Marie of Romania and then back to his daughter.

Lola looked radiant and happy and he wondered how long things would last could he stave off war or would it arrive? He was not to know that in exactly three years time the UHE would be at war.

June 1913- An attempted reverse course by Britain

Extract from "The March to War" by Edward Telcher

1913 was to be a strange year from many reasons, not least of which was the brief British attempt to fly the coop of the Quadruple Alliance and reach an accommodation with Germany. At the start of 1913 tensions were to ramp up again when Germany promulgated her Army Law. In response the French could not call more men to the colours; with their largely stationary population they had no more men to call. Instead they could only answer in August by extending their service period to three years. They calculated that by 1915 or 1916 they would have an Army of a similar size to Germany, albeit one that would have to be equipped and paid for. Yet for all that in some quarter war still seemed a long way away. In Germany the military increases strengthened Bethmann's position in the Reichstag as a moderate. In Paris the three year service was opposed by the Socialists and the Radicals.

However, it was British policy that showed the greatest indecision. Churchill had suggested 'a battleship holiday' in March 1912 and gain in January 1913, but this had come to nothing. Some Liberals, including Lloyd George, fought for this in the Cabinet but were overruled. By the end of 1913 the question was beginning to lose it's bitterness. The British had come to tolerate the Germany Navy and were outstripping it without ruinous financial strain, or so they thought. Therefore, this condition was dropped and not raised at all when Britain came to Germany with a proposition through Harcourt, the Colonial Secretary, seemingly an odd bird to be doing such negotiations.

He was firstly in a state of despair as to the incompetence of Portugal's mismanagement of their colonies and at the same time envious of the newly exploited oil deposits in Northern Angola. He was one of the few Englishmen that did believe that Germany had received a raw deal in Africa. He was to revive the secret agreement in principle made in 1898 in regards the Portuguese colonies. It was a very murky transaction. Germany was to receive Southern Angola and Northern Mozambique, Britain the remainder. Harcourt sought to conciliate Germany by giving her the territory of an ally, not by surrendering British lands at all. Indeed it was an essential part of such an agreement that Great Britain would share in the plunder, her only "concession" a smaller claim than the mooted 1898 agreement. Of course, Portugal's administration of such lands would have to be shown to be incompetent, but that was seemingly a price he was prepared to pay.

It was the leaking of such an arrangement to the French by persons unknown that was to cause the downfall of any such thoughts. The French were enormously alarmed when the news of such a potential deal reached them. Not only did they fear reconciliation between Great Britain and Germany, a cause they had done their utmost to sabotage at every turn; they feared a partition of the Congo and it's inevitable next step, a partition of their own enormous colonial empire in favour of Germany, a horrendous thought. It was their main fear in the same way that the old Austro-Hungarian Empire had feared an agreement between Germany and Russia may result in their own partition. Both France and the UHE were traditional Great Powers, but of the second rank. France feared that it would not take much to turn her into the greatest of the smaller states. Hence she was committed to defending the interests of the smaller states in order to protect her own.

In fact, Germany was in favour, the Kaiser ecstatically happy, but the premature leak was the death blow of such an arrangement. Grey confessed himself ashamed of the arrangement and he tried to place the blame on the 1898 authors Salisbury and Balfour. The British declared that "they would never deprive Portugal of her colonies without her consent." It was a consent never likely to come from the battling Republican regime. The agreement remained unsigned.

It is interesting to speculate what the effects of such an agreement would have been if signed, especially since Great Britain was prepared to offer concessions from her traditional position as the guarantor of the Straits. Russia had no economic stake in the Ottoman Empire, no trade with her, no share of her national debt, not a single railway concession. In fact, it was her policy to prevent railways being built in order to preserve the security of her frontier. On the other hand she had an immense stake in the free passage of the Straits. 45% of her exports and almost 90% of her grain exports travelled via them. Nicholas II was to declare 'To abandon the Straits to a major foreign power would be tantamount to subordinating the whole economic development of Southern Russia to such a state.'

However, the British had lost some of their fervor for protecting the Straits once they were established in Egypt. Though they still had the largest share of Ottoman trade, this did not demand her political survival. The British figured the trade would go on no matter the political authority. They had only a small share in the Ottoman's debt at 13% as opposed to France's 61% and Germany's 25%. They had only one derelict railway in Asia Minor. Germany saw an agreement in regards the Straits as a golden ticket to entice Russia. Britain saw concessions that gave her control of Persia. In any case, this second agreement also floundered on the heels of the first, the failure of both ending up driving Britain further towards French ties to cover the embarrassment of her attempted diplomatic reversal of course.

July 1913-UHE Naval update

2 July 1913, Trieste, UHE

Rudolf looked at the yard, workmen busy on the modifications to the three Veribis Unitis Class battlecruisers. All three were having their triple 9.2 inch guns replaced with twin 12.2 inch mountings. Not only that, but the belt and deck armour over vital areas was to be increased by 2-3 inches. The new turrets were armoured to the standards of a battleship and two new anti aircraft mounts were to be added. Speed would drop from 26 knots to 24, but this would still give a 2-3 knot advantage over the normal battle line and hopefully produce three ships that could contribute in the line of battle. He had though of adding bulging to the design, but the expense and the time required for such a refit was prohibitive. The UHE Navy now consisted of:

Capital Ships
0+1 31,800 ton Kaiser Franz Joseph I, 12x14 inch, 16x5.9 inch, 26 knots
4 24,800 ton Tegethoff Class battleships, 8x14 inch, 16x5.9 inch, 24 knots(Tegethoff, Arpad, Radetzky, Babenburg)
2 19,800 ton Kaiserin Stephanie Class battleships, 9x12.2 inch, 12x5.9 inch, 21 knots(Kaiserin Stephanie, Szent Istvan)
3 18,300 ton Schreck Class battleships, 7x12.2 inch, 10x5.9 inch, 22 knots(Schreck, Kaiser Rudolf, Heiligedreifaltigkeit)
3 20,100 ton Veribis Unitis Class battleships(conversions from battlecruisers), 8x12.2 inch, 16x3.9 inch, 24 knots(Veribis Unitis, Prinz Eugen, Hapsburg)

Cruisers
1 9,700 ton Lissa armoured cruiser 16x5.9 inch, 26-27 knots
4 2,580 ton Pula Class light cruisers 2x5.9 inch, 9x3.9 inch, 27 knots(Pula, Fiume, Zagreb, Prague)(coal powered)
6 1,900 tons Ostrau Class light cruisers, 7x3.9 inch guns, 28 knots(Ostrau, Brno, Pressburg, Trieste, Lalbach, Salzburg)
2 3,400 ton Wien Class minelaying cruisers, 1x5.9 inch, 3x3.9 inch, 30 knots(Wien, Budapest)
0+4 3,300 ton Sankt Georg Class scout cruisers 2x5.9 inch, 6x3.9 inch, 28 knots(Sankt Georg, Sankt Wenceslaus, Sankt Joseph, Sankt Agnes)

Destroyers and destroyer
10 1020 ton Kaiser Class destroyers 4x3.9 inch, 27 knots(coal powered)
3 480 ton Planet Class, 22 knots, 2x2.6 inch, 8x1.8 inch(coal powered)
1 350 ton Destruktor, 23 knots, 1x3.9 inch, 6x1.8 inch(*Sahara)(coal powered)
16 370 ton Libelle Class, 28 knots, 2x 3.9 inch, 2 1.8 inch
0+6+6 planned 990 ton Carpi Class, 4x3.9 inch, 32 knots

Submarines
1 U4, 200 tons, 8/4 knots, 2TT
3 U5 Class, 370 tons, 10.5/4.5 knots, 7TT
3 U8 Class, 425 tons, 13.5/7 knots, 6 TT
2+2 U-11 Class, 850 tons, 15/7 knots, 4TT
0+6 U13 Class, 300 tons, 9/7 knots, 4TT
1+1 U19 Class, 1550 tons, 17/10 knots, 5TT

Various:
0+2 5400 ton Luft Class aviation cruisers, 2x5.9 inch guns, 8-10 aircraft, 20 knots
1 400 ton sail training ship Mowe
1 3500 ton Custoza cadet training ship/transport 2x5.9 inch, 18 knots
1 4560 ton Dandalo repair ship transport 1x5.9 inch, 13 knots
3 980 ton Jupiter Class colliers 1x5.9 inch, 12 knots
1 310 ton colliers, 12 knots
10 150 ton landing craft(two modified as a water tankers)
6 river monitors
6+8 11 ton motor torpedo boats
2 + 2 11 ton motor gun boats
8 240 ton minesweepers, 1x3.9 inch, 12 knots

Congo Navy
Cruisers:
2 3,400 ton Wien Class minelaying cruisers, 1x5.9 inch, 3x3.9 inch, 30 knots
Destroyers
1 140 ton Kap Weiss, 24 knots, 5x1.8 inch
Various:
2 150 ton landing craft(one modified as a water tanker)
4 river monitors

July 1913-Heavy bombers

28 July 1913, Ostrau, UHE

Ostrau had developed as the centre of not only Zeppelin production but also an important part of UHE aircraft production as the centre of manufacture for Maybach power plants. The Lloyd F had won the April competition for aircraft design and would provide the bulk of the Imperial order for aircraft.

All was not lost for Igo Etrich and Trau Werke, however. The Vienna based consortium had been the only company that could meet the specifications that many believed were impossible, an aircraft to lift either 500kg of bombs or a single new 500kg special torpedo that was under development. Edmund Rumpler and his new designer, Heinkel, had come up with a machine that was capable of such specifications, the Trau K1. Twenty of the new machines had been ordered to equip a special unit.

It was a large aircraft, one over 35 meters across and was capable of carrying a load of 550kg to a distance of 550 kilometres at a top speed of 120 kilometres per hour. It required a crew of 4 or 5 and was armed with two machine guns.

The machine was not capable of lifting the weights of the new Zeppelins, which could carry almost 4,000 kg of bombs as far as 2,300 kilometres at a height that precluded interception. The one saving grace was that two Zeppelins had been destroyed by fire in the last 12 months, they were large and unwieldy and expensive to boot, as well as requiring a crew of 20 or more. Eight were currently in military use(three with the Navy, five with the Army) and two were in civilian use, with four more under construction.

Trau K1

July 1913- Elections in Germany

16 July 1913, Stadtschloss, Berlin, German Empire

Wilhelm II despaired at the results of the delayed elections, originally scheduled to be held in 1912 but delayed a full 18 months as the wrangle over Women's Suffrage had gone on and on. Finally the election had been held in June with the votes of women counting half that of men. It had been a provision grandfathered in that would see women gain the right to vote in all elections by 1915, enabling them the full right to vote in the next Reichstag election in 1918. Delaying the election had allowed the passage of the 1912 Navy Bill and the 1913 Navy Estimates but now Wilhelm II had concerns.

The 1913 election had also featured electoral reforms that had downplayed the importance of the rural vote, another thing that had been necessary to navigate the compromise over Women's voting. Why such a group of stupid geese would want the vote in the first place as beyond him. It was not as if the Reichstag was difficult enough to deal with, now it would be much worse.

Under the new arrangements, the SDP controlled 122 seats in the new Reichstag, their close allies the Progressive People's Party 44 more, giving them 166 of the 397 seats. It would place increased pressure on his own Cabinet and Bethmann as Chancellor, as well as Tirpitz as Navy Minister. It would also force him into increased dealings with the SDP Party leader, that pacifist fool Hugo Haase.

August 1913- France strains her sinews

16 August 1913, Lorient, French Republic

Pierre Latrouse looked at the piece of paper. So, a follow on class of battleships to the Normandie Class had been authorised. Such authorisation had not come soon enough in his own opinion. France had been a late starter in the race to build modern battleships but now measures were being taken to meet the Germanic threat. The 1912 Army reforms would increase the size of the Army by a significant amount and now the Navy too would expand to meet the threat of the ever increasing High Seas Fleet and whatever it was that the Austrians were doing.

Four ships of the Courbet Class had been constructed, followed by three of the Bretagne Class and three of the new Normandie Class had already been laid, with two more to follow. This new class would consist of a further four ships, giving a total of four four ship divisions when they were completed, likely 1919 taking into account a four year build time.

The next question was what to arm these new ships with. The tried and tested 340mm gun in up to four quadruple turrets or to use a larger calibre, likely 380mm, although, as yet, no such larger gun existed. In any case, it would represent a large ship, one likely nigh on 29,000 tons light.

September 1913- The Pashas grow restless

1 September 1913, Istanbul, Ottoman Empire

Enver Pasha looked over the reports. Yet again it was another unacceptable humiliation under the auspices of the Freedom and Accord Party. First the British had taken the opportunity to effectively move the border of the Aden Protectorate in 1905 during the rebellions in Yemen. Then the Russians had been given fishing concessions held by Turkish fishermen for generations at the mouth of the Black Sea in 1908.

Now in French Levant, Ottoman Post Offices in the occupied territory had been closed following a dispute as to who owned the right to draw water from a well situated right on the border. Everywhere traditional Turkish rights were being eroded and under the Freedom and Accord Party and it’s weak patron Yusuf I. The political program of the party advocated for Ottomanism, government decentralization and the rights of ethnic minorities was anathema to Enver Pasha and indeed most of the Committee of Progress.

The current situation could not continue. The Ottoman Empire hardly existed anymore in Europe, To the East Kurds and Armenians still agitated for more change and the Arabs were more vocal than ever. Rather than crushing such disloyalty, under Yusuf I and the Freedom and Accord Party were pandering to such groups.

The Committee of Accord and Progress had lost the last election in the capital in 1911, however, the CUP would not wait forever. Already he was thinking that it would take little to topple the current unpopular regime and install a government of his own making. The insipid and weak Altıncı Mehmet being the next in line for Sultan would only serve to make such a bold move even easier to initiate.

September 1913- Bypassing the heir in Ethiopia

22 September 1913, Massawa, Northern Italian Somaliland

Sigwalt Roos stepped on board the banana boat for the journey back to Rome. It had taken much time and the dispersion of a great many Maria Theresa Thalers to obtain the result that had been desired. The Regency Council, in place some four years and ruling for the incapacitated Menelik II, would name his daughter Zewditu as his successor, bypassing his Islamist leaning Nephew Lij Iyasu. This had been made so much easier the the latter's sheer unpopularity. He was impulsive, cruel, lascivious, prone to depressions and egocentricities, and utterly politically inept.

Roos had found it easy enough to get close to Empress Taytu Betul via one of her handmaidens and also cousins, Aditu Zawa. It had been a long assignment and Roos, as Sergei Krasnov, weapons dealer, had been in Ethiopia over a year. It was during that time that he had married Aditu in an Orthodox ceremony and now they were headed for Ljubljana, where Reilly would purchase them a house.

It was his third marriage, each in a different faith and with none of them being annulled. Once in Ljubljana, it should be easy enough for him to keep the two halves of his married life secret. After all intelligence agents and weapons dealers needed to travel all the time and the weapons sales he had negotiated in Ethiopia would see him in good stead financially. He looked again at Aditu Zawa. The girl was a thoroughbred and excited him in a way his Viennese wife never could.

He had been here three times now, back to Russia multiple times, to the UK, to France, into Persia, Albania multiple times to assist the government there, to Brazil for an extended period and also to Italy, all in a series of most rewarding assignments.

October 1913 - Sperrbrecher’s

Extract from “The History of an Imperial Navy”, by Waldo von Schenck

“It was at the start of 1913 that the first of two aviation cruisers was laid down. Both would complete in mid to late 1915. It was in October 1913 that the UHE Navy commissioned the first of the auxiliary ships were used in such great numbers during the Great War and it was these ships that would provide the first dedicated ship to launch aircraft. Whilst the USN and RN had launched aircraft from ships as early as 1910 and 1912 respectively, it was the UHE that first delivered a ship with a permanent platform for doing so. This platform, was, of course, the Sperrbrecher Imperator.

The Sperrbrecher’s were to provide a valuable service during the Great War, at great danger to their crews. The primary use of the Sperrbrecher was to escort other vessels through cleared paths in defensive minefields, for the purpose of detonating any mines that might have strayed. In addition, the ships of the Sperrbrecher type were also used to clear suspected enemy minefields by simply sailing through them. In 1912, the Imperial Navy purchased six ships that had finished service with Austro-Lloyd, all older types originally built in the mid 1870’s- mid 1880’s, two of 4140 tons, the remainder 1800 to 2000 tons.

All were to have their bows specially strengthened and were fitted with Portuguese cork, equipped with two old deck guns and two machine guns. What was unusual about the two larger ships as both were equipped with a permanent flying off platform forward for a seaplane.

Before the Great War, such ships performed unglamorous duties as barracks ships, transports or as depot ships for motor boats. During the war, all were used in their intended use, but also as Q ships and even as commerce raiders. They were to be followed by a number of other conversions from former civilian ships, but the original six were the only ones that remained under naval crews. Most of the others were primarily crewed by merchant seamen. Such service required great bravery, as losses were often severe.”

November 1913-Albanian railways

3 November 1913, near Lac, Albania

It was the completion of what would be a significant project for Albania. Funded almost entirely by UHE Bahn, it would be operated by the Rothschild owned Sudbahn in a contracting capacity in a complex deal that saw UHE Bahn take over the privately owned Sudbahn line within the UHE and in exchange provide both a cash settlement and exclusive operating rights for the service to Albania’s Southern port of Valona. What it would allow was the transport of the country’s second biggest export, Chromium, entirely by rail. Whilst the line had been extended to the oilfields near Fier, most of the oil traffic would still likely go via tanker.

King Eugen had developed a happy life in Albania, despite personal tragedy. He had fallen in love with his wife, who had delivered him two healthy children but had sadly passed while attempting to deliver a third. It had been his sister in law Xenia who had arrived to assist him with the children and eventually he had come to appreciate her in the same way that he had his late wife. After much soul searching he had made her an offer himself three years ago and now he had another boy to go with his son and daughter from his first marriage.

There was no doubt at all that Albania had benefitted from his association with the UHE as a Hapsburg Archduke. The oil trade was profitable and was run by African Queen. Chromium ore was transported by Royal Illyrian lines and would now go by rail via an Austrian rail company. Albania silk had been made famous by Falke in Budapest.

The one thing he had been at pains to do right from the start was to never favour one religion over another, emphasising at all times the importance of Albania and the Albanian language above all else. He had also been at pains to live a life that had been largely free of opulent frivolities. It was a policy that had worked well and had seen the country begin to emerge from a medieval isolation where blood feuds and belief in things like witchcraft abounded still to a more modern society where in places like the capital Durres electricity and streetcars had become the norm.

Albanian rail lines 1913

November 1913- A mutual defence treaty in South America

30 November 1913, Paço de São Cristóvão, Empire of Brazil

Relations between Chile and Argentina had always been poor and had been simmering since Edward VII delineated the border in 1902. Like all good and fair compromises, it left both parties dissatisfied and tensions had remained high for some time. Shots had been exchanged twice between fishing vessels and in August Argentinian police had evicted a Chilean settler near the border. He had appealed to Chilean authorities and instead of mediation a fire fight had broken out that left three Chilean police dead and one Argentinian officer wounded.

Furious diplomatic cables and various attempts at intervention had led to very little of substance and it was not the only diplomatic issue that had arisen in the last few years. A three way dispute between Britain, Argentina and Brazil over Inaccessible Island in the South Georgia group had also done much to sour relations between all three powers, but especially between Brazil and Argentina.

The shock or an Argentina order for two large new battleships was also an impetus for the 1913 Rio de Janiero Treaty, one that was to send shockwaves around the remainder of South America and cause consternation in both Washington and London.

Luis I of Brazil dipped his pen and signed the Treaty, a mutual defence pact between Brazil, Ecuador and Chile. It was the commencement of an ordering of South American states into power blocks reminiscent of those already in existence in Europe.

July 2019- A Royal Albania meeting

3 July 2019, UHE Embassy, Durres, Kingdom of Albania

Archduchess Magdelina looked at herself in the mirror yet again. Maroon and black leggings, maroon boots and jacket, grey tank top and scarf. Perfect. She looked across at the woman on the love seat next to her, not as tall but more curvier and with jet black hair and green eyes as opposed to her own golden mane and blue orbs.

"Eddie, come on, we have to leave soon, the car should be almost here."

Edona Hoxha looked at the tall Hapsburg Archduchess, very much like her brother in mannerisms but with a touch of near 20 year old dramatics. "I am nervous Mags, I have never met the King before. What if I make a fool of myself?"

"Why would you make a fool of yourself? You speak perfect English after all. Besides, it is only an informal gathering. The boys have been off fishing, for God's sake, it's not like it is a state occasion. Plus they are only our or at least my cousins in any case."

"Perhaps so for you, however, for me this is MY King, our 91 year old revered King and the question still remains, what if I make a fool of myself?"

"You are my brother's fiancee, soon enough you will be his wife. You will be fine, besides what about me?"

Edona laughed. "What about you?"

"HE will be there." said Magdelina.

"HE? Who is HE."

"Oh come on, I told you" Magedelina whined. "Nicholas Romanov. You know how they are spread out all over Europe now but there are a great many of them in the UHE after the former Russian Imperial family came to live in Vienna in 1919. They only share one feature and that is they are all ridiculously good looking. I do so want him to notice me, but as a woman, not a girl."

Edona finished the last of her own makeup touches and rose and put her hands on the taller girl's shoulders. "Relax yourself Mags. You have got this."

It was only twenty minutes later that they were pulling into the New Royal Palace in Durres. It was the most well known building in Albania, if far from the biggest. Albania's first King, the former Archduke Eugen who had declared he had "no time for massive drains on the public purse" when post war a new royal palace needed to be constructed and instead the place was simply said to be "Durres' first house.". The old Royal Palace had been destroyed by Italian naval gunfire in 1917 just before the famous Battle of Cape Lajit that had seen the climactic Adriatic clash between the UHE and Italian and French navies. The new building was much smaller, but built with a touch of true whimsy.
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“What are you doing out here?”

Magdelina smiled before she even looked up to see Nicholas, she would know his voice anywhere.

“Getting some air,” she sighed. Magdelina giggled, took a sip of her wine and then settled back against the bench. She leaned into Nicholas, her friend whose steadiness and warmth had always been a comfort to her.

“Cold?” he asked, his arm moving around her and his hand rubbing up and down her arm to warm her up.

“Not really,” she shook her head. She settled against him, leaning her head on his shoulder. It was easy to settle into him, to relax with him. It always had been.

"So, you split with Peter. Why?"

She turned her gaze back to his and she shrugged. “In the beginning we were what? Sixteen?” She paused to take a deep breath and a sip of wine. “It was fun and new and all the things that love is when you are sixteen. Peter didn’t want anything more because he knew things would change. I’m a royal – that’s my job and I do love it even if I complain and I probably always will. He knew he would have to take on some of that when it hit the press and that meant having to miss whatever must attend social event was going on that weekend. And the truth is…I can’t be with someone who lacks the sense of purpose that my life requires.”

“Sounds like a bit of a relief,” Nicholas observed. “For you, not him.”

“Actually, it was a relief for both of us when it ended I think.”

Nicholas took a long, deep breath and his fingers squeezed her arm. “Well, he’s a dumb-ass.”

“Ha!” Magdelina laughed and shook her head against his shoulder. “It’s just who he is. And it was fun when we were younger, but at some point I had to grow up, you know?”

“I do know,” he nodded, his lips twisted up wryly, his own recent steps to becoming more of a responsible adult flashing across his mind. She leaned into him and he held her protectively against him as the comfortable silence they always seemed to be able to have with each other settled around them for a long moment.

Nicholas smiled “I’m sure you just relayed what it would have been like in the fantasies you had of me.”

“Jesus” she snorted and then took a sip of wine. “You fucking wish.”

“Ha,” he shook his head and when his eyes turned back to her. “Maybe I do.”

“Maybe you’re full of shit,” Magdelina retorted, her lips twitching with the banter.

“Well, you already knew that” he said. His eyes were dancing with humour, but Magdelina sensed a subtle change in him somewhere. Something was softer. “But you can’t tell me you never thought about it.”

She smirked and shook her head and although she sensed the shift in the conversation, but it didn’t make her pause. It didn’t make her the least bit uncomfortable.

“Are you telling me that you’ve thought about it?” she teased.

“Of course I have” he answered immediately and her eyes flashed wide for a moment. “Are you kidding? You were always so sassy and funny and let’s face it, incredibly pretty.”

“Were?”
“Sorry?”

“You said were,” she smiled, her head tilting to the side. “As in you don’t think those things anymore.”

He smiled then, sweet and soft and only a tiny bit smug and it made Magdelina's breath catch. He reached out and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and leaned a bit closer. “Come on. You know I still think all of those things.”

“Sure,” she sighed, relaxing back onto the bench with a smile and wink at him. “Just like you think those things about Tania and Svet. Sassy and pretty and very much like your kid sisters you tolerate on occasion.”

Nicholas couldn’t help the surprise burst of laughter that fell from his lips. “No,” he shook his head and her eyes pulled right back to him. “No. No. The way I think of you is not at all how I think about my sisters, unless of course I was a Lannister.”

Magdelina blinked, her mind racing to wrap around those words, to try and make sense of the way he had said them made her heart race at the thought that he thought of her in that way.

“But…” she stammered, not really knowing what to say. God, he really was ridiculously good looking.

“But what?” he chuckled. His eyes were bright but soft as he reached out to her, his fingers finding hers. He squeezed them gently before letting them go to trace his fingers up her arm, watching as her skin flushed and as her lips parted just slightly. “How could I not think of you that way? How could I not spend all that time with you and not wonder what it might be like to…”

“To what?” Magdelina pressed, her voice barely above a whisper. She was completely taken in by this moment, by the way his fingers traced electricity up her arm to her neck, by the way his eyes seemed to darken as they held steady with hers.

“To kiss you,” he murmured, his lips tipping up into a smile as his fingers curved around her jaw. “I’ve always wondered what it might be like to kiss you, Mags.”

Magdelina reached up, curled her fingers into the lapel of his jacket, and then with a deep breath, she tugged gently and brought his lips down to hers.
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Edona stepped back from the balcony when she saw the two in a lip lock, a small smile on her face. Magdelina was right, he really was ridiculously good looking, as was his two sisters. She returned to her fiancee.

Karl looked at her and smiled. "Where is my sister?" he whispered.

No where you need to know about she thought. "Ladies room I think." She turned to look at the man to Karl's right, still upright and straight backed despite the cane.

"Your Majesty."

Georgi I looked at her and smiled. "I was just saying to your boy here that you may turn out to be another famous Albanian export my dear, more beautiful even than our silk."

Edona laughed. "You are a flatterer Sir."

"I once fancied myself as one, yes. No, it is a good thing. Young Karl is a good man. We have been blessed with good relations with the Hapsburg's over so many years. It was my own Uncle that fought out there on the same sea Karl was fishing on only a few hours ago. He commanded a torpedo boat that sank an Italian battleship, the proudest moment of our small Navy, yet it cost him his life to do so. So many deaths and so much suffering. We must never have another war."

"We can agree on that Your Majesty."

Albanian Royal Compound

December 1913- Counter alliances in the Southern hemisphere

Extract from "A very Latin War-South America and the Great War", by Miguel Sanza

By December 1913 Argentine President Roque Sáenz Peña was dying, there was no question of that it was simply a matter of time. He must have felt that he had a duty to respond to the Chile-Brazil coalition however. For that reason he was to sign the Treaty of National Security on the 16th December, committing Argentina to an alliance with Bolivia and Peru, an alliance that new Peruvian President Óscar Raymundo Benavides Larrea described as a "Pact of Steel". Within 12 months Paraguay had also joined, whilst Colombia joined the Brazil-Chile-Ecuador coalition. It was to leave Venezuela and Uruguay as the only uncommitted countries on the continent by the end of 1914.

By 1915 tensions had reached near a peak and an arms race was well and truly in place, especially in a naval sense, with money none of the countries could afford being spent. With Argentina's national debt financed almost entirely by Britain and Brazil tied to the UHE by dynastic blood, it would seemingly take little to spark a war and so it was to prove.

December 1913- Shooting it out

21 December 1913, Kaiserebersdorfer Landwehr-Artilleriekaserne, Vienna, UHE

Rudolf raised his new personal Steyr M1912 and prepared to pull the trigger. Just as he was preparing to do so he heard a large "argh" behind him. The shot went wide, hitting only the outer target at 25 meters. The grizzled older Offiziersstellvertereter came up to Rudolf and presented the target to him. “It is a four I am afraid Sire, that makes a total of 239, short of the Crown Princess's 242 I am afraid.”

Rudolf grimaced. "Thank you Offiziersstellvertereter Scholl."

A large crowd had gathered to view the two shooting, Rudolf indicating that he did not mind if the men watched. He walked up to his daughter. "What the hell was that?" he whispered.

Lola cut him a blinding smile. "Well there was a bee father. I could not let it land on me, after all."

Rudolf rolled his eyes and the two parted, going to meet and talk individually with the men. It was something that Rudolf and Stephanie had started in some 14 years before upon a random comment from his wife. Apparently in modern times it was called "the walkabout". It certainly seemed to be appreciated by the many ordinary folk that often turned out to see him, his wife and daughter wherever they appeared. Before instituting such procedures, he had taken the time to get three suits made and had tailored into each of them of multiple layers of pure Albanian silk. Such a vest had saved the life of Alfonso XIII of Spain in 1901 and was quite capable of stopping a pistol shot, the most common tool of trade for the anarchist.
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Rudolf and Lola both climbed into the back of the new DMB S Series Limousine. The automobile manufacturing industry in the UHE was growing rapidly, with 15,400 vehicles produced in 1912, not that much less than the 19,100 produced in Germany, although still less than Britain and way less than the almost 500,000 produced in America, over 300,000 of those from Ford alone. Then again, America did not have the efficient rail rail network Europe had, with Germany having the largest density of track in Europe behind only Belgium. DMB in particular, was growing at an enormous rate and it's Maybach engines were being recognized as reliable, powerful power plants. Already Maybach had a new engine capable of 220hp that he was sure would enable a top speed of an incredible 200 kmph.

Maybach limousine

Rudolf sat as Lola was ushered in and they settled in the back seats. "Winning is not everything you know."

Lola smiled a sweet smile. "Winning is not everything no papa, it's the only thing. I think you said that, did you not?"

"You are spending too much time with your mother. Lola, what about marriage?"

Lola looked at Rudolf. "When I am ready papa. I am only 21, after all. I feel like I am just learning this role and I have a long way to go. If I marry now, I will have that distraction plus no doubt be expected to become a baby factory as well. I need to become comfortable with...well this first. Also, there is no one at present."

"I had thought that when the time comes maybe someone from inside the Empire. Less...political pressure that way. External forces trying to influence you."

"Oh I agree, as long as they can get over the fact that their station will always be inferior to my own and our children. It is a hard ask for a man."

"Yes."

January 1914-South American navies

Extract from "A very Latin War-South America and the Great War", by Miguel Sanza

"By January 1914 all of the dominoes were falling in place for war. Argentina's Navy had for quite some time been the premier institution in South America. This had been equalised by two British built light battleships in 1903 and Brazil's purchase of ex UHE ships and a new battleship in the 1905-09 period. It was the Argentine tender for the construction of two modern battleships and 12 destroyers in 1908, a tender won by Fore River Company in 1910 that was again to raise tensions and provoke a series of formal alliances. When the Rivadavia Class ships reached Argentina in late 1914, they were accompanied by the ex American armoured cruiser New York and three old torpedo boats purchased cheaply and quickly formed the nucleus of a substantial fleet consisting of not only the two powerful 27,500 ton battleships, 3 ironclads, fully 7 armoured cruisers, 5 protected cruisers, 18 destroyers and 18 torpedo boats.

It was such a threat that saw Chilean and Brazilian Navy Admirals to hold talks in Rio in October 1914. Both countries had recently received or were soon to receive a new battleship. In the Chilean case the new ships that arrived in early 1915 was the Admiral Latorre, a 24,600 ton ship mounting 10 13.5 inch guns. She was backed by two 12,120 pre Shrecks, 3 armoured cruisers, 4 protected cruisers and 8 destroyers, including six large modern types, as well as two submarines.

The Brazilian Navy had also expanded, a new ship arriving in July 1914, the Rio de Janiero being a bizarre 27,900 ton design mounting 14 12 inch guns. She was to compliment the first smaller ship ordered from Vickers as well, a much smaller 19,000 ton design. These were backed by three ex UHE 11,900 ton battlecruisers, two 3,200 ton coastal defence ships, five light or protected cruisers and 14 destroyers, although none of the modern larger types, plus three submarines.

These would be the ships, backed by the tiny navies of their allies, that would be taken to war in 1916."

Argentine Battleships

January 1914- American thoughts

19 January 1914, White House, Washington DC, United States of America

The President William Taft looked at his Secretary of State again. "What do you make of it? It seems like the whole continent is approaching troubled times."

Secretary of State Philander Knox nodded. The President's 'dollar diplomacy' had been only a partial success and the 1913 elections had drawn the Democrats right back into electoral contention. Taft lacked the charisma and speaking power of Roosevelt and, in addition, America was perceived as being weak and of little influence within the two Eastern Continents. Right on America's border the situation in Mexico was one of chaos, in Canada the King's Uncle was Governor-General, a posting that Knox had attempted to indicate displeasure with. Americans troops were still in Nicaragua. In South America two power blocks had developed, Argentina and Peru in one camp, Chile and Brazil in another.

America had been unable to prevent a Brazilian Braganza restoration that now appeared to have stuck and due to her slowness in recognizing the new regime did not hold much in the way of diplomatic influence although relations were improving. It was the UHE and the British that held influence instead. In Argentina things were brighter, despite the British being the countries major creditor. The latest ships on generous terms had done much to draw goodwill. Chile remained an area of British influence, although with her new attachment to Brazil Austrian influences were creeping in. In addition, there was still small scale guerilla war in Cuba. Colombia was still hostile, no surprise considering the Panama situation.

Overall, South American influences had gone poorly, there was little question of that. 'Dollar diplomacy' had worked better in Asia. Relations in the Philippines, which had needed development money, were very cordial indeed. Likewise relations with China, although one could never be sure where development money was actually going in China, now such an inherently unstable country. Japan was another story. Vigorously rearming, she was tied tightly to Britain and the U.S was locked out of any influence.

"Well Mr President, we need to work towards defusing the current set of alliances so as to reduce the chance of war. All countries are gradually building their navies as their primary means of power projection. We need to defuse that in some way."

"Can we make an approach to Brazil? If we can separate Brazil, then the counter alliance to Argentina falls apart and then perhaps tensions may abate."

"Possibly, it is no secret that the Austrians seem to have the most in the way of diplomatic ties."

"What has changed there? They were on the verge of slipping out of the group of second rate powers some 25 years ago. Now they are perhaps the strongest of such a group, behind only the British, the Russians and the Germans."

"Despite the fact that they are still in theory an absolute monarchy, it has been a combination of some luck but mainly good governance Mr President. Absolute monarchy's normally accumulate power, fearful of threats and therefore despotic, yet they have gone the opposite way and actually devolved power to regional groups. I am sure there are still many issues to solve, however, the major ethnic groups with three exceptions now have a say in their own governance. The Imperial couple have become enormously popular and they have led the way in reforms, perhaps too much in regards women's issues and the way they deal with natives. They are probably the most photographed people in Europe, darlings of the royalty obsessed, the Liberals, the sports world and the fashion world.

Yet for all of my last point in regards natives, they have also turned the Congo into a raging success. Over the course of the last 25 years they have become the most well known figures in Europe. Yet for all of that they are a country that we maintain only ordinary relations with. I would strongly suggest we leverage our ties with Kaiser Rudolf's wife's Kingdom in Congo to attempt to make closer contact, closer contact that can hopefully be used to try and influence Brazil away from their South American alliances in return for security guarantees."

William Taft thought about things. "Very well, we will need to send someone high level in an unofficial capacity. What about Vice President Butler?"

"I agree."

February 1914-Scandals in Japan

10 February 1914, Kure, Japanese Empire

Prime Minister and Admiral, it was a dual hat for Yamamoto Gonbee, a dual hat that fitted very uncomfortably indeed. Violent demonstrations had broken out in Tokyo over the newly uncovered Siemans/Vickers scandal. Siemens had secured a virtual monopoly over Japanese naval contracts in return for a secret 15% kickback to the Japanese naval authorities responsible for procurement. In 1911, the British firm of Vickers had offered the Japanese naval authorities a more lucrative deal, involving a 25% kickback, with 40,000 Yen for the former Chief of the Navy Technical Department, specifically involving the procurement of Kongo and the designs for her sisters.

It was a humiliation both for himself and the Navy. Japan had strained every sinew to rebuild her shattered fleet after the humiliations of 1905. A fleet that had been effectively annihilated. Without such a fleet, manipulation of events in Korea, China as well as further South such as in the Philippines was effectively impossible. It had been for that reason that the Navy had received priority above all other services. He looked at the Kongo. Three sister ships were under construction, as were two battleships, with two more due to be funded. These would join the existing fleet of two battleships and four pre-Schrecks.

They would be needed, as four powerful battleships had just completed in St Petersburg and would soon be transferred to the Pacific to replace older units. Russia was also building three more ships in the Black Sea to reinforce the three already there. Plus they had a large force of older ships.

Japan's Navy estimates had consumed nearly 20% of the national budget, an intolerable situation in an environment where it had been proven that such money had been used to finance corruption. Throughout February and March further violent demonstrations would follow and Yamamoto Gonbee would have to tender his resignation, but not before the approval to build two further Fuso Class units was withdrawn by the Diet in the face of active opposition that demanded lower taxes. Ōkuma Shigenobu become the new Prime Minister, charged with reductions in military expenditure, a difficult agenda when Japan itself was still militarily girding herself for a more active foreign policy in Korea and the chaos that was China and a return to a policy of confrontation with Russia.

March 1914- Social changes, first hints of power devolution

1 March 1914, Reichsgewerkschaftskommission, Vienna, UHE

Anton Hueber sat across from Kaiserin Stephanie and shook his head. "Your Majesty, whilst I appreciate many of the reforms that have occurred these last 20 years, especially your influence on the labour laws and the electoral system that for the first time gives the common man, and women for that matter, a say, I cannot push this through and obtain support."

Stephanie kept her gaze on the man. "You realise that in wartime, these decrees, these War Requirement Laws, will likely be enacted in any case, no matter what people's feelings on the matter. Only we will have to wait to implement them."

"Perhaps, but as we all know, bad news is better imposed than agreed upon. This proposed law would stipulate that in the event of war workers could not leave firms under State direction. It also outlaws all activities that could be deemed a hindrance to production in firms under “state protection.” All legal bases for trade union organization are thus eliminated. Your Majesty, you cannot expect us to vote ourselves out of existence no matter the fact that we may be at war."

Stephanie pinched her nose. "No, I suppose not. Her Hueber, you know where wars are won?"

Anton Hueber grimaced. "I am a pacifist at heart Your Majesty. Not really. With soldiers?"

"No" said Stephanie "and I am a pacifist at heart myself, but sometimes war is thrust upon you. They are not won at the front, by soldiers and sailors, at least not the long wars. Long wars are won by industrial production, by the people's will and morale, by making sure that whilst we all may suffer, that people have bread, water and shelter, that the poor are looked after. So that at home, where the organs of government live and breath, a harmonious environment is created for all and resentment and revolution have no place to fester."

"None the less Your Majesty I cannot say yes to the imposition of such a law and my discussions with the SDP indicate clearly they will not support it either."

Both parties looked at the third man seated and Victor Alder poke up. "I am afraid that this is so Your Majesty."

"Well gentleman, as long as you remain aware that if war does come, these are the measures that are likely to be instituted in any case. However, I can offer you one unequivocal guarantee and that is they will be rapidly repealed post war, within 12 months at the most.

On to other matters. I was pleased and gratified to see two women elected in the 1910 elections and that Ernestine von Fürth has made such strides inside your own party Victor. I applauded the removal of the requirement for a woman to resign from a State job upon becoming a mother, at least in Cisleithania. My main concern is the under representation of certain ethnic groups in industry, which contributes to their lesser status in regards income since agrarian work is less well paid. Germans and Czechs are far and away the most likely to be employed in industry. In 1913 around 46 percent of Germans and 47% of Czechs were employed in industry, while the next closest percentages were 28 percent for Italians, 25 percent for Slovenes and Hungarians. Most others are less than 16%. It's inequitable and despite our patronage of rural industry it is still a major issue."

"I agree Your Majesty, yet we are on the right track I feel. Rome was, after all, not built in a day."

"I suppose not. This year will be the first election that will be fought completely without the Curia system."

"I am aware." replied Victor Alder.

"Yes Victor, I am sure you are, but what you may not be aware of is the fact that if such elections over the next ten to fifteen years proceed without hitches, if we can establish a harmonious Parliamentary process, that my husband will be prepared to commence delegating a number of powers previously the purview of the Sovereign to such Parliamentary institutions. This is something that people like your friend Mr Bronstein cannot seemingly understand, that in the battle between the rock and the river, it is the river that always wins. Change takes time and violent change can lead to worse institutions than what was replaced, but if managed cooperatively, there need not be bloodshed, unrest, anarchist bombs and the like."

"He may not see that Your Majesty, but I am a supporter of such change."

"This is why anarchism is rife in Italy and Russia. Not because of strong leadership, but because of a lack of such. Gentleman, we need to work together, as the coming age will be one of machines and that will bring unprecedented social change even without any other influences."

March 1914-Death of an Empress

26 March 1914, Hermesvilla, Vienna, UHE

The three riders kept up a brisk pace. Lola ducked under a branch as her Grandmother completed a jump over a small fallen log. She followed and finally came towards the rough wooden table under an English oak that contained a single picnic basket. Finally she dismounted herself and watched their third companion do likewise.

Dowager Empress Elizabeth looked at her granddaughter, who was shaking out her blonde mane from the confines of her riding hat. How things had changed. The girl wore breeches, as was the increasing custom, with no corset at all, instead no doubt wearing a brassiere, yet another of her mother's innovations and one Sissi did not herself agree on. Tight lacing was essential for the maintenance of figure, she was certain of that.

Yet for all that there was no doubt the girl represented a striking figure, quite unlike the usual Hapsburg foibles at all in terms of appearance. Her companion was only 19 as opposed to the Crown Princess's 22 and whilst both were willowy she was much shorter in height, with tanned skin and a riot of wavy red curls that had escaped the confines of her riding headgear. Since being appointed a Lady in waiting to the Crown Princess both had become fast friends, so it seemed. Sissi was well informed with gossip and she knew a number of the junior officers referred to the pair of them as "Die Hochseeflotte", a reference to the German Naval Jack with it's yellow, red, black and white colours. Both girls seemingly provoked much discussion among the junior officers and pages that formed the endless fleets of functionaries at the Imperial palaces.

Sissi had considered Stephanie wholly unsuitable when she had first arrived to marry her son and that had been proven all too well up until 1888, Rudolf quickly becoming bored with the girl. She could never be certain what had changed around that time. Their reconciliation had been as quick as it had been passionate and long lasting, yet what had caused such an effect remained a mystery. She was well informed enough to know that her son had never strayed again and the girl in front of her was almost proof of a medical miracle, after all.

There were so many things that she had not agreed upon, the creation of two more kingdoms, an erosion in power for the Hungarian nobility that had embraced her so fully, Stephanie's sporting achievements, even the treatment of the Congo savages. Yet most of these initiatives had worked and the Empire was a vastly different place than it had been during her dear late husband's time. She pulled out a pocket mirror and checked her appearance. Age was the one enemy that could never be defeated. To be sure, she could likely pass for a woman in her fifties, but it had caught up with her none the less.

She sat at the table and opened the basket. Perhaps it was time for a treat. "Some speck my dear?"

"Yes please Grandmama."

"You are getting much better in your control of your mount."

"Yes, I was thinking I might do what mama did and enter the Olympics. Shooting or horsemanship."

Sissi bit down her initial response. Competition in the Olympics was for commoners, in her own point of view. "Very good. I did notice your father complaining that you defeated him."

Lola giggled. "Yes."

"How do you feel about your position now, do you feel you could succeed your father if required? His has been a formidable reign so far and you will be at the forefront when the Silver Jubilee comes in early 1917."

"I was nervous for many years. I thought Erszi would do the job for a long time, but over these last six years I have grown increasingly comfortable with the role. Yes, I am quite sure there will be the usual problems that occur when a woman is placed in charge of men, but they can be overcome. When father passes and if I succeed it will mark a profound and bittersweet milestone for all of us, as we will all bear witness to both an end and a beginning. While I would of course be able to continue on, I would feel that we all must be grateful to have been blessed with someone who has so ably guided us to where we are today. Whilst my sorrow if that was to happen would be profound, the clouds would clear eventually and the sun will shine on me again and in that warm, bright light I would find myself and ourselves facing a glorious future, a future papa and mama helped us all to build."

"Yes, I think you are ready my dear. Let us just hope it is not for many years yet. You know I have never said it Lola, but...I am proud of you. Your father to, your mother as well I suppose."

Lola smiled and leaned forward and hugged her Grandmother. "I love you to Grandmama."

"Yes, well. What about boys?" asked Sissi. "How about you Marie-Stephanie?" she asked Lola's companion. The girl was extremely attractive in an... exotic way.

Nineteen year old Baroness Marie-Stephanie von Gieslingen blushed almost as red as her hair. "Not at this stage Your Majesty, papa is...opposed."

Sissi barked a laugh. "Father's are always opposed."

It was pleasant afternoon thought Lola. Her Grandmother could be seen as difficult by some, yet for all that she was still her Grandmother and when it was possible and both were in Vienna, she visited her at least once a week.

Sadly, it was to be her last such visit. On Wednesday 1st April 1914 Dowager Empress Elizabeth, the famous Sissi of youth, died at the Hermesvilla from a massive stroke, aged 76, provoking universal mourning in the UHE, especially Hungary, and creating a huge assembly of royalty at the funeral some ten days later.

April 1914- A new way of delivering a torpedo

14 April 1914, off Fiume, Adriatic Sea

For the third time that day the huge seaplane was winched down from the fixed position on the stern of the Imperatrix, the old converted banana boat barely moving in the low swell. All four engines of the Trau K1 roared to life. It was to take over half a nautical mile before the large seaplane heaved herself into the air with all the grace of a drunken duck, banked and gradually flew out of sight. Otto Raus brought her down to 20 metres and steadied the large aircraft on a fixed heading. He felt the tap on his shoulder and looked around to see the thumbs down. He rolled his eyes and dropped the machine down a further eight meters or so.

He heard the crack of the rifle shot ever over the roar of the engines, another thing to make the simulation "realistic". He hoped they were not firing too close. He liked his current number of holes and had no desire to add another. Finally he gritted his teeth and looked. He was coming in perfectly at 90 degrees and level. At 500 meters he pulled the toggle and the thing released, immediately giving the aircraft extra altitude as he banked gently away.

He heard the explosion and when he was able to bank back towards the small and old 300 ton coastal freighter was already on her side. For the first time the torpedo had run straight and true, not porpoised. He guided the seaplane back to the Imperatrix and waited for her to be winched around using the crane, a thirty minute or more operation in itself.

It was to meet an excited group of men, surrounding a large tray of Obstwasser. After a full day of failures, this deserved a toast.

May 1914- Tesla and aircraft

12 May 1914, Ostrau, Austro-Hungarian Empire

Nikola Tesla threw up his arms. “It is hopeless, I don’t care if the Kaiser wishes it. I cannot get this ridiculous Schwarzlose gun to fire through the propeller. It fires on a delay mechanism and is just not regular enough to predict where the propeller will be at any given time. It is ridiculous. I cannot understand why you do not simply mount the machine guns on the wings.”

Milan Rauch looked at Tesla like he was mad, a feeling he had often these last two months. “On the wing? How would the pilot fire it if it was on the wings? How would he aim it? Such things are impossible.”

“How would he fire it? Why it could be electrically fired of course. Aiming would be a simple matter of solving convergence. Child’s play.”

“Electrically fired. I don’t understand.”

Tesla sighed. ‘Of course you don’t. You could press a button and fire the guns if you wished to do so from the cockpit. Cables would have to be run and the like.”

“Really?”

“Yes of course. As for aiming, you sight the guns facing inwards slightly and that means the arc of fire from both guns would intersect at a certain range. That would be the preferred range of engagement, or the sweet spot, that a pilot could fire on a target. It would take practice I imagine, more so against a moving target.”

“And you could build this thing?”

“Easier than I can get it to fire through the propeller” said Tesla.

“What about if the guns jam, how would the pilot clear the jam?

Tesla shrugged his shoulders. “Creatively I would imagine. They also would not fire if the cables were cut, but otherwise it should be possible.”

Milan Rauch looked at Tesla again. “Well, can we concentrate on building that contraption then?”

Tesla looked bored. "I suppose.”

May 1914- Maritime disasters and American agression

31 May 1914, Hofburg, Vienna, UHE

Stephanie lay with her head on her husband’s chest, feeling rather…sated. Finally she spoke. “Ready for a visit to the Congo for the Silver Jubilee?”

“Two months, it will be a long time.”

“Yes it will be but I should be a good test for Lola as well. She will effectively be Empress Pro-Tem in both our absences and will have to deal with day to day affairs and the boxes and the like. The Congo material bar what comes from the Colonial Office I will deal with myself of course. Don’t worry Rudi I won’t make you walk three paces behind me.” Laughed Stephanie as she flipped over.

“I would be happy to walk three paces behind you my love, just to see your derriere. You can still bounce a tennis ball of that thing.”

“You are too much kind sir. Did you read the news this morning? Saddening, shocking, terrible.”

“Empress of Britain sinks after a collision with a freighter in fog. Goes down with 1412 of her compliment of 594 crew and 1518 passengers. The other Swedish freighter carrying 88 more down as well. Not enough lifeboats. It is ironic that I was lambasted for trying to protect one British liner in the Titanic only to see another go down with just as big if not bigger loss of life. Either way, perhaps they will now do what we did here in regards lifeboat minimum requirements. They both went down fast and a number of lifeboats were not launched or inadequately filled.”

“Yes I know” said Stephanie. “It was not like that little rule made you popular with the shipping companies here either.”

“It certainly did not” said Rudolf. “It seems to be an unchanging feature of the human condition that apathy requires tragedy before problems are fixed.”

“What of Mexico?” asked Stephanie.

“The Americans have occupied not only Veracruz but now also Cancun with Marines, both supposedly to stop shipments of arms to President Huerta. Erszi has written that in Rio there is widespread anger at the intervention, even though none support Huerta himself after his 1913 actions of course. It is a mess. In normal circumstances the two countries would be at war, especially since the Americans seem in no hurry to leave, however, in reality Huerta can barely suppress the rebels inside his own country, let alone do anything about the Americans.

I just hope they do not do anything stupid. We have the visit in August from the American Vice President Butler and I confess I have little idea what has sparked such an approach.”

“It seems like everywhere all over the globe things are on a knife edge.” said Stephanie.

“Yes. We need to stay closer together. I do miss my mother, now that it is all over.”

“Rudolf, of course you do.”

“On the way back from the Congo, can we, can we stop in Germany and come back via Halle. I just want to know, I feel I need to know, I have left it this long but….”

“Of course. I wish I had the luxury. You need to know if here is another…you out there. Yes of course.”

June 1914 - And a shot rang out

14 June 1914, San Juan de Ulúa, occupied Veracruz, Mexican Republic

The sniper took aim at the figure on the battlements smoking the pipe. Fool. At night it made a handy aiming point. It was a difficult shot but he felt one not beyond him and such an act would make him a hero of the Huertistas. Carefully he squeezed the trigger. Brigadier General Frederick Funston felt his uniform showered with blood and brain matter as the bullet passed through the skull of his companion and out his right eye socket. The body was to fall 20 feet off the battlements and into the courtyard before he had a chance to catch it but the fall was only a formality. Captain Douglas MacArthur was dead well before he hit the ground.

The sniper was to be captured that same night, having a confession beaten out of him that he was only to happy to give in any case. He, along with others, had been given the task of sniping at American officers by the Federal Army. By the following day news of the event had reached the White House.

June 1914- Still setting the standard for oil

6 June 1914, Standard Oil Building, New Jersey, United States of America

John.D.Archbold was one of many that had profited from the breakup of Standard Oil. In fact since the split up of the company into “The ten sisters” in 1911, as well as 25 smaller concerns, the value of the shares that comprised the smaller concern had rocketed past those of Standard Oil itself.

With John.D effectively retired, key people within the company had assumed the role of President of Standard Oil of New Jersey, or Esso. Other key people had assumed the role for Sohio, Marathon, Mobil, Chevron, Amoco, Kyso, Stanocola, Braco and African Queen.

The Rockefeller family was of course the largest shareholder in all ten companies, as they were in the smaller 25 as well. The only other holding of 10% or more was that of Stephanie von Hapsburg, who had grown her holding in African Queen to 10.25% and also assumed a 0.5% share in Braco, or Standard Oil of Brazil, which was registered as a Brazilian Company and had it’s headquarters in Rio but in fact did most of it’s business in Venezuela, where Luis I of Brazil and his wife and mother in law had been important players in securing the oil drilling rights for Standard Oil of Brazil from Venezuela’s President and effective dictator Juan Gomez. African Queen in particular was asset rich, with a tanker fleet that numbered 76 vessels, all on the Atlantic trade and all of over 4,800 tons tonnage, some as high as 12,200 tons.

Now the question remained as to what would occur now that war fever was sweeping the country. A prolonged war would be bad for the industry, but surely a war with Mexico would not be a long war. Archbold also wondered what lay beyond the border, something that was impossible to find out in the chaos of current Mexican affairs.

June 1914- Thrust to the forefront, America declares

12 June 1914, Schonbrunn Palace, Vienna, UHE

Lola straightened her dress again, smoothing out the lace as she looked around. Finally Franz von Liechtenstein was shown in in his capacity as Foreign Minister. Why did this have to happen whilst her mother and father were away? The last 24 hours a stream of people had been beating a path to her door whilst her father and her mother were safely tucked away on an Austro-Lloyd liner sipping a Rob Roy or two for all she knew. So, Congress had voted a declaration on the 10th and America was now officially at war with Mexico. America was already in occupation of Haiti and Nicaragua as well as the Canal Zone. There were also swirling rumours that they may occupy Hispanola, the island that was host to Haiti and the Dominican Republic. It seemed some people in Washington were very much in favour of 'manifest destiny'.

The British and the Germans had both protested, no doubt still smarting from being chased from the doors of Venezuela a few years back. Now it was up to her, in conjunction with the Foreign Minister so a coherent formal response to the declaration of war could be formulated.

"Your Imperial Highness" Franz von Liechtenstein bowed.

"Have a seat Foreign Minister." said Lola.

She continued on.”I have just had Ambassador Penfield here with the American point of view, which essentially that the declaration was in the face of numerous provocations and their position is that Huerta must go. He indicated that they are militarily prepared to go all the way to Mexico City to ensure that this occurs if required. Apparently the ambush killing of three other men after Captain MacArthur was the final straw.

My sister has telegraphed and frankly they wonder if the U.S.A have not bitten off more than they can chew, with spot fires all over Central America. Brazil are not in favour of such an action, as indeed are Chile. I notice the Argentine's have been conspicuously silent. What are your thoughts?"

Franz von Liechtenstein considered. "Well we have discussed things at length in the Ministry and the firm consensus is that we should do nothing."

"Nothing?" said Lola. Somehow it did not seem like a very effective rejoinder for her first major decision.

"Yes, I know what you are probably thinking, but in the diplomatic world doing nothing can sometimes be a very effective response. It is not like we are in a position to actually DO anything in any case. Supporting the action will likely draw the ire of Germany and England, who have already objected to such an action, whilst objecting to it will draw the ire of the United Sates, a major trade partner. So the middle ground is to do nothing."

It did make a crazy sort of sense thought Lola. "Very well, if that is the considered decision of the Ministry, draft a release and I will sign it. I will communicate a similar reply to Ambassador Penfield and the Mexicans when I meet with them separately tomorrow."

June 1914-The shipyards are working overtime

18 June 1914, Newcastle on Tyne, United Kingdom

The two ships slipped down the Tyne past the building HMS Malaya, the large long battleships and the outlandish destroyer that had never really found a home in the Royal Navy. The 27,800 ton Rio de Janiero represented an imposing sight as she reached the heads at the commencement of her long voyage to Brazil. Her companion was much smaller at only 1860 tons, but both were long and lean looking. The destroyer, the ex HMS Swift, had been refitted and now as Rapido would take up the task as flotilla leader for Brazil's smaller destroyers.
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Vickers,Barrow in Furness, United Kingdom

The two battleships differed greatly, the brand new 23,000 ton Resadiye fully completed, the second unit of her class Sultan Osman I consisting of only one weeks worth of bare bones. Resadiye would leave within the week for the Levant.
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St Nazaire Shipyards, Republic of France

The Greek battleship, a copy of the Bretagne Class had been laid down only a week before, almost two years after her French counterpart of the same class at the same yard. The Lorraine had been launched and was fitting out, the lead ship of the new class of five, the Normandie, would not be far away from tasting the water for the first time either.
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Baltic Yard, St Petersburg, Russian Empire

The four Gangut Class battleships rested at anchor. In four days time they would depart for the Far East, deployed to match the threat of a new Japanese Navy. Well advanced but still on the stocks were two of the four Borodino Class battlecruisers that at 32,500 tons represented a substantial increase in size and power on the Ganguts.
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New York Shipbuilding Company, Camden, United States

Both the 27,500 ton Argentine battleship Merino and the 27,500 ton USN ship Nevada lay fitting out, the Argentine ship, the second of her class, was much further along, less than a year from completion. Whilst the same tonnage, the USN ship had trailed triple turrets for the first time, a considerable weight saving.
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Germaniawerke, Kiel

The battleship Konig was in the final stages of fitting out at the same time the bones of the new 15 inch gun armed Sachsen were just taking shape. She was the fourth unit of a class of five. It was a busy yard, one just calibrating the contract to build two new battleships for the Netherlands to commence later that year.
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STT, Trieste

The bulk of the 28,400 ton Kaiser Franz Joseph battleship dominated the shipyard as she prepared for an imminent launch. Alongside her work continued at a slower pace on the Greek light battlecruiser Hellas amid rumours that the ship may be put up for sale and a second battleship ordered from France to match the Ottoman orders. The aviation cruiser Luft was now in the process of fitting out, a strange looking contraption to most students of warship design.
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Yokosuka Naval Arsenal, Empire of Japan

The battlecruiser Hiei at 27,300 filled the yard with her bulk. She would shortly commission as the second of her class of four. Next to her the bones of the even larger battleship Yamashiro were just taking shape, only some four months from being laid down. There would be no more capital ship construction under the new government, the follow on pair of battleships being cancelled.
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La Spezia Arsenal, La Spezia, Kingdom of Italy

The battleship Conte di Cavour was in the final stages of fitting out, her near sister ship Andrea Doria being nowhere near as fully developed, but launched none the less. These represented two of a five ship investment, three being built in other yards. There were even rumours of a new class to be laid and new contracts, with upgraded 15 inch guns.

June 1914- Arrivals and thoughts on the Congo

20 June 1914, Marienburg, Kingdom of the Congo

They had stopped at Austrian Sahara first and "officially opened" the phosphate railway, although it had in reality been operating some two weeks prior. The 8,450 ton Austro-Lloyd Marienbad had been escorted by the battleship Kaiserin Stephanie for the entire journey. The ship had been packed with Congolese railway workers, most of whom were now returning to the Congo after completing their labour of laying 96 kilometres of track across the sun-blasted wildness that was the Sahara colony. They had stopped only long enough to open the railway and telegraph their daughter that they approved of her actions in regards the latest war to break out.

It had been an interesting study to see his wife at work thought Rudolf. Every night of the voyage South of the Sahara she would receive a group of 8-10 rail workers and talk to them about their lives, their hopes, their ambitions and dreams. He was uncomfortable himself at first, but Stephanie was well in her element and gradually he was able to relax himself and simply watch her interact with the people themselves. It was remarkable in a way, considering the gulf not only in skin colour but education, birth and interests.

In contrast to the Sahara, the crowds at Cabinda had been huge, enormous even, all shouting full of excitement to see Stephanie. It had made his eyes pop he privately admitted to himself, in regards the enthusiasm of the reception. Point Noir and Cabinda in particular were now bustling ports, seemingly always with a 10,000 to 12,000 ton AQ tanker docked. Banana boats also beat a path to both ports. Cabinda was a sprawling city now some 18,000 people, a curious mix of all races and colours, all reliant on the oil industry. It boasted 39 hotels, two bowling alleys, at least five "official" brothels, six hall and three theaters. There were rumours that the University at Marienburg, newly opened only two years ago, would open an annex in Cabina, as they had in opened a School of Mines in Elizabethville only this year to train geologists, essayers and the like. Elizabethville had also grown and now held a population of almost 30,000 as people continued to flood into the city in search of a dream of striking it rich, whether it be diamonds, gold, copper, tin or who knows what.

It was Marienburg that was the surprise to Rudolf. It was like looking at a person you had not seen for 12 years, the differences were readily apparent, more apparent than in someone you saw regularly. He had toured the unusual wooden opera house, the town hall. The government buildings were well built, the streets clean, drainage adequate, sewers provided. Steam powered trams that he recognised as formerly plying the streets of Vienna chuffed along the four main roads. It was more like a European city, perhaps better than many of them in fact, if it were not for the racial melting pot of people plying the streets.

It was not only the tonnage of oil that was exported, The Congo had become easily the world's leading exporter of Cobalt, the fifth biggest world exporter of copper at nearly 40,000 tons per annum, the fifth biggest gold producer at 388,000 troy ounces and the third world producer of tin behind Malaya and Bolivia at over 35,000 long tons per annum.
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22 June 1914, Marienburg, Kingdom of the Congo

The United States Consul to The Congo Wilton Smallwood was a busy man, there were after all large numbers of U.S nationals in The Congo and the Royal Visit was making it more so. There were even journalists from Harper's Bazaar in Marienburg, which served to indicate that even America was not immune from the influence of Stephanie von Hasburg the Congo Queen. It was an insidious influence in his own mind. There was no denying that this country, he still considered it a colony really, had done well for itself. It possessed abundant riches, so the task had not been as hard as it may otherwise have been.

What concerned him was the way the native population were treated, the latest pronouncement the elevation of Awax Schwarz, an engaging enough an but still a one armed black man for all that, as Minister For Education come July. It concerned him that they were putting senseless dreams into the heads of the native population, senseless dreams that may spread to other African states and then back home to places like his home town, Chattanooga. Separate but equal was the correct course. It ensured the natural order of things and it was not racist as it ensured that Negros were not set up to fail by reaching for things they could never have.

Personally he doubted that sort of sensible point of view was likely to espoused by the suffragettes running magazines like Harper's Bazaar, which was why he worried about the insidious spread of the "Viribus Unitis" doctrine that had also been applied in the Congo. Black teachers teaching white children had been some of the complaints he had received from the mining camps around Elizabethville. It was unconscionable.

There was no doubt that being white was still to assume a large advantage in the Congo, but none the less the richest man in the country was likely Kurt Kazadi, who's French wife was a feature around Marienburg. With the lack of white women as opposed to white men, mixed marriages were also on the rise, a rightly inconceivable outcome in the U.S.

For all that Wilton Smallwood could not rock the boat. African Queen was a company with a net worth of well over 100 million dollars and no matter his own personal opinion or even some within Washington, or for that matter within the Portuguese Colonial Office, or the Colonial Office in London, the wealth being produced was too valuable to make waves.

For all his concerns, the transportation of resources within the country itself was as efficient as he had seen anywhere else. Marienburg was a pleasant city to live in, he had even purchased a small seaside villa near Banana and although he did not approve of the methods, the country had a true functioning government. Education was widely dispersed and literacy on the rise, law and order efficient, public works in major cities likewise.

July 1914- An improvement in MTB's in a small yard

2 July 1914, Ivanko and Son, Split, UHE

The small shipyard built only wooden ships, but had received UHE Navy contracts in the past for minesweepers and in the last two years for motor gunboats. Two innovations trialed in the four motor gun boats built in the yard during the course of 1912-13 had stood them in good stead, firstly the installation of 12hp electric motors to promote quietness for the landing of the troops of the Naval Seebattalion and secondly the diagonal laying during construction that had provided a more robust and strengthened hull.

With the advent of the new Maybach 16S 225hp engine, the Navy had followed the initial order for 14 motor torpedo boats and 4 motor gun boats with another order for 18 motor torpedo boats and 4 motor gun boats, all of which would use the new power plant, tested as being capable of propelling the 11.6 ton hull at 29.5 knots or 28.5 knots fully war loaded. It was a considerable improvement from the 23 knots of the previous models and Ivanko and Son would build six of the new vessels.

July 1914- Natural Gas and He

8 July 1914, Cabina North, Kingdom of the Congo

Carl Auer von Welsbach had looked over the site,as he had the one at Point Noir. The Cabinda pipeline would be 2.8 kilometers long, the one at Point Noir 5.1 kilometers. Transport of natural gas was not really a practical consideration, however, with the source of the gas so close to both cities it made economic sense to use the gas for lighting and heat for both townships via pipeline.

The second part of his brief had been more difficult, even for a chemist as well known as himself. However, the directive had come "from the top" said the Ministry of Science and Technology and he had been able to come up with a solution. Testing the previous year of the byproducts of the various Cabinda Coast wells had indicated a Helium percentage well below what had been hoped, namely 0.6% to 1.1%, Point Noir field being the highest yield.

The cheapest and easiest way to achieve separation was dual piping in certain sections, where the inner pipe consisted of the new Bakalite material. Helium, due to it's light weight, was able to slowly permeate the Bakalite inner piping only to collect in the outer metal sleeve. Carl Auer von Welsbach was uncertain as to what use the lightweight inert gas could possibly have, but none the less, when the two pipelines commenced the Point Noir line would be laid with Helium traps and would likely be operational by the first half of 1915.

July 1914- America invaded!

26 July 1914, Fort Hancock, United States of America

The Battle of Zacatecas may have been a dismal defeat for the Federal forces, but President Huerta had been heartened by one result, the death of Alvaro Obregon. It had given him heart that the war may yet be won and a negotiated settlement obtained if only he could arrange the same fate for Villa.

The soldiers had come during the dead of night and unlike the incursion in Columbus, New Mexico that had involved a pitched battle that left 105 Mexican Federal soldiers dead, along with 33 U.S soldiers and civilians, the move into Fort Hancock by the 120 Huerta militia was almost unopposed.

The townspeople were in little position to put up much in the way of resistance, but the screaming headlines caused by the shooting of two townspeople, the abduction of two women and the firing of the sheriff’s hut and a house were felt all across the country. For the first time in half a century war had touched the continental United States.

August 1914-Jumping into the big blue

1 August 1914, near Sternberg, UHE

Feldwebel Adem Swierc glanced again nervously over the side of the gondola. Two weeks of practice jumps from a tower onto the featherbed covered floor of the large hanger. Then three practice jumps from the observation balloon had followed, one with tragic consequences for one of the men when his parachute had tangled and failed to open. Not for the first time in the last 12 years he had wondered what had motivated him to join the Kommandos, now expanded to a two battalion force. Was it the riotous field uniform or simply the pleasure of wearing the red dagger and green four leaf clover insignia? Either way, this represented a radical departure from their previous training doctrine.

To be instructed by a woman for a start was a radical enough departure, but apparently Katharina Paulus had already made over 60 such jumps and was a leading expert. This, however, was another matter altogether. The roar of the engines from the Zeppelin was overpowering, the gondola rocking gently in the light breeze. Finally he reached the hinged gate. Only blue sky lay beyond. He made peace with his maker and tumbled outwards, rapidly dropping away from OZ-16.

It was later that he felt the parachute begin to slow his decent and finally he touched the earth, jarring his knee. However, he was down and safe. Later he took stock of the fifteen men that had undertaken the jump. One broken arm and a rolled ankle was the sum total of the problems. No doubt jumping with greater weights would cause greater issues, currently they had jumped with only 15 kilograms each and an automatic pistol. Ideally more would be required, but it was a start.

August 1914- Second last night in the Congo

12 August 1914, Marienburg Opera House, Marienburg, Kingdom of the Congo

Rudolf looked at his wife again. She was still an attractive women, even at 50 and her figure was still well and truely lithe due to her exercise regime. The white satin dress fitted her like a glove, the corset still used for formal occasions like this ball, although it was falling out of favour for everyday use.

"I can see your shoes and ankles."

"All quite deliberately my dear Rudi. It's called a tea length dress. It had just become popular in this year's fashions and it shows these gorgeous shoes."

"Well I will have to defer to your wisdom there" Rudolf said, looking doubtfully at the arched heels supported at the top by what looked like a fishing net of leather. Rudolf's trip around the Congo had been eye opening. Elizabethville in particular. The sheer scale of the mining operations had been a surprise to him. Mining activity in Katanga had stabilised to a degree, with less "wildcat" miners emigrating to the Congo, or at least Katanga, in the hope of building themselves a fortune. Instead many of the independent leases were being purchased and consolidated by the larger companies who could better sustain operations where the percentage of copper ore was lower. Mining was entering a period that would likely be dominated by large companies, rather than family concerns. Many of the lone prospectors had moved on from the Katanga fields to try their luck with gold in the North or diamonds in Central Congo.

One staple was Congobahn, which ran not only all rail traffic but also all interconnecting river traffic within the Congo and also on the newly completed line into the Angola oilfields. It had grown to encompass over a hundred locomotives and more than 150 barges and/or river vessels such as small tugs or paddle steamers and was the largest employer in the country. With only a rudimentary road between Marienburg and Point Noir he supposed that this was no surprise that rail was King. There was an incredible mix of people here, especially in the mining towns, not only black and white, plus a Chinese community, but Poles, Ruthenians, Germans, Americans, Belgians, Croatians, Czechians. Intermarriage was also surprisingly common, especially white men and black women. To meet some of the people was fascinating, like "Malechite Mike", Momo Tsiki, the man who had discovered the well known "Green fire" mine in Katanga.

Stephanie finally came up to him, smoothing out his jacket. "Ready?"

"Yes, just...ruminating."

"Very well. We have been circulating for a month. Now it's time to put on one last show." A minute later the Congolese National anthem struck up and he took Stephanie's arms and they came down the staircase into the ballroom, all eyes upon them. The ballroom contained a riot of colour, some women in native dress, most dressed in European fashion.

"Come on Awax, it's time for my dance I think."

"Your Majesty, you know I have two left feet, and no left arm", he joked.

"Prerogative of being Queen Awax, I don't have to wait for boy's to ask me to dance, I do the asking." Eventually he was dancing with Stephanie. "So, how does it finally feel to be the Minister?"

"Well, I am not the Minister yet, not until midnight ma'am. However, it does feel like an accomplishment. For a man in my position to rise to such a post."

"Keep doing the sort of job you have been, being selfless and loyal and soon it will be von Schwarz I feel."

Finally they came to a stop and wandered over to where Awax's wife and her friend Agnes Pulsudski chatted. "Rosa, how are the children?"

"Very well thank you Your Majesty. They are 10 and 8 now. I have gone back to working part time as a simple community doctor. My eldest wants to be a doctor and such an endeavor will be possible here in Marienburg with the University open these last two years, although perhaps we may send him to Vienna in any case when the time comes."

"What about yourself Mr Pulsudski? How fares the Sejm?"

"Well Your Majesty. There are always some tensions between the Polish faction and the Ruthenian one, however, we are broadly in charge of our own destiny and for that reason in the Cisleithanian Parliament we agree more often than not."

"What about yourself Agnes?"

"Very good Your Majesty. Four children now, two of each. That will be all I feel. I have not gone back to working although one day a week I see some of my old patients at our home."

Finally it was time for Stephanie to deliver her speech. "My Lords and Ladies. I am deeply grateful for your kind and generous words. Thank you also for what you have said about my family and the service they have given over the years. You will understand that for me personally their support has been invaluable, as has your own. Here, in a meeting of a Sovereign and her people, the essence of monarchy is reflected. It is a form of government in which those who represent the main elements of the community can come together to reconcile conflicting interests and to strive for the hopes and aims we all share. It has adapted itself to the changes in our own unique society here and in international relationships, yet it has remained true to its essential role.

That is to provide the fabric of good order in society and be the guardian of the liberties of individual citizens. I pledge that those liberties will never be compromised. These 25 years have seen much change for Congo. By virtue of tolerance and understanding, we have built something unique, something others do not understand, that others, if given the chance, would pull down. We must never let that happen. Here there are greater opportunities for all sorts and conditions of men and women.

Developments in science, technology, in medicine and particularly in communications and transport have improved the quality and comfort of life. We have to accept the challenges which this progress imposes on us. And they are considerable. Governments are not always right, but a flow of information from people to said Government can always assist in making needed change.

A Jubilee is also a time to look forward. We should certainly do this with determination and I believe we can also do so with hope. We have so many advantages, not only the riches in our soil, but the basic stability of our Government, our concern for others, our family life and, above all, the freedom which you so fearlessly upheld. For me the 25th Anniversary of my Accession is a moving occasion. It is also, I hope, for all of us a joyous one. May it also be a time in which we can all draw closer together.

Thank you again as I am much encouraged by your good wishes and expressions of loyalty. It is appropriate that I share these thoughts here with you all, not only as my subjects but also my friends. Again, I thank you."

The applause was thunderous.

August 1914-Russia reinforces the Far East

28 August 1914, Russian Port Arthur

I was a long line of war ships that entered the harbour. The four Gangut Class battleships led the line, followed by three smaller Moskva Class ships and finally the armoured cruiser Rurik and four light cruisers. They comprised almost all of the modern units in the Imperial Russian Navy, although two more modern battleships were in the Black Sea with two more building and four modern battlecruisers were under construction in the Baltic.

It would release a number of older ships and bring the Pacific Fleet up to a modern standard that would be needed to face the Japanese, with seven modern battleships, five old Borodino Class ships and the old Tsesarevich, in all thirteen capital ships, an unprecedented number. At the same time new defensive works on land commenced around the important naval base.

September 1914-Ghosts from the past

6 September 1914, Halle an der Saale, German Empire

The man looked out the window of his music room, the late summer weather letting him leave the window open enough to hear the growl of the motor pulling up. It was to disgorge two men, followed by an elegantly dressed woman and another man, the later perhaps his own age.

He had gone down to meet the new arrivals, only the later two coming to the front door. His wife was almost having a coronary, the visitors were so easily recognizable, however, he was able to stumble over an invitation and see them into the drawing room.

It was later that Rudolf to Richard Heydrich. "You have children Herr Heydrich?"

"Yes, both are away at present, a girl Maria, a boy Heinz."

"Just the one boy?" stumbled out Rudolf.

"Yes, just the one sadly. There was an older boy after Maria, born perfectly formed but not alive, we named him Reinhard."

Rudolf felt he had an immense weight pushing down on his chest. "I.....I am sorry Mein Herr. May I have a glass of water?"

"Of course, of course."

He composed himself during Richard Heydrich's absence. "Anyway, as I was saying my sister, my half sister you understand has a boy who wishes to follow a musical career. I though perhaps some summer tuition away from Vienna..."

"Of course, of course...."

He wrapped up the visit as rapidly as politely possible. He was like a ghost that no one could see and this part of his life, well, it just did not exist any more. There was only the here and the now and the past had no place. As he climbed into the DM touring car, he knew full well that he would not be back.

September 1914- A return home, a war update

10 September 1914, Vienna Sud Hauptbahnhof, UHE

Kronprinzessen Helena von Hapsburg breathed a shallow sign of relief as the train steamed slowly into the platform and her parents alighted. Her father was surprisingly demonstrative in his affection, her mother her usual self. It was a burden, one she had felt every day whilst her parents were away. How they did it day in day out for both this country and the Congo she had no idea. Yet for all of that she was happy with what she had done, that things had not gone off the rails under her own stewardship.

"How are things in America Lola?"

"No better father, cross border raids as both countries attempt to build sufficient force for a full scale incursion. The United States underlined how deadly serious they are by sinking a Mexican cruiser at sea and bombarding Coatzacoalcos with battleships, sinking three more gunboats or cruisers and engaging shore batteries there. This in response to Mexico interning a number of prominent U.S citizens involved in the oil trade. United States Marines in conjunction with rebels have landed in Guaymas, engaging and sinking two large and three small gunboats. It means the Mexican Navy no longer exists. Meanwhile United States troops have advanced into Baja California. In response, Mexican forces have sacked the town of Langtry and a battle was fought at the town of Yuma.

I am mostly getting reports via the Foreign Office, but to be honest they are not that much more accurate than reading between the lines in more measured American papers or even reading The Times from London, although that information is dated, of course."

"Very well. Anything from your sister?"

"Nothing, aside from their professed desire to stay out of any conflict. Public sentiment is on the side of the Mexicans."

"What are your thoughts?"

"I think the United States will get there first papa, in terms of troop numbers. Firstly, they are by far and away the strongest power. Secondly, Huerta has still not crushed the rebels, who are now getting back on an even keel after their own leadership woes."

"Very well. Thank you for looking after the shop so capably. I missed you."

"I missed you too papa." said Lola, surprised at her father's sudden burst of sentiment.

October 1914- There is no fear of revolution

Extra from "The causes of the Great War" by D.B Newman

"By 1900 Germany towered over all the other continental powers, the balance of force was hardly redressed when Great Britain set herself against Germany. There was sense in the French calculation that after 1900 they needed allies to be able to stand against the Germans. The British were right in a sense that after 1905 their weight would be needed to hold Germany in check. All except a few Englishmen made the mistake of ignoring the United States. The statesmen of Europe looked at political appearances rather than economic realities. The United States seemed to them to not merely be on another continent, but on another planet for all it's distance and lack of involvement in European affairs.

Great Britain seemed on the surface to be the leading economic power of the time in 1916, but before that time no-one, not even British statesmen themselves, supposed that the British people could be brought to tolerate universal military service and a mass Army-the very security of the Navy had always provided an argument against such needs.

In France for many years there had been a fear of the revolutionary spirit of her own people. The formation of a Second Empire showed that this spirit was largely an illusion, but none the less it took until 1910-12 before the general school of thought in France turned away from the thought that any war would most likely to see the French people turning on their own government to create another dreaded Paris Commune rather than fight a prolonged war against an external power.

Fear of revolution had acted as a brake on the other Great Powers as well. The rulers of Prussia, Austria and Russia, were, before 1848, theoretically omnipotent. The Austrian Empire almost succumbed to revolution in 1848, then again in 1859 and 1866, no matter it's recovery by 1916. Russia was in a revolutionary situation after each of her wars, but especially 1856. Yet for all the strikes during and after it the 1905 war had made many think in St Petersburg that a successful war may actually ward a revolution off. Bismarck's political achievements had seemingly mastered any likely German revolution. When he came to power in 1862, the King of Prussia was on the verge of abdicating, yet within ten years two successful wars had been fought. By 1890 Bismarck had won the game. As early as 1892, Bebel, the German socialist leader, was to declare "Present day Social Democracy in Germany is a sort of preparatory school for militarism". Wilhelm II's reign was never marked by fear from the people if he took an aggressive course, more by the discontent that would arise if he did not.

By 1916 Europe broadly felt that they had shaken off the fear of revolution. Marx and Engels had been proven poor judges, they had predicted that the revolutions of 1848 would be followed by even more violent action. This turned out to be altogether wrong. By 1916 Europe fancied itself largely immune to the fear of revolution and therefore the main fear the major powers had of any major conflict, namely hordes of socialist and communists sweeping away the established order, was largely banished. This was all too well shown when Victor Alder was to say in 1916 to UHE Foreign Minister von Leichtenstein that war may provoke a revolution in Russia, if not in the Haspburg monarchy itself, von Leichtenstein's reply demonstrated the complacency of many 'And who will lead this revolution? Perhaps Mr Bronstein sitting over there in the Cafe Central?'".

November 1914- Soaring expenditures

10 November 1914, Hofburg, Vienna, UHE

The increases in naval spending was becoming ruinous. Germany's naval estimates had gone from 20.6 Million Pounds in 1910 24.2 Million Pounds. Russia's had leapt from 9.4 million Pounds to 23.6 million. Britain from 40.4 to 48.4. France from 14.8 to 21 and Italy from 8.2 to 11.8. It did not bode well for his plans. At the start of 1914 he had announced an increase to the Common Army of six Regiments, all in the cities where populations were increasing rapidly. Army estimates were already well up at 31.2 million Pounds, but now he had no choice but to respond with the French laying up to thirteen battleships in four years and the Italians, who had clearly finally recognized their danger, laying nine in four years.

Just laying more capital ships seemed to be a misnomer, however, so he had thought long about better ways to respond. He had ordered a second Kaiser Franz Joseph I super battleship and assigned it priority one, which meant it would be worked on in double shifts. He followed that with orders for lighter forces, four more scout cruisers, six more destroyers and eleven more submarines, including three of a new long ranged type that could cruise all the way to the Congo, as well as twelve more fast patrol boats.

That was not all. The Greeks, concerned by the Ottoman's plans to have three battleships, had been casting around for a buyer for the light battlecruiser building at STT for some time in favour of another French built battleship. He had arranged for the Navy to purchase the ship and named her Arpad. the 10inch armed light battlecruiser could be a flagship for the light cruiser divisions. Earlier that same year the Navy had purchased the old White Star line Majestic for less than 30,000 Pounds as a new troop transport and the older ship it had replaced had lain idle. Now it would be converted to a new type of aviation ship with a fully flush deck. At 12 knots, she was not fast enough to operate with the fleet but would be useful for spotting.

All of these options came at a cost of less than two extra Kaiser Franz Joseph I ships and should be more effective as a shield than a sword, which was probably the batter option. War, if it came, would largely be won on land as long as the Adriatic could be dominated.

Light battlecruiser Arpad

"Aviation cruiser", in reality a slow 4500 ton converted ex-banana boat

December 1914- Developments in the back blocks

9 December 1914, Turka, Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria, UHE

Laslo Jarabinec was a happy man. The three kilometer walk and to the Post and Telegraph Office that serviced the village had been most beneficial, resulting in a cheque from the Ministry of Science and Technology(Agriculture) Division. So, it had worked much as he had been told it would be his neighbor Jan Dugan. The two tractors, thresher and elevator had came and harvested his crop of wheat and sunflowers, the largest he had ever planted. Harvest had been easy, no more cutting down the crop manually, the tractor did all of that. The elevator then allowed the crop to be carried to the second story of the barn and then stacked manually.

It had allowed him to stock his barn on his smaller farm fully and still give 26% of his crop to the state for sale. The advent of the railway had allowed this to be easily transported and sold and now he received 16% of that figure back by cheque before Christmas. It was an efficient enough system for a small farm that could not possibly afford 1500 Kroner for an agricultural tractor, let alone other machinery.

It was all within the last thirty years that the village had received not only the attention of the Ministry, but also more important things such as the advent of the railway, the arrival of the telegraph and a telephone at the Post Office. His son had been lucky enough to finish in the top 2.5% of the Kolomea School District so had gone to University at no cost to Laslo aside from train tickets and two sets of new clothes. To think, his son a University student! Remarkable.

January 1915- Evaluating the threat

14 January 1915, Marienburg, Kingdom of the Congo

The Royal Congolese Army had added two Engineering Companies in 1910 and it was from those that the small team of three had been picked. Fahnrich Ulibo Sibene was now three years into his Engineering Degree at the new University of Marienburg, although his first year had been spent in Trieste. Himself, his Captain and a batman had spent the last two months touring the Congo itself and inspecting civilian facilities in the Kingdom itself and were now entrusted with providing a report by the end of February as to what existed that could be used in support of an armaments industry in the advent of war, especially with tensions increasing in Europe.

Most of the capacity existed within five main engineering workshops, firstly the two Congobahn facilities at Elizabethville and Marienburg, where there was now enough in the way of heavy industry to construct locally built D Class tank engines. Then there was the main shipyard at Marienburg, which built mainly wooden but some steel hulled river craft of up to 300 tons and had slips and overhaul facilities for engines.

In addition to the above, there was the main African Queen workshops at Cabinda, which were capable of producing all manner of drilling apparatus for oil wells in support of the company. Lastly there was the government run Precision Tool Annex in Marienburg, which was capable of fine quality machining for engine parts, pistons and the like.

Cabinda, Point Noir and Elizabethville all had smaller private workshops supporting either the oil or mining industry. Whilst there was no dedicated armaments manufacturer as such, it was judged that the capacity of the existing facilities to move toward manufacture of war material was sufficient for the scale of the local threat.

Congolese tank engine

February 1915- Congolese deployments

February 1915 - An extract from "Jungle Fever - The Congolese Defence Forces in the Great War" by Richard von Hapsburg"

"By February 1915 the Royal Congolese Army and Navy had reached the final forces that they would enter the Great War in possession of. These consisted of:

Cabinda : One Regiment, one short Regiment, one machine gun Company
Elizabethville: One Regiment, one short Regiment, one Engineer Company
Marienburg: One Regiment, one short Regiment, one Engineer Company
Helena: One short Regiment, one Independent Battalion
Matidi: One short Regiment
Stanleyville: One short Regiment, one Independent Battalion
Ledo: One short Regiment

Country town deployments: Nine Independent Battalions

Navy:
2 new mine laying cruisers 3,100 tons
3 older destroyers 300-400 tons
6 riverine gunboats
6 motor torpedo boats

When war was to arrive it was to trap a Congolese Battalion in the UHE and a UHE Battalion, not to mention special forces training course participants, in the Congo itself, as well as two Austro-Lloyd banana boats at Matadi and a third at Cabinda.

These were the forces that the Congolese would go to war with at the outbreak of hostilities in 1916.

February 1915- Jackie Fisher contemplates

28 February 1915, HM Dockyard, Portsmouth

If Asquith was not a total simpleton this need not have happened thought "Jackie" Fisher. How had the fools allowed themselves to be pushed into an alliance with the French and Italians in addition to acting as the guarantor of the well-being of what remained of the Ottomans. It was a farcical situation and one that would be untenable for the Navy he loved. The Ottomans may have purchased two new battleships with another building but they were as corrupt and inept as their 1890's crushing defeat would indicate. That left the Italians, hopelessly complacent and now trying to catch up and the French. The French. No matter what the Royal Navy possessed in superior firepower to the Germans, there was no way the bloody French would consent to leave their Atlantic coast to the Royal Navy, therefore they would not commit fully to the Mediterranean.

Huh. He remembered his posting to France. What he had mainly gained by being in France was learning to be better satisfied with his own country. No, after his experiences in Pola he was not confident of the French and the Italians dominating the Adriatic, not at all and with the Germans in the North Sea that was a worry for the Royal Navy. He had come for the brief ceremony that marked the laying down of the new battleship Agincourt. A sixth Revenge class ship, Resistance, had been laid down only a few days before at the other Royal Dockyard, Devonport. Two more Revenge Class ships would follow later this year. Hopefully it would be enough.

April 1915- A visit to Constanza

12 April 1915, Constanza, Kingdom of Romania

Something needed to be done before that fool boy ruined himself and what better alliance could possibly be had? She looked sideways at her son the Crown Prince. Carol was smirking and carrying on, as to be expected she supposed. Photographs indicated that both girls were very beautiful. Perhaps one may capture the attention of her errant son. She watched the Russian Imperial yacht Polar Star preparing to dock. The Russian Imperial couple and both older girls Marie and Tatiana would be on board.

"Behave yourself" hisses his mother to Carol.

Carol smirks. Perhaps this would be for the best. He could be a Russia Grand Duke as well. Plus, this would get him out from under his imperious mother. It was not as if he could not continue his various extracurricular activities after all. Plus spending an Imperial dowry and bedding an Imperial beauty was sure to be good fun. He could do charming well, after all.

May 1915-Talking young love and duty

1 May 1915, Hermesvilla, Vienna, UHE

Lola strolled through the wooded parkland of the Palace she had inherited from her Grandmother on the arm of 21 year old Friedrich Christian of Saxony. “Thank you for coming to visit Freddie.” Said Lola.

“Of course. It has been a delightful visit and….I wanted to see you.”

“Freddie, I do not wish to be too bold, but I do know why you are here. I think everyone knows why you are here.” Said Lola, looking back at her chaperones, Freddie’s younger brother Ernst and Marie-Stephanie von Gieslingen, both parked a discrete 20 meters behind.

“Is it that obvious? I am sorry, I really am. I was…encouraged to come by my father, but for all that I am here on my own volition. I have liked you when we have met previously and obviously I need to do….something. In addition, you have proven to be not only more than amiable company, but very interesting to talk to. And beautiful.” He looked down. “Dear God, I really am bad at this.”

Lola laughed. “Sit down with me Freddie and we can talk. Can I be honest with you?”

“Of course. I hope you will be nothing else.”

“You are not the first these last three years. I am not saying that to be mean, just to let you know that there has been a number of suitors come in the hope of marrying ‘The Jewel of Europe’. God how I hate that.” Lola scoffed. “However, either myself or papa have sent them all packing. My mother has given me no expectation that I must marry early, given her own experiences. I am, after all, only 21. ‘Who will marry this Princess?’ trumpet the magazines, like the person concerned was also marrying Austria. I want more than that. I want someone who wants me, just for me, not just because one day I may be a Regnant Empress. It is said that commoners may marry for love but royalty has to marry for some greater purpose.

Well I do not just want that greater purpose. I do not want my personal life to be just an adjunct to my royal life. I want a true partner. I suppose I want what my parents have."

“It is not an impossible outcome” said Friedrich Christian.

“Yes but there is more Freddie. Whomever I marry no matter my own feelings will always be inferior in rank, even to their own children. Not all men, for that matter, most men, would not be able to cope with that and if they cannot cope with that what use is that to me? I know that at some stage I will have to do my duty to the dynasty and as a women, more so due to father’s healthy dislike of his cousin, but I want to be more than a pathway to a crown or a piece of meat.”

“Heaven’s above, I could never see you like that.”

“You are a nice boy Freddie. One of the good ones. So I will say this: Enjoy today and tomorrow. When you go home, think about what I have said. Can you be happy to be in the shadow of your own wife? If the answer to those things is yes, then we have all the time in the world to talk more on the subject.”

Marie-Stephanie von Gieslingen turned to her companion. “What on Earth do you suppose they are talking about?”

Prince Ernst looked at his companion, studying here exotic features. They did not have girls like this in Dresden. “Whether to go down the rabbit hole I would imagine.”

May 1915- Largest ship so far takes the sea

12 May 1915, Hamburg, German Empire

Extract from Hamburg Zeitung

“It was a red letter day down by the docks. Watched personally by Kaiser Wilhelm II and under the watch of two Zeppelins that flew over for the crowd, SS Bismarck was commissioned into the Hamburg America Line fleet and would make her first voyage within two weeks. At 56,500 tons she represents the latest in ship design and is the largest ship to ever taste the sea. The ship, along with her two slightly smaller sisters, will ply the Atlantic run.”

May 1915- Kongo U-Boat

31 May 1915, Fiume, UHE

For Korvettenkapitan Georg Ritter von Trapp Wal was a dream command. Originally slated to be U-19, the two huge 1550 ton submarines of the class were larger than a number of small cruisers and had been given names rather than numbers. More importantly, he was the man who had the command. She was armed with four torpedo tubes forward and two aft and carried enough torpedoes to reload three times. 18 in all, in addition to a 66mm deck gun and two dispensers for mines, of which she could carry 10.

She was a big submarine, too big for the shallow waters of the Adriatic and instead he would take her in July on her intended purpose, a cruise all the way to The Congo, which was within her radius of action of 5,800 nautical miles at 11 knots. Specifically designed for long range operations as opposed to all other submarines in the UHE Navy, which were designed solely to operate in the Adriatic.

June 1915- New fighter, new guns

10 June 1915, Ostrau, UHE

Julius Arigi brought the aircraft, the new Trau D-4 round in a shallow bank, steadied, lined up the target and steadied before commencing firing. There was no issue with the German MG 08 as there had been with the Schwarzlose with it's delayed fire and the Madsen with it's open bolt firing cycle and the target balloon quickly lit up under fire from the incendiary rounds. He performed the same task six more times.

Later that same day he performed the same maneuver with an almost identical aircraft, but with the wings modified to carry two "gun pods", each containing a Schwarzlose heavy machine gun. It was beautifully easy to fire the guns based on simply pressing a button, however, there were a number of issues. After the third pass, one gun jammed and there was no way to unjam it. It required the pilot to engage the target at the correct range. Too far away and the paths of the bullets converged and then diverged away from the target. Too close and they did not converge at all. In addition, there was till the problems that had already been found. Fitting the gun pods required attaching the pod to the wing and strengthening it. Yet in a dive the extra air resistance was much more likely to sheer the wing away at increased speed. Also, if the e;electrical cabling used by Tesla failed for any reason, presumably including enemy fire, the guns would not fire at all.

Tesla had solved the problem via two ways, but Julius Arigi preferred the former over the later. By October 1915, the MG-8 was being produced in UHE factories under license.

Trau D-4

June 1915-Coming to America

28 June 1915, Charleston, South Carolina, United States of America

The interview was the final part of the brief tour before she returned to the UHE. The visit had mainly been for the purpose of African Queen, at least officially. She had never actually been to a board meeting before, only used her proxy Hiram Smith, so it had been a unique experience to visit. It had allowed her to visit Washington DC with both girls. Stephanie was also well aware of the propaganda implications as well. With Europe solidifying into blocks, it was important to make sure the the United States were not in an opposing block. With Britain her greatest trade partner and a fellow English speaking country, that would be hard work. It helped that the United States was busy elsewhere at the moment. Not only at war with Mexico but actively intervening in the Dominican Republic and Nicaragua. Ties via African Queen would help. There was no denying that the two countries had come closer.

Having Taft as President certainly helped. He seemingly had little interest in the affairs of Europe, concentrating on Dollar Diplomacy to try and gain influence in South and Central America and, to a lesser extent, the Pacific.

Visits like this could also help. It was are thing for United States citizens to see seated European royalty and Stephanie had unashamedly used the press to whip up a storm about the visit. It was why she had brought Lola and Marie-Stephanie von Gieslingen with her. The former to subtly promote her agenda of woman's suffrage with a bill due to be debated very soon and also to provide the glamour required from a younger woman, the second Marie-Stephanie von Gieslingen to promote her Congo policies and silence doubters.

It had certainly helped that the American press seemed almost as royalty obsessed as it had been in her 2017 memories. Large crowds followed her every move, especially in Washington and she had schooled both girls as well as herself to always be smiling, always complimentary of their American hosts. It was an old game that she had played many times and even in this era, the rules never changed.

Finally, Lola had complained at the length of time taken to get ready for the final photo shoot and interview before they boarded the new 12,800 ton Hungarian-American liner back to Fiume on her regular run, but she had shushed her and reminded her of the importance of leaving an overwhelmingly positive impression. Keeping the United States of America on cordial terms and out of any war would be the equivalent of more than 50 divisions of troops or more. It was all a balancing act and propaganda, public relations and diplomacy could all be interwoven into the same carpet.

Crown Princess Helena von Hapsburg aka Lola

Empress Stephanie at age 51

Baroness Marie-Stephanie von Gieslingen

July 1915- Schlieffen emerges

9 July 1915, Evidenzbureau, Vienna, UHE

Włodzimierz Zagórski looked at the documents again. They were dynamite stuff, bit not on an enemy this time but on an ally. There were no detailed plans, there had been no time for that. However, the thrust of what was there was quite obvious. Aufmarsch II West was to involve a German invasion of not only France but Luxembourg and Belgium as well. Getting an agent next to retired General Colmar von der Goltz had been a simple enough operation and he had quickly become infatuated with the younger women, as older men are want to do.

Now the question remained as to what to do with the information. There was only really one choice. It must go to The Hofburg.

July 1915-Developments in Mexico

3 July 1915, Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States of America

General Hugh Lenox Scott had been patient, as his predecessor had been. He had not been panicked by sensationalist newspaper reports of Mexican raids and Mexican invasions in the South. He had not been swayed by reports of the Navy's successes against the Army's inactivity. He was only too well aware of how little suited the Army had been to fight a war. Conscription had not been authorized, but a virtual flood of volunteers had arrived none the less, volunteers that had swelled the size of the army after the reserves were also activated from 130,000 men to 450,000. He had not been hurried and he would not be swayed. In another six to seven weeks, which would be near the end of the wet season, he would advance with a force of over 400,000 men into Mexico itself with a shared commitment to the overthrow of Victoriano Huerta even if this required going all the way to the Mexican capital.
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3 July 1915, Mexico City, Republic of Mexico

José Victoriano Huerta was ecstatic with recent developments. He had won one battle and even the one he lost had seen Villa and General Angeles killed when a shell in a nearby artillery piece exploded killing or wounding all the gun crew and both leaders. The rebels were now a waning force, leaderless on all fronts and many were already laying down their arms to join his Mexican Federal Army. With harsh conscription and virtually press ganging people into the Army, numbers had swelled to 500,000 and could go to 600,000 if the remanding rebels followed the path of the ones that had already conceded.

That was a considerable Army and in the meantime his forces continued cross border raids and brief occupations, all designed to goad the Americans into premature activity, a task that had so far failed despite their own press howling like the dogs they were. The Americans seemed afraid to cross the border. In Baja California things were less rosy. Garrisoned by only a bare minimum of troops and inhabited by less than 60,000 people, most of those Indians, it's loss was of little importance.
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3 July 1915, Santa Rosalia, occupied Mexico

Colonel Littleton Tazewell Waller's 2nd Marine Regiment had advanced steadily down the Baja California peninsula on the left flank of an advance that also included the newly formed 5th Marine Brigade, a hybrid formation formed from volunteers but mainly from stripping crews from a number of older ships in the Pacific Fleet. He had less than 170 miles to go to link up with forces he had detached that had already taken the tip of Baja California and occupied La Paz. His main source of frustration had not been the enemy, having lost only 17 men to enemy action, but the terrain, the lack of anything resembling roads and the heat. ten or more times more men had been lost to heat stroke and accidents than enemy action and provision of medical facilities had proven difficult, as there was little to be had locally due to the sparseness of the population itself. Light naval forces controlled the Gulf of California and there was little chance the Mexicans could come up behind him. He was confident that by the end of September his task would be complete.

July 1915- Developments in Brazil

10 July 1915, Paco Imperial, Rio de Janiero, Empire of Brazil

Things were changing in Brazil, there was no question of that, though Dona Isabel. She had come back to Brazil after the revolution in 1904 and was glad that she would at least be able to die in her own country. Just the change in this building alone was reason enough to see change. Much in the way of the former state rooms had been converted into a public library for the older and rarer books of the National Library as well as it's photographic collection. The remainder had been converted to an orphanage and a soup kitchen for Rio's many poor.

She looked over at her daughter in law. She was a strong willed one and her and her son Luis relationship was seemingly stable, full of much yelling and angst yet much passion as well. Erszi had produced four children, Pedro(born 1904 and now 11), Luis(born 1905), Isabella(born 1907) and Inez(1910) and seemed deeply dedicated to the cause of both Education, Housing and the welfare of the poor.

Things had stabilized and and government now appeared to be united under Afonso Celso junior as Prime Minister, with the Liberal Party enjoying a majority with Progressive support. The Conservative Party and the Social Democrats forming the other wings.

Rubber prices had collapsed from a peak of 990 Pounds per ton in 1910 to 350 Pounds per ton, British and Dutch plantations surpassing Brazil's output and pushing her down the list of producers to fourth as the quantity produced went up by a factor of 2.5 these last five years. Coffee prices had peaked in 1893 at over 4 Pounds per bag but had declined to 1.4 Pounds per bag in 1902, despite the Republican regime's stockpiling policies. These had been reversed and the price had again almost surged to 4 Pounds per bag in 1912 until dropping back to 3.1 Pounds at present. The new policies had also served to break the stranglehold the Rothschilds had on the industry and increased profits, allowing less resistance to Government policies that mandated proper wages for labourers.

Economic changes had abounded. Luis had focused on building infrastructure, reducing graft, increasing Federal government power and economic development and had opened the country up to outside investment as a consequence. In 1895, 96% of outside investment in Brazil had been British. By 1905 that had dropped to 70% and by 1915 53%. In 1902, there had been only 363 private factories in Brazil, now this had more than doubled to 867 with Government assistance to foster industry, surpassing the 1889 numbers in 1910. Having a viable steel industry, as now locomotives were even getting made locally and a local coach manufacturer in Rio was even producing automobiles from last year.

Yet for all of those things Brazil's greatest asset as her 8.5 million square kilometers and 25 million people. Surely a country that large and populous must take her place on the world stage.

International relations were a problem. The Mexico-American War was bad enough. Public opinion was very much with Mexico, but what could Brazil do? Ties with the UHE were solid and increasingly with Germany as well. It was in South America itself that there were issues. Relations between Chile and Argentina were poor at best and the whole continent was seemingly divided into two armed camps, a sad situation. Another question was that other Hapsburg possession, The Congo. Was it appropriate that her second Grandson become the heir there and would they want to take possession of such a country in Africa of all places? The boy was only nine but seemingly nothing was decided as yet.

July 1915 - The path of least resistance

18 July 1915, War Ministry, Vienna, UHE

He had considered talking to Lola to gain her thoughts and feelings. He had even considered going direct to Stephanie. In the finish he had done neither. It was a theoretical plan for a war that did not exist in any case. So it could be argued that it was all pie in the sky in any case.

Going through Belgium would guarantee Britain would keep her obligations to their French ally, then again that was almost a certainty at present in any case. The British had committed themselves so fully that it was almost inconceivable they would reverse course now.

He could understand Germany's thinking. The only other option was to advance in the face of prepared French fortifications that existed all along the Alsace-Lorraine border region, the strongest of which was centered around Verdun.

No, he convinced himself that this was the best option and quietly locked away the only copy of the Schlieffen file away in his private safe.

August 1915- Horthy works up his command

12 August 1915, off the bay of Kotor, Adriatic Sea

Luftfahrtkapitan. It was rank that seemingly applied to him only in the UHE Navy. Captain Miklos Horthy had taken the time to learn how to fly one of the aircraft that comprised his command and decided he actually liked the experience. He now had six ships under his command. Two new 5400 ton aviation cruisers and the through deck conversion of the old 4500 ton Dandalo as well as three old Planet Class destroyers. The new aviation cruisers were capable of 20 knots to be able to keep pace with the fleet, the old Dandalo only 12.

They had been training this last six weeks solid on takeoff and landing from the ships, not without both some angst and fatalities. However, things were improving. The two aviation cruisers had abandoned the huge four engine Trau and now sported two smaller Rumpler W1 bombers each, both capable of carrying a torpedo. In addition, they also carried four Trau D-4 scouts and six Lloyd CII two seat observation aircraft that carried 100kg of bombs. The Dandalo carried six of each of the two smaller types. In all, 36 aircraft between the three ships.

Rumpler W1

September 1915-The two words every young man dreads

1 September 1915, Kuba's Restaurant, St Petersburg, Russian Empire

Grand Duke Nicholas was assured of a private booth, even in St Petersburg's most popular restaurant and he ordered a plate of blini and waited. He did not have to wait for long for his companion, Sophie Mannerheim. He was just turned 19 and was searching for something that he could do, something meaningful. Service in either the Army or Navy was not to his taste and whilst politics interested him he was not the heir in any case.

If anything, he supposed he was the black sheep of the family, not dutiful like his older sister who had agreed to marry that arse Carol of Romania. His older brother Alexis was much the same. No, he had occupied himself with the thought of University, an unprecedented path for a Romanov family member, yet he was not sure where to start there either. His mother had made clear that she would tolerate no loafers so he had to make up his mind soon, that he could not be the practical joker of the family forever. Himself and Sophie had met at the start of the year at a Court function and right away, mutual attraction. One thing had led to another, perhaps further than he had ever intended it to go, especially with her father an influential Lieutenant General right here in St Petersburg. She had been his first love, if not his first woman. It had been easy enough to obtain a private suite for their meetings.

Sophie Mannerheim seated herself. How to get this out, that was the question? Dear God, the shame. "Nicky?"

"Yes, my love?"

"I don't know how to say this."

"Then don't think about it, just say it. Here have a vodka if that helps."

Sophie Mannerheim picked up the shot glass and drained it, the fiery liquid leaving a trail down her throat and perhaps emboldening her just enough to get the words out. "Nicky, I'm pregnant."

October 1915- New battleships, thoughts

4 October 1915, STT Yards, Trieste, UHE

He watched as the huge new battleship took to the sea for the first time. STT had run continuous shifts on her construction whilst her sister had continued at a more discreet pace. Whist the Kaiser Franz Joseph I had perhaps some three to four months of fitting out to do her sister ship Kaiserin Elizabeth would continue on continuous shifts and would commission not that long after, likely around August-September 1916. He had performed the launching ceremony for the ship as a tribute to his mother.

Both the Navy and the Army were as ready as he believed he could possibly make them for any potential conflict, although if a real war came how ready could anyone really be? Taxes had increased 0.5% to cover increased expenses on armaments to much grumbling but what else could be done.

At least he was not burdened with the family issues of some. He had just returned from Romania where Crown Prince Carol had married the eldest Romanov daughter, Tatiana. Rudolf was not sure of that boy, not at all. Willy's heir was a skirt chaser and a fool that was lucky to have married well. Nicky's second boy had recently been forced into a marriage after getting a girl pregnant. Then both of them had not wanted to marry. Incredible. Both had been packed off to rural Finland. Perhaps he was lucky to have a girl as his heir, especially a seemingly sensible one. She seemed quite taken by young Friedrich Christian of Saxony, or perhaps it was the other way around. It would be a good match, an old Hapsburg ally. Perhaps he should invite the boy and his brother back in the Spring of next year.

Serbia was also a source of worry. The King and Queen seemed happy, yet no children had come from such a union. Alexander I was now almost 40, his wife in her late 30's. Children were no unlikely to come from such a union and earlier this same year Peter Karadordovic had returned to Montenegro to live with his father in law, along with his son. A Kingdom without an heir was a dangerous thing, as was any power vacuum and the Serbian Royal House was one step away from becoming extinct in the male line.

October 1915- Grinding into Mexico

20 October 1915, Marin, Occupied Mexico

Major General Tasker Bliss had fought his set-piece battle, one that had resulted in a severe defeat for his enemies. Let free to advance on the 4th of September, they had duly done so, brushing aside all opposition as two hooks converged on the city of Monterry. Contact with the Mexicans had been scattered, although cavalry had tried to raid his supply lines and pick off garrisons in smaller towns, forcing his own forces to slow down and disperse in an attempt to engage and destroy them. Finally his 45,000 men had encountered what was estimated at 70,000 or more Federal army troops in a broad screen in front of the city. The Mexicans had chosen their site well and had the advantage of being on a small ridge-line that his own troops would have to advance to engage on.

The battle had began at 05:15 with a direct frontal attack. This attack faltered by 07:00 due to strong artillery fire and sweeping machine gun from the Mexican positions; however, by 08:00, the Mexicans found themselves all but encircled by the United States troops flanking attack. By 11:00, many were in full retreat towards the South. Many others had been trapped and surrounded, including the bulk of the Mexican heavy weapons.

Although the Mexicans had initially surprised him with the volume of fire from their heavy weapons and the difficulty of breaching their line in the face of machine gun fire, once they had broken many had simply thrown down their arms, although many others had continued to fight a futile battle.

The following day his forces would take possession of Monterry at a cost of 896 dead or missing and 1,628 wounded. Mexican casualties had been much higher, an estimated 5,500 killed, a similar number wounded and 19,876 captured.

Two days later at Santa Anna a similar defeat was to occur for the Mexican Army in Sonora, a revenge for the sacking of the U.S border town of Yuma a second time in August and President Huerta declaring the town "Part of Mexico". Only at Carrizal had United States forces been fought to a standstill that was to cost more than 1,000 American dead in exchange for three times that number when U.S forces coming South from El Paso had run into Huerta's personal guard.

By the end of October President Huerta's Army was declining, down to 550,000 despite acquiring, mostly forcibly, over 200,000 new recruits. The United States Army had taken casualties, in fact over 2,000 dead, but the quality of the forces opposing them was declining with every engagement. In Baja California, resistance had already ceased.

November 1915- Dissolution of the Imperial fiat

16 November 1915, Hall of Pillars, Parliament Building, Vienna, UHE

"It is appropriate that I come to this building that my father never visited to announce what I wish to proclaim today. We have come through many changes this last 23 years, changes that I believe most of us are all the better for. After being called to the role of Kaiser, I wished more than anything to do my duty in a manner that would assist in some small way toward making the life of the average citizen of this country better than it was before and to that end I proclaim some small success."

Victor Alder looked at Kaiser Rudolf, seated on the central throne that had been constructed on a raised dias at the far end of the hall, both his wife and daughter seated to left and right, all wearing full court regalia. Where could this be going?

"We have taken steps, both myself and many of you here, towards involving all citizens in the business of Government. It is for that reason that steps need to be taken to recognise the will of the people in such governance as being something that requires acknowledgement and review in all matters. It is for that reason, after discussions, I have decided to take the initiative and declare that we wish to develop a new constitution for each of the four realms, one that seeks to increase the power of Parliament. In recognition of this fact, the new constitution for each of the four realms will remove the role of the Imperial fiat from within the purview of the Kaiser when such a constitution is fully drafted and passed by the respective Parliaments of Cisleithania, Transleithania, Czechia and Illyria. Although Kaiser's may be selected by the Grace of God, all men must be answerable to some earthly force. To that end, I will be making similar announcements in Czechia, Transleithania and Illyria as I am making here today.

Of course I will still retain the power to review and or reject all legislation that comes from all four Parliaments, but Parliament will in future after these changes are voted through, become the sole initiator of laws. May God keep our great country."

The initial smattering of applause had become a torrent, especially from the representative of the House of Deputies. The House of Lords members were more subdued, some seemingly happy, others stunned. As for himself, Victor Alder was ecstatic. It was a blessed thing to live in a time of such changes.

December 1915 - Reasons to start worrying about a Congo defence

2 December 1915, Hofburg, Vienna, UHE

Stephanie looked at the latest figures from The Congo again. The refinery for oil in the Congo had been upgraded to not only process kerosene but also diesel and petroleum. Ralph Gotteshalk had taken over the position of Governor and financially things were as rosy as ever. Rubber prices had dropped, but this was only a small portion of Congo revenue now.

Immigration had slowed and changed as the mining industry had consolidated itself into larger, company owned operations. Instead of single men hoping to make their fortune, increasingly it was families coming in search of company jobs or land and attracted by the fact that within the major cities, infrastructure for public health, education and even the arts existed.

It was a story as old as Cain and Able, jealousy. Not only the British and the Portuguese, but even the Germans were casting a covetous eye on the Congo. That and the seemingly nearness of war in Europe had motivated her to spend more on defence and to that end she had added another full Regiment to the Army as well as purchasing 450 Madsen machine guns and 360 mortars to increase the firepower of the Army. The Navy had two fast mine laying cruisers and five old destroyers, as well as eight motor torpedo boats plus a river force of six gunboats.

Numbers of whites in the Congo had risen to over 200,000 and immigration was still high. Numbers of mullatos had also risen dramatically and the outflow of exports now totalled near on a million Pounds per month.

The question now was, of course, the holding of such a valuable country against any incursions and to that end she had written to the Governor to prepare an in depth plan for the defence of The Congo as she no longer had any confidence in the maintenance of peace.

December 1915- Last pre war RN battleships laid

Extract from Jane's Fighting Ships 1920

"HMS Hood was laid down at John Brown, Clydebank, on the 8th December 1915 to be the lead ship of a new class, albeit one based very closely on the highly successful Queen Elizabeth Class. The new ships mounted the same main armament, but only 12 six inch guns, but all of the secondary armament would be mounted not in casemates but individual turrets. The new ships would have slightly finer lines, being 15 feet longer but a foot less beamier and a slightly more efficient power plant, but the main difference was a reduction in belt armour from 13 inches to 10 inches, all leading to a reduced displacement of 26,800 tons from the Queen Elizabeth Class and an increased speed of 27-28 knots.

To be called Hood, Anson, Howe and Rodney, they would form the centrepiece of the 1916 program. They were to be the final class of ship constructed for the Royal Navy in the Great War.

December 1915-The start of a difficult year

31 December 1915, Hofburg, Vienna, UHE

Ten

“You actually think this was the best idea?” Rudolf questioned, a brow quirked as he looked at Stephanie. They were standing on the private balcony, admiring the night sky of Vienna, their daughter waving to the large crowds from the public balcony.

Nine

Stephanie stood in front of Rudolf with her arms folded, and her eyes scanned their surrounding area.

“What could go wrong?” she asked, shrugging innocently.

Eight

“Everything I suppose. I worried about this year, I worry even more about the next Stephanie,” Rudolf drawled.

Stephanie scoffed. “Come on, it won’t be so bad. All this work, this last 23 years cannot be for nothing. She pointed across to Lola. She cannot be for nothing.”

Rudolf glanced to the side before meeting her eyes. “The problem isn’t doing this, living this life” he said. “The problem is external events. One cannot control external events, it took so much time to find that out.”

Seven

Stephanie unfolded her arms and held the sides of Rudolf’s arms. “Rudi, just relax and enjoy this moment. I do not know when we may be able to enjoy a New Year's Eve like this again. You cannot get this view from inside, after all.”

Six

“I could get something else in our quarters,” Rudolf suggested with a small, sly grin. “Highness.”

The blonde rolled her eyes. “You’re a Highness too, Your Highness,” she retorted, ignoring the first part of his statement.

Five

“You’re getting off topic, Rudolf,” Stephanie pointed out. “It’s just a little tradition; what do you have to lose?”

He prepared to answer her question, but she held up a finger. “Don’t you dare.”

His only response was a mock grin, and Stephanie huffed.

Four

Rudolf looked up in exasperation before returning his glance to the woman in front of him. “Fine. We can do this ‘New Year’s Kiss’ thing,” he said before lifting a finger. “As long as it continues in our rooms later.”

Stephanie only grinned. “It’ll be a great moment,” she told him. “Just wait and see.”

Three

“We’ll see about that,” he told her, releasing his arms from their fold and shifting his weight to one side. “Time is almost up.”

A small smile graced Stephanie’s face as she met his eyes. “I know.”

Two

The couple stared at each other in the eyes, nothing but messages of love and adoration with a hint of something more was sent between the two.

Stephanie took a short step forward, and Rudolf reacted by resting his hands on her sides.

One

Happy cheering signaled that it was time.

“Happy New Year, time traveler,” Stephanie said gently before pressing her lips against Rudolf’s. Her arms snaked around his neck while his hands held onto her sides firmly, pulling her closer to his body.

For once there wasn’t a care in the world whether they could be seen in public. They pulled apart to a huge roar as the booming sound of the fireworks reached their ears. Rudolf’s lips parted as he was getting ready to say something when the moment was disrupted.

Rudolf rolled his eyes before running a finger under Stephanie’s chin. “Happy New Year, fellow traveler and love of my life.” He captured her lips again as the door banged open.

"Mama, kissing in public, really."

"We need to take what chances we can Lola, take love where we can get it, for who knows what lies over the horizon. Come here."

All three hugged as a family unit to the sound of loud cheering, fireworks visible over the snow laden rooftops. It was the perfect start to what would be a difficult year.

January 1916-Germany's swollen shipyards

14 January 1916, Berlin, German Empire

Alfred von Tirpitz looked at the swollen orders that filled the books of German shipyards. The 1913 Program had brought forth three Bayern Class ships and a final Derrflinger Class ship. It was likely that all four would commission in the first half of 1916 when they finished fitting out. The 1914 Program was two more Bayern Class ships and two Mackensen Class battlecruisers, fast battleships really. In addition, two Dutch orders for Wilhelmina Class battleships had also been laid down at Germaniawerft. Then 1915 had brought a completion to the Mackensen Class, with fully five further ships to be laid, two already started and three more due in the next 3-4 months. This in addition to a third Dutch ship. In all, 16 ships were under construction or planned to commence within the next three months. It was an unprecedented level of construction that was to catapult the shipyard owners of Europe to the status of captains of industry.

January 1916- The first step towards war

20 January 1916, SIM Headquarters, Rome, Kingdom of Italy

It was finally time thought Captain Mario Roatta. He was to proceed forthwith to North Somaliland. The Ethiopians had their Queen, this Zewditu. The humiliations of the 1890's had not been forgotten and now the chance had finally come to erase them. The boy Iyasu had a better claim to the throne in any case, especially in the minds of many of the Ethiopian nobility. Now the boy had taken up residence in Massawa with Abdullahi Tsadeq, who had become his constant companion, and went to the largest mosque of the city for a three-hour service. Throughout his stay in he had been friendly towards the Muslims, an act which Mario Roatta was sure worried the priests of Ethiopia.

Yet if there was a power vacuum, if the existing Queen was to die, then the boy would have to be the next logical choice for Emperor, an Emperor that would assist the Muslims in Ethiopia, an Emperor that would reverse the humiliations of 1896 and allow Italy to declare a Protectorate over the Horn of Africa, restoring both Italy's prestige and returning the lands to some semblance of civility.

He had his sealed orders and they were clear enough. He would be leaving tomorrow to implement them. Italy had carefully built her forces in the two separate Somaliland territories she owned so as not to alarm other powers, such as Ethiopia's Russian Orthodox lapdogs. Once the Queen was removed Italy's troops could intervene to restore order and the boy would do the rest for them.

He was not to guess that as he stepped up the gangplank the following day, he was taking the first steps towards a full European and World War.

February 1916- Rudolf's half sister leaves for the Congo

8 February 1916, Hofburg, UHE

Baroness Maria-Katherina Barany sat comfortably in the chair in Stephanie's drawing room. "It is what we have wanted to do for some time, go to The Congo. Robert has been fortunate enough to win a Nobel Prize and now Violeta and Anders are old enough to go. We feel we can give back something to those less fortunate and Robert also wishes to investigate sleeping sickness and the effects on the ear and balance.

Stephanie looked at Maria-Katherina. Rudolf's sister was her own woman now and in her mid 30's with two children of her own. "Good luck to you both then. Come, let us share tea with Rudolf and Lola. When do you leave?"

"Three days time."

February 1916- The tide of war turns fully against Mexico

21 February 1916, Mexico City, Mexico

Victoriano Huerta's grip on power was loosening. His armies had inflicted casualties, yes, he had even fermented rebellion against the American occupation in Honduras, yet still their forces rolled on. Superior training, superior artillery his advisors said yet he was not blind to the fact that many in his own Army had little or no desire to fight. If he could only inflict a bloody repulse to the Americans then maybe he could negotiate terms. He had hoped the battle at Ciudad Victoria would provide such an opportunity yet his forces had been shattered yet again, with upwards of 20,000 men lost.

With the Americans less than 300 kilometers from the capital the only reliable troops he had left were those penning the United States Marines in Veracruz and his own personal Regiment that he had withdrawn to Mexico City in an attempt to restore order. If the Americans could not be stopped or slowed before the May rains came, he may have to withdraw his forces from Veracruz and try and fight a last set-piece battle before Mexico City that would hopefully wound them badly enough to force a return to the negotiating table. There was little else to be hoped for. He had no illusions in regards his own fate if the war and his Presidency were to be lost.

February 1916 - The new battleship arrives

26 February 1916, Fleet Base Pola, UHE

Vice Admiral Maksimilijan Njegovan hoisted his flag as Fleet Commander in the brand new battleship Kaiser Franz Joseph I. She was an impressive ship, almost twice the tonnage of the older Schreck Class ships and with an impressive firepower of 12 14 inch guns and Njegovan would be happy to receive her sister, due later that year since the rumours of Italy building 15 inch heavy battleships. In addition to the fleet flagship, he had under his command three Divisions of battleships, in all 13 capital ships, the last of the Schreck Class ships just completing refits.

In addition to his main battle line, there were also the light, submarine and aviation forces. If war was to come, the Navy would be ready.

March 1916- Coup in Istanbul

2 March 1916, Istanbul, Ottoman Empire

The Committee of Union and Progress had bided their time under the leadership of Ismail Enver Pasha, Mehmet Pasha and Ahmed Djemal. The quite unexpected death of Yusuf I had provided the catalyst for the Committee to move and put into place their well planned coup. They had strong support from key elements of the Ottoman Army, but especially the Navy. By the 22nd February they were ready and had fanned out not only in the capital but in a number of other key cities, taking possession of communication hubs and military installations. In Istanbul, they had quickly taken possession of all two of the three Army Barracks, the Central Post and Telegraph Office, the train station, the General Assembly Building and Dolmabache Palace, as well as both modern battleships of the Ottoman fleet. On the morning of the 23rd February all but one Army building had thrown in their lot with the CUP and threat to bombard the barracks with 13.5 inch guns had quickly quelled all resistance.

It had taken a week, but by the 2nd March, with the assistance of the weak and diffident Mehmet VI, who had been happy to go along with the coup, all of the Ottoman Empire aside from Yemen, which had again gone into rebellion, had come under the new triumvirate, with Mehmet Pasha installed as Grand Vizier and Ismail Enver Pasha as Minister for the Interior. on the 2nd. On the 4th Ahmed Djemal, now Ahmed Pasha, was installed as Minister of the Navy.

The Liberal reforms could not go on thought Mehmet Pasha, the Ottoman Empire and Turks in particular could no longer stand to see the Empire itself eaten up by greedy foreign powers and poisoned from within by fractious subjects.

March 1916-An isolated lighthouse is built

24 March 1916, Snipe Island, Beagle Canal, Tierra del Fuego

The Chilean Navy tramp steamer's crew were happy that they were finally heading back to base, having duly completed the installation of the light into the new lighthouse on the island of Snipe, leaving the lighthouse keeper and his wife and child in possession of the new facility in the middle of the Beagle Canal.

April 1916- Even before a war they are still a girl's best friend

1 April 1916, Carl Faberge and Son, Vienna, UHE

Lola von Hapsburg wandered around the store, her friend Maria Romanov at her side. For Maria it was a welcome break from St Petersburg, first to see here sister in Bucharest and then travel on to Vienna. Her father had asked her to purchase a diamond for her mother, something special and to obtain something special invariably involved travelling to Faberge in Vienna since they had first choice of the stones obtained from The Congo.

Lola went on. "The brown or champagne diamonds are the most common coloured diamond, the yellows mainly come from South Africa although we source some from The Congo as well, also these pumpkin orange ones. Greens are rare, of course and are rarely found. We obtain no purple of blue stones from the Congo" She continued as a much smaller tray was brought out. "These pinks are very rare, however, if you wish to buy something really special, I would look at these, as she deposited a two carat stone onto the black velvet, along with a few smaller stones. Of all the fancy diamonds, red are by far the rarest, and consequently most valuable. This larger one is flawless."

"Yes" said Maria, "Much like mama I suppose." She looked at the shop manager, who was hovering diffidently over the two young women. "What would be the price sir?"

"Well, as Her Imperial Highness has intimated, the red stones are the hardest to obtain. A flawless stone as well. One million Kronor. Of course for that price we will place it in whatever piece you desire at no extra cost."

"Very well sir, make it a ring for my mother's 25th Wedding Anniversary. The design we looked at earlier in 22 carat."

"Of course Your Imperial Highness."

The two girls returned to the Hofburg, Maria in particular excited by the simple adventures of walking around the city, a pleasure denied in Russia due to the need for oppressive security due to anarchists. Later that night they were to watch a film, "The Floorwalker", with Charlie Chaplin. When they woke the following morning it was to the news that the Ethiopian Queen had been assassinated. It was intermixed with a telegram from Erszi saying that in the Far polar South an Argentine destroyer had shelled a Chilean lighthouse, killing all four occupants.

April 1916- A poisoner found and exposed

4 April 1916, Imperial Palace, Addis Ababa, Empire of Ethiopia

Sigwalt Roos stepped forward and put the watering can down, the defeated man still tied to the chair. It had been all too easy to follow the trail of the poisoner back to those that had ordered the act, a pathetic lack of any sort of subtlety or professionalism on the part of the operatives involved. He was able to put in place local contacts to snatch the woefully unaware Captain Mario Roatta. After some timely persuasion, Roatta revealed that, incredibly, he had not even destroyed his orders and gave up their hiding place.

Already steps were being taken to oppose the Italians as they crossed the frontier with military forces in support of the pretender Iyasu the previous day. His own wife Aditu had declared for a new Emperor in opposition, the boy Haile Selassie. He had telegraphed the Evidenzbureau with a full report and on his own authority had alerted the Russian Embassy, allowing them to view but not keep Roatta's orders from Rome.

There was little he could do to directly influence things here in Addis Ababa and for that reason he was to leave tonight with the original copy of Roatta's orders with a long trek to reach the coast and then on to Vienna. By the time he reached the sea, he should have orders as to whether Roatta was to make the full trip back to the UHE or was to get dropped off halfway.

April 1916- One bombardment deserves another

4 April 1916, Snipe Island, Beagle Passage

Almirante Condell was a large, powerful unit. At 1430 tons she was larger than nearly all contemporary destroyers, a special design by Samuel White specifically for the Chilean Navy, which had six such ships. Captain Holt could not believe that the Argentinians had done such a thing, yet it was confirmed by Chilean civilians on Isla Navarina. There was no way that such an act could go unpunished. Two hours later he watched in satisfaction as his ship's 4inch shells bit into the small settlement and lighthouse on the Cape near Galpones.

April 1916-France

FRENCH REPUBLIC

Head of State: Raymond Poincaré
Government: Republic
Population: 43.1 million(does not include extensive colonial empire)
Demographics: 99.5% French, 0.25% Jewish, 0.25% others
Capital: Paris

ARMY

In May 1916 the French Army had 49 divisions (808,000 French and 48,000 colonial troops) in 22 regional corps, with attached cavalry and field-artillery units. Most these troops were deployed inside France with the bulk along the Eastern frontier as part of Plan 17, the invasion of Lorraine.

In common with most other continental European powers, the French Army was organized on the basis of universal conscription, the length of which had been increased some few years before. Each year, the "class" of men turning twenty-one in the upcoming year would be inducted into the French Army and spend three years in active service. After leaving active service they would progress through various stages of reserves, each of which involved a lower degree of commitment.

- Active Army (20–23)
- Reserve of the Active Army (24–34)
- Territorial Army (35–41)
- Reserve of the Territorial Army (42–48)

During the war, all of these age groups would be used for military service. At the apex of the French Army was the General Staff, since 1911 under the leadership of General Joseph Joffre. The General Staff was responsible for drawing up the plan for mobilization. Using the railroad network, the Army would be shifted from their peacetime garrisons throughout France to the Eastern border with Germany.

At the outset of the war, the primary French field gun was the French 75. The French had over 4,000 of these guns, an adequate number, and it was an excellent gun, but despite accuracy, quick firing, and lethality against infantry, German howitzers outraged the French 75 and used heavier shells, inflicting more damage than the French guns. They did, however, have some numbers of 155mm modern howitzers that were coming into service with a 10km range.

When war broke out in August 1914, the German army had about 13,000 machine guns, the French Army had 1200, less even than the Russian army. In regards to grenades, the French were better prepared, expecting to find themselves besieging German fortresses, a task well suited to the grenade. The French had a chemical grenade, using tear gas.

At the outbreak of war the French Army still retained the colourful traditional uniforms of the 19th century for active service wear. These included conspicuous features such as blue coats and red trousers for the infantry and cavalry. The French cavalry wore plumed helmets and breastplates almost unchanged from the Napoleonic period. From 1903 on several attempts had been made to introduce a more practical field dress but these had been opposed by conservative opinion both within the Army and among the public at large. The adoption of a blue-grey ("horizon-blue") uniform had been approved by the French Government in June 1915 but new issues had been possible to four divisions by May 1916 due to the project;s low priority. Thee Army itself was generally competently led but suffered with a huge gap in familiarity between officer, NCO's and ranks.

NAVY

The French Navy was large and well into the process of modernising in 1916, which was just as well as the fleet reflected a lack of design focus in the 1880-1906 period, with a startling amount of "sample ships" carrying various weaponry were built. It's officers and men well trained well, if not to the level of the Royal Navy and it's ships generally well handled. It was strong in submarines, in particular but very weak in fast cruisers and it's destroyers were mainly smaller types, if numerous. It's composition in May 1916 was:

Battleships
4 Courbet Class
3 Bretagne Class(plus two more building for Greece, one launched, the other still on the stocks)
5 Normandie Class(all launched)
4 Lyon Class(first two just laid down) TOTAL 7 + 5 fitting out

Pre Schrecks
6 Danton Class
3 Liberte Class
2 Republique Class
1 Suffren
1 Henri IV
3 Charlemegne Class
1 Bouvet TOTAL:17

Armoured Cruisers
2 Edgar Quinet Class
1 Ernest Renan
1 Jules Michelet
3 Leon Gambetta Class
4 Gloire Class
3 Dupleix Class
3 Gueydon Class
1 Jeanne d'Arc
1 Pothuau
3 Amiril Charner Class TOTAL:22

0+6 Lamont-Picquet Class light cruisers(2 launched, 4 laid down)
9 Protected Cruisers
96 destroyers
75 torpedo boats
52 submarines plus 21 building plus 3 more for Romania

April 1916-Germany

GERMAN EMPIRE

Head of State: Wilhelm II
Government: Federated Monarchy
Population: 69.1 million
Demographics: 92% Germans, 6% Polish, 1% Jewish, 0.5% Danish, 0.5% others
Capital: Berlin

ARMY

Huge German military sending in the 1910-15 period had propelled the German Imperial Army, already the largest and best Army in continental Europe, to an even greater lead over it's likely competitors. It had excellence in command, equipment and control, as well as an excellent railway and logistical network and a central position in Europe, all further advantages.

The overall commander of the Imperial German Army, less the Bavarian contingents, was the Kaiser. He was assisted by a German Imperial Military cabinet, and exercised control through the Ministry of War and the Great General Staff. The Chief of the General Staff became the Kaiser's main military advisor and effectively the most powerful military figure in the Empire. Bavaria maintained its own Ministry of War and its own Royal Bavarian Army, but coordinated planning with the Prussian Great General Staff.

The command and control system of the Prussian Army had been heavily reformed in the wake of the defeats suffered by Prussia in the Napoleonic Wars. Rather than rely primarily on the martial skills of the individual members of the German nobility, who dominated the military profession, the Prussian Army instituted a series of reforms to ensure excellence in leadership, organization and planning at all levels of command. The General Staff system, an institution that sought to institutionalize military excellence, was the main result. It sought to identify military talent at the lower levels and develop it thoroughly through academic training and practical experience as planners on division, corps and higher staffs, up to the Great General Staff, the senior planning body of the army. It provided effective planning and organizational work during peacetime and wartime.

The basic tactical formation was the division. A standard Imperial German Army Division consisted of two Infantry Brigades of two Regiments each, a Cavalry Brigade of two Regiments, and an Artillery Brigade of two Regiments. It contained 72 guns per Division, more than any other power. One of the Divisions in a corps area usually also managed the corps Landwehr region. In 1916, besides the Guard Corps (two Guard Divisions and a Guard Cavalry Division), there were 44 regular Divisions in the Prussian Army (including four Saxon Divisions and two Württemberg Divisions), and six Divisions in the Bavarian Army.

These Divisions were all mobilized in late April 1916. They were reorganized, receiving Engineer Companies and other support units from their Corps, and giving up most of their Cavalry to form Cavalry Divisions. Reserve Divisions were also formed, Landwehr Brigades were aggregated into Divisions, and other Divisions were formed from replacement units.

The Army had excellent equipment, with very little in the way of "second line" material. It had also embraced new innovations, such as the airplane and was particularly strong in lighter than air expertise. It's only weakness a shortage of super heavy siege artillery.

NAVY

Whilst in 1916 the Imperial German Navy still lagged well behind the Royal Navy in size, it had not been due to lack of trying. In 1907, 290 million marks was spent on the fleet, rising to 347 million marks or 24 percent of the national budget in 1908, with a predicted budget deficit of 500 million marks. By the outbreak of the Great War, almost 1.2 billion marks had been added to Germany's national debt because of naval expenditures. The officer Corps was a model of German precision and the Navy was generally well led and it's ships competently handled. It's main pre war weakness was it's overall lack of strategy. Despite the obvious rivalry with the R.N, no definite plan existed as to how to challenge the British Navy in wartime and it's building structure dictated more of a need for prestige than a need to seriously defeat the British at sea.

German ships represented a differing design philosophy to their Royal Navy counterparts. With deployments all over the world not the norm, German capital ships were shorter ranged, with less fuel bunkerage and less well armed, retaining the 12 inch gun long after the Royal Nay had gone to the 13.5 inch and then the 15 inch. This did give one advantage back to the German ships, however, and that was protection. With less tonnage devoted to guns and less on coal bunkerage a much higher percentage of displacement of German ships was devoted to protection that that of their RN counterparts. This was shown even more starkly with their heavily armoured battlecruisers, really fast battlships by the time of the Mackensen Class. Composition of the fleet in May 1916 was:

Battleships
5 Hannover Class
4 Nassau Class
4 Helgoland Class
5 Kaiser Class
4 Konig Class
2+3 Bayern Class(2 fitting out, one still to be launched)TOTAL: 24 plus two fitting out and one still on stocks, also 2 Dutch ships fitting out and one on stocks)

Pre Schrecks
5 Braunschweig Class
5 Wittelsbach Class
5 Kaiser Freiderich III Class TOTAL:15

Battlecruisers
1 Blucher
2 Von der Tann
2 Moltke Class
1 Seydlitz
3 Derfflinger Class
7 Mackensen Class(one launched, six others on stocks)TOTAL: 9 plus one fitting out plus 6 still on stocks

Armoured Cruisers
2 Roon Class
2 Prinz Adalbert Class
1 Prinz Heinrich
1 Furst Bismark TOTAL: 6

37 Light Cruisers(plus 5 launched and 6 more on the stocks)
3 Protected Cruisers
9 Gunboats
178 torpedo boats/destroyers(plus 19 building)
97 submarines(10 more building)

April 1916-Russia

RUSSIAN EMPIRE

Head of State: Nicholas II
Government: Autocracy/partly Constitutional Monarchy
Population: 186.4 million
Demographics: 46% Russians, 18% Ukrainians, 10% Tartars, 5% Belorussian, 6% Polish, 4% Jewish, 3% Finnish, 3% Baltic, 1.5% German, 1% Georgian, 1% Rumanian, 2% other
Capital: St Petersburg

Army: When war came in May 1916, the army of Russia was struggling to reform itself, with many of the lessons from 1904-5 implemented but others sadly ignored. The Army consisted of mainly of conscripted illiterate peasants lead by a very small (compared to other European forces) officer corps. It's weakness was very little in the way of experienced and professional non commissioned officers. Unlike the Navy, it did not consist of huge amounts of titled noble officers with limited real military skill. It was in fact a professional dedicated group that was mainly drawn from the tiny Russian middle class-nearly 40% of the officers in the Russian Army were of peasant origins.

Russia, after the poor performances by the Army against the Japanese in 1904-5, embarked on a rearmament and reorganization plan. There were many recommendations made during 1907-1912 to modernize the Army and it was a more formidable Army that took to the field in 1914. Artillery allocated to the Army was 52 guns per division, better than most armies. Russia had the world’s largest peacetime Army of 1.2 million men in 1916.

On mobilization, the Russian army totaled 108 infantry and 36 cavalry divisions with nearly 9,000 guns. Artillery was the pride of the Russian army. There were, however, only 2 Army ambulances and 412 vehicles. 19 Infantry and 5 Cavalry Divisions were for the defense of the Baltic Sea and the Black Sea littorals with and 17 Infantry and 4 Cavalry divisions in Siberia and Turkestan. When mobilized with reservists and fully fleshed out this Army was planned to amount to 3.6 million. A force of 22 million stood ready to answer the call to defend the motherland if total mobilization was used. This huge 'Russian steamroller' Army was considered invincible by many at the time and had long been a source of concern to Germany before their alliance with Russia firmed.

The arms and armaments of the Russian Army were some of the best in Europe. The excellent 1891 Mosin Nagant rifle was the basic weapon, as was the Maxim heavy machine gun. The 76.2mm light field gun was well respected and considered by many to be one of the best light cannon of the era. In 1916 the Russian Army actually had the highest ratio of machine guns to troops of any major power aside from Germany and the UHE, 1.8 pieces per thousand men.

The principal stumbling block to was the sheer scale of the need to arm millions with an overtaxed industrial complex that struggled to produce munitions in numbers required. Although progress had been made, Russia started the war deficient in quantities of most military stores except men.

The Russian Military Air Fleet had 316 aircraft and 22 airships. The Russian Army had only 412 motorized transport vehicles and 188 passenger cars. Although much expenditure had been allocated, in 1916, European Russia had only a 0.98 of a mile of railroad track for each one hundred square versts (1 verst = 1.067 km) of territory, while Germany for instance had over seven times that amount of track.

According to 1905 estimates made within the General Staff, production of 400,000 shells per month would sustain the Russian artillery in combat this worked out to about 4 rounds per gun per day, clearly inadequate. This was recognised by future staff but even then only 1 million shells per month was envisaged, when in fact usage ran about 80 shells per gun per day from the outset and could be as high as 700-800 shells per gun per day during an offensive. Worse, Russian industry was capable of producing only about 80,000 shells a month) whilst the Army needed far more than that.

In 1916, supposedly, the Army already had enough rifles at hand to supply 7 million men at that time; however according to figures, in 1916 the entire Russian Army disposed of only 4 million modern rifles. Had there been enough rifles though, it would only have made the munitions shortage worse. In May 1916, the Imperial Russian Army had about 5.2 billion rounds of small arms in stock. During the opening campaigns of 1916 , Russian industry produced about 105 million bullets per month, although this later rose. Yet a single Regiment was to use 800,000 rounds (about 0.8 percent of the nation's monthly production) in a single day of fighting in one instance. Given that the army contained over 250 Regiments, monthly production was hardly sufficient for a week's hard fighting -much less a sustained campaign- and what Russian planners had thought what a vast reserve was in reality inadequate. Communications, transportation equipment, and technology of almost every kind were also sorely lacking. The Russian First Army, for instance, had only 40 telephones and 10 Morse coding machines available in 1916 until deliveries of UHE Mysterija machines commenced.

The Russian fleet of 1916 was a powerful force that had absorbed many lessons from the Russo-Japanese war. It numbered over 50,000 men of all ranks. The fleets operated from bases in Sevastopol, Libau, Kronstadt, Tallinn, Port Arthur and Vladivostok.

The Russian navy in 1916 was regarded as quite well trained, funds having been lavished after it's 1904-5 successes. It suffered from having too many politically appointed officers who had never seen combat and gained commissions by birth. Compounding the problem of poor officers the years leading up to the war were filled with indecision for the fleet. Two vastly differing schools of officers had their own ideas for how the fleet would be restructured. The first group held that the fleet should build a large number of battleships in order to meet and destroy enemy fleets on the open seas. The second group was based on observations of the Russo-Japanese war and held that torpedo boats and submarines should be built in large numbers to overwhelm enemy fleets as they approached the Russian coastline. The end result was be a mix that did not quite fulfill either requirement. However, by the standards of 1916 the Navy was up to date with submarine development in particular.

BALTIC FLEET
Battlecruisers
0+4 Izmail Class(all fitting out)

Pre Schrecks
2 Andrey Pervozvannyy Class
1 Panteleymon
2 Persevit Class
1 Sissoi Veliky
1 Navarin

Armoured Cruisers
1 Rurik

2 Protected Cruisers
4+2 Light Cruisers(all launched)
59 destroyers(12 fitting out and 14 on the stocks)
30 submarines(18 building)

BLACK SEA FLEET

Battleships
3 Imperatritsa Maria Class
1 Nicholas I Class(on stocks)

Pre Schrecks
2 Evstafi Class
1 Tri Svyatitelya
1 Potemkin

2 Protected cruisers
4 light cruisers(2 launched, two on stocks)
35 destroyers(4 launched and 2 more on the stocks)
14 submarines(2 building)

PACIFIC FLEET

Battleships
4 Petropovlosk Class
3 Moskva Class

Pre Dreadnoughts
1 Retvizan
5 Borodino Class

Armoured Cruisers
3 Bayan Class - Admiral Makarov, Pallada, Bayan
1 Gromboi

5 Protected Cruisers
37 destroyers
12 submarines

April 1916-Belgium

KINGDOM OF BELGIUM

Head of State: Albert I
Government: Constitutional Monarchy
Population: 7.7 million
Demographics: 58.25 Flemish, 39.25% Waloons, 2% Germans, 0.5% others
Capital: Brussels

Army: A major reorganization of the Army had been authorized by the government in 1912, providing for a total army of 350,000 men – 150,000 in the field forces, 130,000 in fortress garrisons and 70,000 reserves and auxiliaries. However, this reorganization was nowhere near complete – it was planned for completion by 1926 – and only 126,000 men could be mobilized for the field forces, with the other branches equally deficient. These fortifications had been built in several stages beginning in 1859, though a number were still incomplete in 1916. While well-designed and built by 19th century standards, these fixed defenses with their sunken artillery turrets had been rendered obsolete by recent advances in heavy siege artillery howitzers. In 1916, the Army consisted of 6 Infantry and one Cavalry Divisions.

Each Division contained three mixed Brigades (of two Infantry Regiments and one Artillery Regiment), one Cavalry Regiment, and one Artillery Regiment, as well as various support units. Each Infantry Regiment contained three Battalions, with one Regiment in each Brigade having a Machine-gun Company of eight guns. An Artillery Regiment had three batteries of four guns.

The nominal strength of a Division varied from 25,500 to 32,000 all ranks, with a total strength of eighteen Infantry Battalions, a Cavalry Regiment, 22 machine-guns, and forty-eight guns. The Cavalry Division had two Brigades of two Regiments each, three horse Artillery batteries, and two cyclist Battalions, along with support units; it had a total strength of 4,500 all ranks with 12 guns, and was – in effect – little more than a reinforced Brigade.

Navy: Belgium maintained no Navy at all.

April 1916-United Kingdom

UNITED KINGDOM

Head of State: George V
Government: Constitutional Monarchy
Population: 46.8 million(Great Britain and Ireland only)-does not include independent dominions which were Canada(8 million), Australasia(6.2 million), South Africa(6.5 million including 1.6 million "whites") and Newfoundland(250,000). This does not include colonies.
Capital:London

ARMY

In many ways the British Army was as well trained and well funded as the German one, but that is where the comparison must end. It was a small, professional force. It consisted of 250,000 regular troops organised in four Guards and 68 line Infantry Regiments, 31 Cavalry Regiments, artillery and other support arms, although many of these were on garrison throughout the Empire and were in many cases not fully formed. In fact, almost 115,000 of the 250,000 available troops were stationed overseas, many in far flung places of the Empire. The regular Army was supported by around 140,000 reservists that were kept quite well trained and in many cases consisted of former Army personnel. The regulars and reserves—at least on paper—totaled a mobilized force of almost 700,000 men, although only 150,000 men were immediately available. This consisted of Six Infantry Divisions and one of Cavalry. By contrast, the French Army mobilized 1,650,000 troops and 62 Infantry Divisions, while the German Army mobilized 1,850,000 troops and 87 Infantry Divisions and the Russians over 3 million.

In 1916, each British Infantry Division consisted of three Infantry B brigades each of four Battalions, with two machine guns per Battalion, (24 in the Division). They also had three Field Artillery Brigades with 54 18 pounder guns, one Field Howitzer Brigade with eighteen 4.5 inch howitzers, one Heavy Artillery Battery with four 60 pounder guns, two Engineer Field Companies, one signals Company, one Cavalry Squadron, one Cyclist Company, three field ambulances, four Army Service Corps horse-drawn transport Companies and Divisional Headquarters support detachments and were probably the best equipped Divisions in the war.

The Army had learn many of the lessons of the Boer War but was not initially led well at higher quarters. The traditional dispersal of British forces meant most commanders had never held more than a Divisional command, let alone a Corps or Army. In addition, the Army still suffered much more than the Royal Navy from patronage filling many of the higher positions of command.

NAVY

In 1916 the Royal Navy was at the peak of it's powers. Fisher's reforms in the early 1900's had "cleared out the useless junk" and the navy was well equipped with modern ships, well led by generally competent officers. Like it's Empire, it's Navy was huge.

Pre Schrecks:
3 Majestic Class
6 Canopus Class
6 Formidable Class
5 Duncan Class Total:20

Battleships:
3 Lord Nelson Class
4 Africa Class
4 Dreadnought Class
3 Bellerophen Class
3 St Vincent Class
3 Neptune Class
4 Orion Class
4 KGV Class
4 Iron Duke Class
5+1 Queen Elizabeth Class(one launched)
3+5 Revenge Class(one launched, four on stocks)
0+4 Hood Class (all four just laid down) Total: 40 + 9 building. In addition there is a Chilean and an Ottoman battleship currently building in UK yards(both launched).

Armoured Cruisers
2 Blake Class
9 Edgar Class
2 Powerful Class
5 Diadem Class
2 Incomparable Class
6 Cressy Class
4 Drake Class
9 Monmouth Class
6 Devonshire Class
TOTAL:43

Battlecruisers
2 Warrior Class
2 Black Prince Class
5 Invincible Class
3 Indefatigable Class(two Australasian)
3 Lion Class
1 Tiger TOTAL: 16

43 light cruisers(4 building)
50 protected/scout cruisers
264 destroyers(12 more building)
100 submarines plus 12 building

April 1916-Ottomans

OTTOMAN EMPIRE

Head of State: Mehmet VI
Government: Constitutional Monarchy
Population: 17.7 million
Demographics: 57% Turkish, 23% Arab, 11% Greek, 8% Armenian, 1% Jewish
Capital: Istanbul

After 1910 the Ottoman army was reorganized under direction of a French military mission. The principle running through the new organisation of the Ottoman army is that of groups of three, the Army Corps having three Divisions, each Division three regiments, and each Regiment three Battalions. There were then in all forty-one Divisions. Four more existed, two Cavalry and two Infantry, but these were permanently stationed in Yemen and Arabia.

A typical Division of the new Army comprised three Regiments of infantry of three Battalions each, one Battalion of Chasseurs (Nichandji), one Regiment of artillery consisting of six Batteries each of four quick-firing guns, two squadrons of Cavalry, one detachment of the Medical Corps, and one detachment of the military train. In addition, and independently of the Divisions, there are attached to each Army Corps, one battalion of engineers, three batteries of heavy artillery, six batteries of mountain artillery, one brigade of cavalry, one regiment of Chasseurs (Nichandji), one detachment of the military train, one detachment of the Medical Corps. It is, moreover, of interest to observe that the third Battalion of each regiment is a skeleton Battalion, a sort of elastic body which, on mobilisation, will be brought up to its full strength, but which in peace time is used for the instruction of reservists who have joined for their period of training, and of recruits arriving from far-off districts and at different times of the year. Thanks to this arrangement, the general training of the Regiment suffered no interruption.

The new distribution into Army Corps did not in itself involve the direct creation of any fresh units; it was rather an organisation which gives greater military efficiency to the forces as they existed. As a result of the system, regimental instruction was far more easily given and was far more thorough than in the past; and, moreover, the redifs or reserves, who formerly received no military training, would undergo a strict course. Indirectly, however, the new organisation tended to add to the number of effectives, for it was in its nature an elastic organisation, and it owed its elasticity to the existence of the third or skeleton Battalion. This third Battalion, as the supply of officers and the financial resources of the country increased, be gradually transformed into an active Battalion; and, when this change was complete, a new skeleton Battalion would be formed, which in its turn will undergo a similar development.

The weak point in the Ottoman army was their cavalry, which was employed but rarely in the manoeuvres, and then to very little purpose. The Turks attempted to make good their deficiency in remounts by extensive purchases in Hungary and Russia ; their horses, however, as a whole, were poor. As the cavalry had undergone very little training, the men as yet were not good horsemen and only four of the 43 Divisions were Cavalry.

The best trained branch of the Turkish service was their artillery. It was armed with mainly older French guns, which in spite of certain defects were serviceable. The auxiliary services and the commissariat were undeniably defective. They were in fact hardly organised at all.

NAVY

After the unmitigated disasters of the 1890's, the Ottoman Navy had attempted to rebuild as a smaller, more modern force. This had been partially successful, although the quality of training of sailors left much to be desired. None the less there were a number of quite powerful units.

Battleships
1+1 Resadiye Class(second unit launched and fitting out in the UK)

Battlecruiser
1 Abdul Kadir(ex RN)

Pre Schrecks
4 Torgud Reis Class(ex German)

5 Protected cruisers
21 torpedo boats and destroyers

April 1916-Italy

KINGDOM OF ITALY

Head of State: Victor Emmanuelle III
Government: Constitutional Monarchy
Population: 36.4 million
Demographics: 94.5% Italian, 3% Friulan, 1.5% French, 1% Others
Capital: Rome

ARMY

Economic and governmental difficulties resulted in a much-needed re-equipment program proceeding very slowly. By 1916 the Army had still not replaced material lost in Libya and Ethiopia years before, which showed how slow canges had come, however between 1914 and 1916 it had been rebuilt almost too full strength.

The plan of employing the military to enhance national unity concluded in a complicated procedure of conscription as well as mobilization. Each Regiment received its recruits coming from 2 different areas. As soon as their duration of military service was finished, nevertheless, men came back home as reservists. Whenever recalled these men become a member of their regional instead of their original Regiments.

Within the recruitment plan of 1907, all able-bodied men were chargeable for call-up in three classes between the ages of Nineteen and Thirty eight years. The first class spent 2 years, 6 in the reserve, 4 in the Mobile Militia, and 7 in the Territorial Militia. The 2nd class spent 6 months, 7 years in the reserve, and the same periods in the militia as class one. The 3rd class spent all 19 years in the Territorial Militia, however had no training.

A fraction of those suitable actually served in the army; e.g. in 1911 lower than 25 per cent of those chargeable for military service were in fact called up. Consequently the ‘active army’ consisted of regular officers – always lower than needed – in addition class 1 recruits. To make situations even worse, the recruits were expected to review in November annually, on the other hand real military service was postponed until the subsequent March. Because the difference wasn’t, in reality, filled up with by class 2 soldiers under training, there was basically no army throughout the winter season. Even in summer several units had below 10 % of their nominal strength.
Difficulties were worsened by a severe lack of NCOs, who were typically drawn from Italy’s tiny literate lower middle class. In spite of this, the Army did accomplish significant improvements during the instant prelude to the Great War.

Italy joined the war with Twelve army corps inside Italy, each with 2 active Infantry Divisions. Together with 2nd line reserves there were 35 Infantry Divisions plus 12 Militia Divisions (adding up to 2 grenadier as well as Ninety four line Regiments); a division of Bersaglieri; two Alpini Groups (Fifty two Battalions in 8 Regiments); four Cavalry Divisions; Fourteen Battalions of combat engineers; 467 field artillery Batteries with almost 2,000 guns and howitzers; plus Battalions of paramilitary Carabinieri.

The Navy was well trained and in the main modern but suffered from too many obsolete larger ships, too few cruisers, but was very strong in light forces. This had been in the process of rectification with increased naval budgets, but these changes had been planned to complete in 1920, not 1916.

NAVY

Battleships
1 Dante Alighiere
3 Conte de Cavour Class
2 Andrea Doria Class
0+4 Francesco Carracciolo Class(none yet launched) TOTAL:6

Pre Schrecks
3 Guiseppe Garibaldi Class (more armoured cruisers really)
2 Regina Margherita Class
4 Regina Elena Class
2 Pisa Class (more armoured cruisers really)
2 San Georgio Class (more armoured cruisers really) TOTAL:13

Armoured Cruisers
1 Marco Polo
2 Vettor Pissani Class TOTAL:3

Protected cruisers 6
Light cruisers 3
Submarines 20+18 building
Destroyers 44+7 building
Torpedo Boats 69

April 1916-Japan

EMPIRE OF JAPAN

Head of State: Taisho
Government: Constitutional Monarchy
Population: 55.1 million plus 3.5 million on Formosa
Demographics: 94.5% Japanese, 4.5 Chinese, 1% Ainu
Capital: Tokyo

ARMY

The Japanese Army was not all it might have been in 1916. The consequences of the loss of the Russo-Japanese War were all to obvious. At the peace treaty in 1905, most of the more modern equipment(in fact virtually all of it) was deployed in Korea and Manchuria. As a requirement of the peace treaty, all of this equipment was to be left behind, soldiers being permitted to return home with rifles only. This had left the Army in 1905 desperately short of artillery, machine guns and heavy weapons in general.

There was no shortage of innovation in Japan, an excellent field and mountain gun respectively being both put into production in 1908. However, money was another matter. Japan had also been left without a fleet in 1905 and had taken extraordinary measures to rebuild it, naturally this came at a cost vis a vis the Army. Japan had not expected war in 1916 and whilst her Army was excellently equipped it was small, only four Infantry and one Cavalry Division. Reserves could be called up, enough to rapidly equip another 26 Divisions, but the problem then became the provision of heavy weapons for such units, which were short on automatic weapons, where they existed at all and with obsolete or second line artillery.

NAVY

The Japanese Navy was modern, well trained and efficient, built along British lines bot now capable of building the largest ships domestically. It had to be modern, since it was virtually destroyed in 1904-05. Only in Naval aviation and submarine development did it lag, but in all other areas Japanese training, doctrine and weapons were generally first rate.

Battleships
1+1 Fuso Class(second unit launched)
2 Kawachi Class
2 Satsuma Class TOTAL:5

Battlecruisers
4 Kongo Class TOTAL:4

Pre Schrecks
2 Katori Class TOTAL:2

Armoured Cruisers
2 Tsukuba Class
2 Izumo Class
1 Asama
1 Tokiwa TOTAL:6

Light Cruisers 3
Protected Cruisers 6
Destroyers 59
Torpedo Boats 7
Submarines 6 +2 building

April 1916-Chile

CHILE

Head of State: Juan Luis Sanfuentes
Government: Republic
Population: 3.4 million
Demographics: 91% Chilean, 9% Native Indians
Capital: Santiago

ARMY
Compulsory service remained, and by it 15,000 men were instructed annually, and the National Guard had 500,000 citizens registered. By 1905 the regular army, reinforced by a part of the National Guard, amounted to 150,000 men; the remainder of the National Guard, those having made the compulsory service, to 350,000. Under the Law of 1910 all males born in Chile, whether of native or foreign parentage, were subject to compulsory service, mitigated by the system of conscription. The permanent forces as of 1916 were fixed at 20,800. The National Guard was supposed to comprise all other men between the ages of 20 and 45. The war strength of the first line was estimated at 150,000, and of the second and third lines (or National Guard) at 450,000.

It was the best Army in South America, instructed by German officers, well trained and with budgets that allowed the purchase of modern equipment.

NAVY

Like the Chilean Army, it's Navy was also efficient and well trained with ships that were by and large not obsolete. It's centerpiece was the new battleship Admiral Latorre and 6 very large modern destroyers

Battleships
1+1 Admiral Latorre Class(second unit launched and fitting out in the UK)

Pre Schrecks
2 Libertad Class
1 Captain Prat

Armoured Cruisers
1 Esmeralda
1 O'Higgins

5 Protected cruisers
13 destroyers
7 torpedo boats

April 1916-Argentina

ARGENTINA

Head of State: Pelagio Luna
Government: Federal Republic
Population: 4.8 million
Demographics: 96.5% Argentine, 3.5% Native Indians
Capital: Buenos Aires

ARMY

Argentina had the largest standing Army in South America in 1916, some eight Divisions, seven Infantry and one Cavalry making a total Army of some 180,000 men that could be swelled to 700,000 by calling up reserves. The Army had been organized first along German lines then along British. Despite for a number of years Argentina having the best economy in South America, the Army had not been lavishly funded and there were shortages of machine guns and heavy weapons with limited modern artillery.

NAVY

Argentina's Navy revolved around her two modern American built battleships and the 12 modern destroyers that had been ordered to escort them. Most other units were small, slow and old.

Battleships
2 Rivadadia Class

Pre Schrecks
2 Independencia Class
1 Admirante Brown

Armoured Cruisers
3 General Belgrano Class

3 Protected cruisers
17 Destroyers
7 Torpedo Boats

April 1916-Brazil

BRAZIL

Head of State: Luis I
Government: Constitutional Monarchy
Population: 18.8 million
Demographics: 99% Brazilian, 1% Native Indians
Capital: Rio de Janiero

ARMY

Considering it's status as the largest country in South America by far, the Brazilian Army was small, far smaller than that of Chile or Argentina at only 60,000. One advantage was that these men were all regular soldiers. The Army had been trained and re-equipped by UHE advisors and was well equipped and efficient, with far more in the way of machine guns and artillery per Regiment than the Army of her chief rival, Argentina. Brazil was also well equipped with good support troops, especially her Medical Corps and combat engineers.

There was, of course, capacity to call up large numbers recruits via a draft system, however, there was no system of military service as existed in Argentina, Peru and Chile and such an Army would take time to outfit and train, assuming anything approaching front line equipment could be found for such recruits. This was the key weakness of the Brazilian Army, it would take time to train and equip large numbers of fighting men for a country that had concentrated more on economic growth and standards of living than the size of her armed forces.

NAVY

The Brazilian Navy had also trained mainly along a UHE line, with Royal Navy advice as well. Generally speaking it's ships and crews were well trained and much of the brutality in regards the treatment of sailors endemic in other South American Navy's no longer existed in the Navy of Brazil. It's ships were mainly modern and well maintained. Brazil was the only country to possess submarines in South America.

Battleships
1 Bahia
1 Rio de Janiero

Battlecruisers
3 Rio Grande do Sul Class

Pre Schrecks
2 Marshal Deodoro Class

Protected cruisers 1
Light Cruisers 4
Destroyers 13
Submarines 4
Landing Craft 6

April 1916-UHE and Congo

UNITED HAPSBURG EMPIRE

Head of State: Rudolf
Government: Constitutional Federal Monarchy
Population: 54.3 million
Demographics: 24% Germans, 20% Hungarian, 13% Czech, 10% Polish, 8% Ukrainians, 5% Croat, 4% Slovak, 4% Serbian, 4% Rumanians, 3% Slovene, 3% Italian, 2% Jewish
Capital:Vienna

Army: The Austro-Hungarian Army was split into five separate services, which were supposed to come together in time of war. These were the Imperial-Royal Landwehr, the Royal Hungarian Landwehr, the Czech Royal Armada and the Illyrian Vojska as well as the Common army, or KuK or Imperial-Royal army.

In 1892, Kaiser Rudolf had began a series of reforms based solely on the efficiency of the Common Army, weeding out less competent officers, introducing a whole new artillery park, providing access to automatic weapons and introducing innovations like flamethrowers and infantry mortars. Support troops were greatly increased, notably Engineers, railway artillery and medical facilities and resources, all through gradually increased funding as the UHE economy prospered. Enlistment times were cut so more citizens cycled through a period of military training. By 1916, the UHE Army could be seen to be the equal of the German in efficiency if not size, with fewer heavy artillery but more automatic weapons light company level support weapons.

The joint "Imperial and Royal Army" (kaiserlich und königliche Armee or k.u.k.) units were generally well trained and had first access to new equipment. All of the National Army's Regiments were composed of three battalions, while the Common Army k.u.k. Regiments had four. The ethnic make-up of the enlisted ranks reflected the diversity of the Empire the army served; in 1906, out of every 1000 enlisted men, there were only 267 Germans and 223 Hungarians, the rest being other nationalities.

The Common army consisted of:

- 16 Corps

- 28 Infantry Divisions: 42 Infantry Brigades, 14 Mountain Brigades, 112 Infantry/Mountain Regiments (each of four battalions)

- 11 Cavalry Divisions: 22 Cavalry Brigades(one Division partly motorized)3 Regimments of Artillery

- 12 Imperial Tyrolian rifle regiments) (each of four battalions)

- 31 Rifle Battalions

- 42 Field Artillery Regiments plus 14 field howitzer regiments

- 11 mounted Artillery Regiments
- 14 Heavy howitzer Regiments
- 2 Super Heavy Artillery Regiments
- 11 mountain Artillery Regiments

- 6 Fortress Artillery Regiments and 8 independent Fortress Artillery Battalions

- 3 Railway Artillery Regiments

- 48 Engineer Battalions, including 4 Bridging Battalions

- 2 Telegraph and Communications Regiments

The four National Armies were not as well equipped with heavy weapons, aside from the Czech Armada which was first rate. These consisted of:

Imperial-Royal Landwehr:

- 28 Landwehr Infantry Regiments: each of 3 battalions

- 5 Landwehr Regiments of Cavalry

- 8 Landwehr Field artillery Battalions, 6 Landwehr field howitzer Battalions

- 2 Landwehr Mountain Infantry Regiments
- 3 Tyrolean rifle Regiments
- 1 mounted Tyrolean rifle Battalion

Royal Hungarian Honved:

- 32 Infantry Regiments
- 10 Regiments of Cavalry
- 9 field Artillery Regiments

Royal Czech Armada:

- 8 Infantry Regiments
- 2 Regiments of Cavalry
- 1 Regiment of Motorized Cavalry
- 3 Regiments of Artillery

Royal Illyrian Vojska

- 3 Infantry Regiments
- 1 Cavalry Regiment
- 1 Artillery Regiment
- 1 Jager Battalion

In total, the army consisted of:

- 40,000 Officers
- 464,000 NCOs and troops
- 100,000 horses
- 3,200 artillery pieces

After war was declared, it was anticipated that 2.1 million men would be called up within 3 months.

Aircraft: 148 aircraft and 16 zeppelins

Navy: The UHE Navy had been completely overhauled and modernized in the preceding 25 years and now boasted well trained and drilled crews and modern ships with up to date equipment and doctrine. They spent more time at sea than any Navy aside from the Royal Navy.

Battleships
1+1 31,800 ton Kaiser Franz Joseph I, 12x14 inch, 16x5.9 inch, 26 knots(Second unit in final stages of fitting out)
4 24,800 ton Tegethoff Class battleships, 8x14 inch, 16x5.9 inch, 24 knots(Tegethoff, Arpad, Radetzky, Babenburg)
2 19,800 ton Kaiserin Stephanie Class battleships, 9x12.2 inch, 12x5.9 inch, 21 knots(Kaiserin Stephanie, Szent Istvan)
3 18,300 ton Schreck Class battleships, 7x12.2 inch, 10x5.9 inch, 22 knots(Schreck, Kaiser Rudolf, Heiligedreifaltigkeit)
3 20,100 ton Veribis Unitis Class battleships, 8x12.2 inch, 16x3.9 inch, 24 knots(Veribis Unitis, Prinz Eugen, Hapsburg)

Battlecruisers
1 16,900 ton Budapest, 8x10inch, 12x3.9 inch, 32 knots

Armoured Cruiser
1 9,700 ton Lissa armoured cruiser 16x5.9 inch, 27 knots

Aviation Cruisers
2 5,400 ton Luft Class
1 4,500 Dandalo

16 Light cruisers(2 more on stocks)
42 destroyers(2 more fitting out, 4 more on stocks)
25 submarines(9 building)
8 Minesweepers(four more fitting out)
15 Landing Craft
32 MTB's

Aviation: 12 Zeppelins, 72 aircraft

KINGDOM OF THE CONGO

Head of State: Stephanie I
Government: Absolute Monarchy
Population: 16.6 million
Demographics: 95% Natives, 3% White, 2% Mulatto
Capital: Marienburg

ARMY

Congo maintained a reasonable Colonial Army, trained and equipped on UHE lines and with second line UHE equipment.

Cabinda : One Regiment, one short Regiment, one machine gun Company
Elizabethville: One Regiment, one short Regiment, one Engineer Company
Marienburg: One Regiment, one short Regiment, one Engineer Company
Helena: One short Regiment, one Independent Battalion
Matidi: One short Regiment
Stanleyville: One short Regiment, one Independent Battalion
Ledo: One short Regiment

Country town deployments: Nine Independent Battalions

NAVY

Again, trained and equipped by UHE sources.
2 new mine laying cruisers
3 destroyers
6 riverine gunboats
6 motor torpedo boats

April 1916- An ultimatum arrives

6 April 1916, Rome, Kingdom of Italy

The note from Nicholas II's Russia and Rudolf's UHE was clear and to the point. It accused Italy of not only the invasion of Ethiopia but the assassination of a reigning monarch. There was little in the way of diplomatic niceties about what had been written down. Both had written jointly demanding that Italian troops exit Ethiopia and post haste and at the same time that Italy formally apologise and pay reparations to the Ethiopian Government. It begged the question as to how that fool allowed himself to be caught. A true patriot would have taken the honorable way out.

He could bluff this out, after all these were ridiculous terms, not something that Italy could entertain at all. It was an affront to her national honor to be forced to apologize and pay reparations to a government of savages. No, he would delay as long as possible. The note indicated a reply must be received by the 30th agreeing to all terms or Italy would face "grave consequences". Italy would do well to shore up her own alliances and to that end he would use the time to seek out support from those who opposed Italy's most vociferous critic, Russia. During the next three days he had appointments with the ambassadors of Japan, France and the Ottomans.

Let these upstarts see that Italy was not without friends and could not be bullied like some minor power. As a Great Power, she was free to chart her own destiny. Antonio Salandra was confident that both powers would do nothing in any case. What could Russia do about events in Africa in any case? Or the UHE for that matter? As for Italy's own security, she shared no border with Russia in any case and despite the UHE's blatant hostility, it was unlikely that they would let Russian troops cross over their own territory. In terms of the UHE, Saldanra was quite sure Italy's own armed forces could any aggressive action.

A war against the UHE, especially in conjunction with France, may prove desirable. There was after all the Littoral to consider. France may be tempted by the riches of Stephanie's Congo to give her full support. Even if Germany jumped in in support, the French wanted war in Alsace, had been planning such a campaign for years.

No matter what the outcome, agreeing to such terms was impossible, it would be a permanent stain on Italy's honor. As for himself, it would ruin his political career permanently, assuming he was not lynched by the mob. No, he would delay and caucus with allies. At the end of the day, the United Kingdom was tied to his side and neither the UHE nor the Russians would want a war with the British. There was nothing to worry about.

April 1916- A shot rings out

8 April 1916, Zabern, German Empire

It had been two years since the incident known as the Zaberne Affair. Crown Prince Wilhelm was unsure why this town had been included in his itinerary. In his own mind, Lieutenant von Forstner had been well within his rights, hence him imploring to his own father, later published in the newspapers, to "Stay firm!" in the face of the crisis that had reached the Reichstag and so disrupted the harmony of Germany.

Erich Blank adjusted the sight on the Lebel M1916 sniper's rifle. He had joined the French Foreign Legion upon his brother's maiming at the hand of Lieutenant von Forstner, after all his mother was French and he spoke the language well, but had come home to Zabern on leave a week ago. The rifle he had been able to obtain from a friend in military stores, explaining that he would be going deer shooting in his holiday period. It was against regulations, but not unusual to look the other way on such matters. He had never forgiven nor forgotten his brother's maiming and this was finally a chance to take a stand against such actions. He had always had a reputation as a marksman. The large old block of flats offered a perfect view of the main road as it crossed the canal. As the car slowed down almost to a stop and crossed the bridge, he took sight at the figure in the back seat. The first shot went straight through Crown Prince Wilhelm's mouth and exited the back of his head in a spray of blood and bone. He quickly switched targets, hitting the hated military commander in Alsace-Lorraine, Erich Ludendorff, once in the chest and a second time as he attempted to rise from the seat of the car, which had now sped up.

It was now time to escape. Whilst troops reacted on the spot, he was 250 meters away so he left the rifle and rapidly moved downstairs to the back entrance that lead to the Botanical Garden, crossing that and then moving across the bridge over the Zorn River. By the following day he would be back in France, reading how both men had died of their wounds and how a manhunt was sweeping Alsace-Lorraine for him. German Army soldiers had panicked when the crowd had closed in, killing nine people and wounding 19 others. It was in every paper in Europe.

April 1916- Biting off more than you can chew

9 April 1916, near the entrance to the Beagle Canal

Captain Diego Ferez and his command, the destroyer Salta had finally found the ship they were looking for and commenced the action almost immediately, gaining a four inch hit on the Chilean Almirante Condell. It had been a rash decision to engage the Chilean ship, however. At almost 1,500 tons, she was half again the size of the 930 ton Argentine ship and mounted two extra 4 inch guns.

In an engagement lasting 45 minutes, the Argentine ship was driven aground near the South-eastern tip of the mainland, burning fiercely. As the fight had turned against her, she had been unable to use torpedoes to keep her opponent at a distance. Meant to be installed locally, 12 months after commissioning they had still been missing on what was now the former French built Argentine Navy destroyer.

April 1916- Ottomanizing the Empire

10 April 1916, Istanbul, Ottoman Empire

The "April Fool's Day Incident" had resulted in the bombing of a police station near Adana and to the mind of Talaat Pasha represented everything that was wrong about the Ottoman Empire. He rose to speak to his two colleagues, now in charge of all of the Empire. "I have always said that if I ever come to power in this country, I will use all my might to exterminate the Armenians. We perhaps need not go that far, however, steps must be taken. Equality among Muslims and non-Muslims alike is an illusion, it is not ideologically compatible anymore. We in the Ottoman Empire should adopt a policy of Turkification. There can be no question of equality, until we have succeeded in our task of Ottomanizing the Empire. This will require the assimilation of non-Turkish elements within the Empire and if necessary, this must be done through force.

We must be strong, to harden our hearts against normal Muslim virtues. Those that assimilate we can welcome, those that do not, well, they must not remain. For what else are the Armenians that elected to stay after 1894 but likely spies? Why do we harbour such people when, twenty years after the last war there are still good Turkish families that fled in 1894 that have no land. We must strike now, Russia is distracted by events in Africa and now is the time to finally cleanse ourselves of this pest. At the same time, it will serve as a timely reminder to our fractious Arab friends that we still maintain control of our lands.

What say you my friends?"

"Yes."

"Yes."

April 1916 -Rushing to war

Extract from "An undignified rush to War" by Simon Frankcombe Macmillan Press 1958

It was the series of violent naval incidents in the Beagle Canal that led to the first declarations of war, however, it was the sinking of the destroyer Salta that was the final straw that tipped the scales towards war. With Europe distracted and Germany in shock, the Kaiser and the Chancellor at odds as to their desire for war, it was in South America the first moves were made. In Buenos Aires President Pelagio Luna felt "he could take no more Chilean provocations on Argentina's honor" and mobilized his forces on the 14th, formally declaring war the following day. It was to drag in all those countries that had already pledged their support in the event of war into conflict.

Peru was the next country that was to declare war, on Chile on the 16th, followed by Bolivia on Chile on the 18th. This left little choice for Brazil, who faced the likely destruction of their only strong ally if they were forced to fight alone, so they declared their support of Chile and war on all three opposing nations on the 20th April.

Normally their would have been major diplomatic efforts to avoid war from Europe and/or the United States of America, however, Europe was distracted by her own wracking problems, Britain especially distracted by more immediate issues such as trying to restrain Germany from direct action against France and smooth over the developing critical situation on the horn of Africa. The United States was more concerned about what had become a full scale war in Mexico as they pressed to within 100 kilometers of the Mexican capital, their supply lines stretched and under constant guerilla attack. Yet another distraction for the U.S President was the looming 1916 Republican convention and later Presidential election. President José Ferreira of Colombia calling the United States "the worst type of Imperialists-those that pretend to be otherwise" had not helped Taft's cause. In any event Taft would secure the nomination, buoyed by the Battle of Mexico City on the 31st May and the beginning of the end of the Mexican War, but by June the world was already at war as America ended it's own conflict.

Ecuador was to declare in support of Chile and Brazil of the 25th April, the day before the French were to reject the so called Blank ultimatum from Germany. Colombia would be the final power to enter the war on the 2nd of May. By that stage Europe hovered right on the brink of war, France and Italy both mobilizing on the 1st May.

April 1916- A German note

14 April 1916, Stadtschloss, Berlin, German Empire

They had murdered his son. He cared not for Bethmann's protestations against war. The results of the inquiry by the military were already clear enough. The place the shot had been taken from had been found, as had the rifle. He thought again of the report. "The smell from the weapon indicated a recent firing. The new Lebel M1916 is specifically designed as a sniper rifle with telescopic sight to aid a skilled marksman. Having only recently entered the French arsenal, small numbers are held in military stores only and none are known to be in private hands." It said all that needed to be said. Bethmann did not want war and telegrams from Rudolf and Stephanie had also counseled against such a course, even after expressing shock and outrage at such an action. As for himself, he was a statesmen but there was only so much a man could take, even if he was a man of peace. Consequently, he had been instrumental in drafting much of the ultimatum to put to France in conjunction with the Foreign Ministry. Public opinion was with him. The French could fold like a pack of cards or face the consequences.

He approved the ultimatum to go the the French that was delivered the following and demanded an answer by the 29th. How could he do otherwise when the French prattled as to how they could not find this Blank and knew not of his actions. Lies! It was as follows:

For many years, and particularly the painful events of the 8th of April, have proved the existence of a subversive movement in France, whose object it is to separate Alsace-Lorraine from the territory from the German Reich. This movement, which exists under the very eyes of the French Government, subsequently found expression outside of the territory of the Kingdom in an act of assassination of the worst kind.This toleration of which the French Government is guilty.

It is clear from the rifle used that the regicide at Zabern was conceived in Paris, that the murderers received the weapon from French officers unknown and, finally, that the dispatch of the criminal and of his weapon to Zabern was likely arranged and effected under the conduct of French frontier authorities, as was the guilty parties escape.

These facts no longer permit the German Government to maintain the attitude of patient tolerance which it has observed for years toward those agitations which center in France. Instead, these results impose upon the German Government the obligation to put an end to those intrigues, which constitute a standing menace to the peace of the Monarchy and Europe as a whole.

In order to attain this end, the Reich finds itself compelled to demand that the French Government give official assurance that it will condemn the propaganda directed against Germany, that is to say, the whole body of the efforts whose ultimate object it is to separate from the Monarchy territories that belong to it since 1870; and that it will obligate itself to suppress with all the means at its command this criminal and terrorist propaganda.

Furthermore, we require the French Government to pledge itself:
1. to suppress every publication which shall incite to hatred and contempt of Germany, and the general tendency of which shall be directed against the territorial integrity of the latter;

2. to eliminate without delay from public instruction in France, everything, whether connected with the teaching corps or with the methods of teaching, that serves or may serve to nourish this propaganda against Germany;

3. to remove from the military and administrative service in general all officers and officials who have been guilty of carrying on the propaganda against Germany, whose names the German Government reserves the right to make known to the French Government when communicating;

4. to agree to the cooperation in France of the organs of the German Government in the suppression of the subversive movement directed against the integrity of Germany itself;

5. to institute a judicial inquiry against every participant in the conspiracy of the 8th April who may be found; the organs of the German Government delegated for this purpose will take part in the proceedings held for this purpose;

6. to undertake with all haste the arrest of Herr Blank and all French officials and officers who have been compromised by the results of the inquiry;

7. by efficient measures to prevent the participation of French authorities in the smuggling of weapons and explosives across the frontier; to dismiss from the service and to punish severely those members of the Frontier Service at all points of the border who assisted the authors of the crime of Zabern to cross and recross the frontier;

8. to state via an official French Government communique that Alsace and Lorraine are German, that France has no claim on such territories and that they shall and will remain an integral part of the German Reich in perpetuity;

9. to inform the German Government without delay of the execution of the measures comprised in the foregoing points.

The German the reply of the French Republic by Monday, the twenty-ninth instant, at 8 p.m., at the latest, agreeing to appoints above. If the French Republic feels unable to acquiesce to the terms as shown above, then serious consequences will ensue for relations between our two countries.

The French had made their stew, now they would have to eat it and if they refused to do so would have to be forced to eat it.

April 1916- First Naval sortie

21 April 1916, Rio de Janiero, Brazilian Empire

Luis had fare-welled the fleet and had then taken his wife, two sons and two daughters to the battery on Sugarloaf Mountain, the Praia de Forte, to watch as the fleet formed up and steamed out of Rio Harbour. The long grey shapes of the five large ships that formed the core of the Brazilian Navy steamed out of Guanabara Bay on what would be a 500 nautical mile journey to the River Plate, escorted by four light cruisers and 12 destroyers.

Brazil had mobilized on the 15th but had continued talks in the hope of avoiding war until the 20th when he had to make the fateful decision to go to war with the support of Congress. There was little other option. Chile was there only reliable ally and he could not allow her to be destroyed.

It was for those reasons that the fleets was immediately able to sortie, having had a week to prepare. Their mission was simple enough, to distract the Argentine Navy away from the South and nothing could be more distracting than appearing off the River Plate itself and potentially threatening the Argentine capital.

April 1916- A unexpected telegram

22 April 1916, 6 Tossgasse, Vienna, UHE

22 year old Gertrud "Trude" Kiesler (née Lichtwitz) was surprised. She had been raised in comfort but had wished to do something with her life before marriage so had joined the Army in 1911 and quickly been assigned to the Weisskarte, or white tabs, the often female administrative section of the Army, in her case the section specialising in annual intakes and also looking after the administrative aspects of a general mobilization, if, God forbid, such a necessity occurred. She had resigned only two years into a four year enlistment due to getting married, as was allowed. She had birthed a daughter late in 1914, Hedwig and was now fully occupied as a mother.

Obviously the Army was unaware of her circumstances, as the contents of the telegram showed. It's wording brooked no argument. "You are directed and commanded to report to Arsenalstrasse 10.00am Monday 24th April 1916." It was all very strange and she could not leave baby Hedy although she would have to report and explain her circumstances.

April 1916- A sortie to the Far South

24th April 1916, entrance to the Beagle Channel

Admiral Milia brought his squadron, consisting of two battleships, two cruisers and ten destroyers to the entrance of the canal, the main muscle of the Argentine Fleet. It was to be swept clear of any Chilean influence, control gained of the Cape Passage, with Marines landed to secure such control and if the Chilean navy was seen, for them to be engaged and destroyed.

He was blissfully unaware that over 1000 nautical miles away the Brazilian Fleet would appear off the River Plate, leaving the coastal defense forces of the Argentine Navy heavily engaged.

April 1916- Chaos at the River Plate

26 April 1916, Rio de la Plata

Vice Admiral Pedro Frontin took the simple expedient of steaming his squadron straight up the Rio de la Plata. Intelligence had long indicated that the Argentine defenses had not gone beyond the four 6 inch Naval guns mounted in the Fuerte de Buenos Aires. He did not anticipate mines to be a factor either, having stopped and asked a Hungarian American Captain and captured an Argentine freighter he was currently sailing in the van of his squadron.

He had to give credit to the Argentine Navy, for they were no doubt alerted to his squadron's presence and their Admiral was unwilling to allow him to simply bombard their capital without some sort of fight. It was to be a woefully unequal one, however. They had arrayed themselves off La Plata in a crescent shape, daring him to sail into the Argentine ships's full broadsides whilst at the same time using their small destroyers and torpedo boats to make smoke to obscure gunnery as much as possible, no doubt hoping that he would quickly grow bored with his lack of success. Their line was to consist of eight ships, two old 1500 ton monitors on the Uruguayan side armed with a twin 8 inch turret, the 4200 ton Admiralante Brown, armed with 10 5.9 inch guns, then their main defense, the two 6775 ton armoured cruisers of the General Belgrano Class, armed with two 9.2 inch guns and 14 6 inch, the old 3180 ton protected cruiser Vincentio de Mayo armed with one 8.1 inch and 8 4.7 inch and lastly the two 2330 ton Independencia Class coastal defense ships armed with 2 9.2 inch guns. In all, eight ships with one large and ten small torpedo boats. Plus the three shore batteries, that would be firing at extreme range.

Pedro Frontin was confident enough and let the range bleed down to 3.75 nautical miles without opening fire, not deigning to respond to the Argentine ships despite a hit on his flagship by a 9.2 inch shell. He then turned his fleet South and opened up his full broadsides, opening fire with 24 12 inch guns, 18 9.2 inch, 15 5.9 inch and 24 4.7 inch guns. It was a tactic that had worked well enough for Dewey nearly 20 years ago against a similarly deployed opponent. Hits were hard to obtain in the smoke and haze, but his larger units were equipped with the latest UHE rangefinders and deployed against opponents that were almost stationary.

It was to prove to be an unequal fight. The two armoured cruisers were to do their best and fought bravely, but each one faced the wroth of a battleship three to four times her size and a broadside of 5,700 kilograms in Rio de Janiero's case to 540 kilograms in the case of the armoured cruisers. It was to take only three passes backwards and forwards, gradually shortening the range for the General Belgrano to be ablaze from end to end before a frightening explosion ended her suffering. Her sister ship was also in severe difficulties. Both Independencia Class ships lay silent and on fire, the old Admiralante Brown threatening to capsize.

The Argentine fleet attempted to launch a torpedo attack soon after and he ordered his own light forces into the fray to block such an attempt. All eleven of his own destroyers, not to mention his four scout cruisers, looked larger than the 19 Argentine ships, some of those as small as 15 tons. It was just as one sided, no matter the bravery of their opponents. Nine of the smaller ships were sunk, the mostly damaged remainder driven off by the hail of fire from the Brazilian destroyers and the secondary armament of the capital ships. It had been a suicidally brave sortie and one not without merit.

By the time Vice Admiral Pedro Frontin was to organise his fleet and resume his attacks, only the two El Platz Class old monitors, capable of only seven knots remained. Targeted by five capital ships, the two "flat irons" were quickly battered to death. It had allowed the remaining ships to make for the Matanza River, however, lead by the battered armoured cruiser Pueyrredon, the almost undamaged protected cruiser Vincento de Mayo and seven small torpedo boats of between 85 and 240 tons.

Pedro Frontin had achieved his main objective, but now he was to force home the dagger. It was also a lesson that he hoped would stop the Uruguayan's from farting in church. Whilst the remainder of the Argentine fleet sat moored in the Matanza River, he shelled the Fuerte de Buenos Aires, knocking out two 6 inch gun emplacements at a cost of eight hits from 6 inch shells on his ships, finally only pulling away after a ten minute bombardment of downtown Buenos Aires with heavy caliber smoke shells that caused total panic before shelling the dock and the river, sinking another Argentine torpedo boat and capsizing another smaller boat.

He was to leave with only light damage to three heavy and five light ships, 15 dead and 36 wounded. Argentina's toll was much greater, 1278 dead, 998 wounded, one armoured cruiser sunk, another badly damaged, five coastal defense ships sunk, 1 destroyer and fourteen torpedo boats, two steamships captured as well as 75 civilians dead and 387 injured. To add insult to injury, as many as four European ships witnessed the engagement, one actually using a device to record the engagement into a short film, the first such use of such equipment.

April 1916-A conundrum for Churchill

28th April 1916, Admiralty, London, United Kingdom

"We have yet another problem I am afraid First Lord." said Admiral Prince Louis of Battenburg, First Sea Lord.

"The Chilean delegation has arrived at Newcastle and wish to take immediate possession of the battleships Admirante Cochrane and their two submarines. It has all been brought and paid for I am afraid."

First Lord of the Admiralty Winston Churchill sat back and puffed on his cigar. "Well, that puts the cat among the pigeons, yes indeed. You are aware that the Italians have to reply to the Russo-Austrian note tonight, the French by tomorrow night?"

"Yes of course."

"Well, there is only one course open to us."

"What would that be?"

"Delay, delay, delay by any means. We need to see where this is going. Of course seizing the vessels is out of the question, we are far too invested in Chilean Nitrates to do such a thing, especially as we have only commenced construction of a plant to exploit the Haber process earlier some seven months ago. However, if it all turns bad we may have to forcibly purchase the vessel, especially given Chile's Brazilian connections, connections that lead back to the UHE and hence Kaiser Bill."

"They are not going to like it, being already at war."

"They may just have to lump it I am afraid. The last thing we need is another potentially hostile battleship roaming the Pacific or, worse still, the South Atlantic."

April 1916- A French reply

29 April 1916, Stadtschloss, Berlin, German Empire

Wilhelm II looked at the French note again. “Although we can agree to points 1 and 2, all other elements of your note cannot possibly be acquiesced to.

In regards points 6 and 7, we cannot possibly agree, as per our previous correspondence, there has been no involvement by either the French Republic or it’s servants in regards the outrageous assassination of the German Crown Prince. As previously indicated, our own law enforcement agencies are making every effort to apprehend Herr Blank. So far, this has unfortunately met with no success.

Points 3, 4 and 5 cannot possibly be agreed under any circumstances and we consequently reject them utterly as they compromise the independence and territorial integrity, as well as the security, of the French State.

Finally, in regards Point 8, such a pronouncement seems couched simply to humiliate France for a situation not of our making and therefore I must regretfully make it clear that we must reject such a notion completely.

What has occurred was a tragedy and an event to be deplored by all civilised people, however, it was not an event that the government of the French Republic had any involvement with whatsoever and I reject and deplore the assertion that this was the case.

Certainly, in the event of the suspects capture, French authorities will be making every efforts to ascertain the chain of events and be vigorous in our prosecution of all guilty parties.

I have fully consulted with our allies and although I completely deplore the recent happenings both on a personal level and as a representative of France, we refuse to compromise our sovereignty, as I feel would Germany in the same situation. Nor will we allow ourselves or our allies to be bullied for events beyond our own control. I write this in amity and hope of continuing peace between our great nations once cool heads are to prevail.

René Viviani "

"Cool heads are to prevail." Pah. He would give them cool heads. With the Italian reply to the Russo-UHE note due tomorrow, if the answer was in the negative, it was time to provide a final note demanding acceptance of all points from both powers and at the same time make preparations for war, ideally in conjunction with Germany's allies.

April 1916- An Italian reply

30 April 1916, Winter Palace, St Petersburg, Russian Empire

Antonio Salandra's reply lay in his hands. He had anticipated that with a joint ultimatum that Italy would back down but this had proven not to be the case. Nicholas II read the Italian note yet again. It was almost deliberately provocative, thumbing their noses at both Russia and the UHE, no doubt emboldened by the reply of their French allies the previous day. There was little doubt that the two countries had caucused regarding the two notes.

"Whilst the Italian government deplores the regrettable actions of Captain Mario Roatta, it is not in the habit or ordering assassinations in foreign countries and can only assume that Captain Roatta, whilst in the service of the Royal Italian Army, was co-opted by other powers unknown at this point in time to perform such an action. The Royal Government of Italy consequently disavows all knowledge of Captain Roatta. Clearly his actions and any documents he may have had on hand serve no purpose other than the deliberate discrediting of the Royal Italian Government and to that end Italy herself can accept no blame for the unfortunate events earlier this same month in Addis Ababa.

The Royal Italian Government does not dispute that we have troops involved in conflict within Ethiopia, however, these are there at the express invitation of the legal Emperor of Ethiopia, His Imperial Majesty Iyasu V, who is battling rebel forces illegally resisting his mandate. As such, this constitutes nothing more than a colonial police action and to that end Italy deplores the hysterical stance taken by the governments of both the UHE and the Russian Empire in relation to this matter and to that end will not be withdrawing her legitimate support for the legitimate government of Ethiopia under any circumstances.

It is up to the governments of the Empire of Russia and the United Hapsburg Empire to modify their own stance to recognise that the Kingdom of Italy has done no wrong in this matter and hand over the criminal Roatta so that all his associations can be explored. In the spirit of international cooperation I urge that all let the voices of reason and calm be heard, that Colonial matters stay in Africa and the peace of Europe be preserved."

May 1916 - One wedding and three major powers at war

1 May 1916, Dresden Castle, Dresden, German Empire

It had been said that the two strongest warriors were patience and time, but perhaps he was running out of both. It had been a hastily arranged conference between Russian Foreign Minister Izvolsky, Rudolf himself with his own Foreign Minister Liechtenstein and Wilhelm II and von Jago, the German Foreign Minister. It was during the course of their discussions that the news was to arrive.

Both France and Italy had mobilized. So, it was to be war, it seemed that there was no avoiding such now, despite 25 years of efforts to do so. He felt more maudlin than he had ever done, fatalistic almost. To have had even another ten years would have made a large difference but now all was seemingly thrown into the cauldron of war. One could only hope that the bonds that had been built would hold the UHE together. God knows even the old monarchy had proven surprisingly resilient, taking near on four and one half years of war to disintegrate and even that after an unrelenting series of military disasters.

Germany was the most aggrieved party, even though a part of him whispered were the French really responsible. One the other hand the Italians were one hundred percent guilty, but not directly against the UHE. The Russians were apoplectic with rage at the Italian reply, however, as, he supposed he was himself. It was a blatant incitement to war and even his own press were screaming for Italy to be smacked down, delving back to 1866 and the Franco-Italian alliance that had defeated and humiliated Austria.

Russia was the member of the League that would take the longest to mobilize, indeed, to do so would take longer than any European power. His own country would likely be slower than France, perhaps even Italy. No, there was no option but to order a general mobilization, Russia and Germany had already indicated they would proceed thus. The only concession he had been able to wring from both parties was a delay. He had explained that the UHE would take at least eights days to mobilize, whereas Germany could likely do so in 3-4 days. Russia could take up to six weeks.

Late at night on the 1st May, a diplomatic note was drafted to go to both France and Italy indicating that if neither power acquiesced in full to the terms previously given to them, that the League as a whole would consider themselves at war with both powers. In the meantime, Russia, the UHE and Germany began mobilization, orders going out on the night of the 1st May for implementation the following day.

Rudolf sat outside the following morning smoking a cigar, something he would surely get in trouble for if either his wife or daughter were to find out. He had brought Lola with him so she could learn and experience what was a crisis so he kept a nervous lookout for her. They would take the train at noon. He felt every bit of his 57 years. The young man came from nowhere.

"Your Majesty?"

"Friedrich Christian, how are you?"

"Nervous Your Majesty."

"Nervous for the prospect of war?"

"Yes, but also for other reasons."

"What are these reasons."

"Your daughter....Lola....sir, I wish to ask your permission to marry your daughter Your Majesty."

Rudolf smiled inwardly. "What makes you think you are worthy of 'The Jewel of Europe' young man."

"Well I...um, err....."

Rudolf chuckled. "Relax Friedrich Christian. I have no objection. You will still need to ask Lola, however, we have raised her, my wife and I, to have her own opinions and values."

"Why yes of course."
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
It was a lovely walk arm in arm in the palace gardens, the orange tree blossom pungent and vivid everywhere one looked.

"Lola, I know you are to generous a spirit to trifle with my affections, so I will ask what I only intimated at last time we met. Crown Princess Helena Maria Theresa Sophia Lola von Hapsburg, will you marry me?"

Lola was shocked yet secretly happy. Freddie was engaging, attractive and pleasant in every way. Yet for all that she did not say yes right away. "Freddie, I know we have exchanged letters but I need to ask you again. Have you thought about what we discussed? Can you be happy to be in the shadow of your own wife?"

"I have given the matter deep thought and yes."

"Well then my love, my answer is yes also." said Lola.

May 1916- British considerations

2 May 1916, Whitehall, London, United Kingdom

“What the hell are we going to do now? We have tied ourselves to these Latin sisters and now they are behaving badly. Not to mention the latest rounds of murderous behavior in Anatolia by the Ottomans as well. Both parties have mobilized and we are right on the brink, a brink I do not feel can be pulled back from.

To make matters infinitely worse, I am not sure we will end up on the winning side either. We may have backed the wrong horse here I am afraid.” Foreign Secretary Edward Grey looked to be in a state of considerable agitation.

“I am not so certain of that.” said Prime Minister H.H Asquith. “The last three years the French have increased their defence spending considerably and their Army levee increase to three years has also swelled their ranks. The Italians defeated the Austrians in the last conflict and the Russians could barely defeat the Japanese in their last Pacific conflict.

It is not quite as dire as you suggest. Firstly, we attached ourselves to this alliance to allay fears of total German dominance over the continent and to counterbalance our traditional foe, Russia. Those fears that motivated us to such an alliance, plus Germany’s overweening naval ambitions, are still valid factors and should not be dismissed lightly.

In addition, they have cards up their sleeve. The Japanese are clearly just waiting an opportunity and are at the peak of their powers. They have spent themselves to the edge of bankruptcy and it’s not been all for nothing. All of a sudden they seem awfully interested in what our stance will be in the event of war. Clearly if we declare they will follow, however, they will likely go it alone even if we decide to sit on our hands and provide only material support. In regards the Ottomans, they have already indicated they would be prepared to support the French in a general war in exchange for territory lost in Eastern Anatolia.

What concerns me just as much as the light that we have been cast in. There is little real support for Italy’s ridiculous grandstanding and even if our best information on the lack of French involvement in the assassination of the Kaiser’s heir is true, it still gives the moral high ground to the Germans. It is playing poorly in America, where they have taken out a four page spread detailing the replies of Italy and France and the orders of that idiot Roatta from the SIM. We are already cast in a bad light as allies, however, what we need to now calculate is can the Entente win without us and if the answer to that is no, then can they win with us? As for the Americans, they have their own fish to fry, their advance to Mexico City has scarcely been spectacular.

Make no mistake, we will be asked to fulfill our treaty obligations and no matter the result, we are sure to be panned in the press as either warmongers of feckless cowards to craven to adhere to our own treaty obligations. There is no winning hand here. In the end, however, we must make the right decision for Britain and her people and be damned the opinions of others. Is there really little hope of a diplomatic solution?”

“I would like to say yes, but I fear I would be lying. We are between a rock and a hard place. I have made every attempt to get both powers to mollify their stances, but any extra concession from France will result in them losing too much face and Italy cannot go back on what has been said without declaring themselves liars, which, by the way, they are.” said Grey

“Very well; thank you Edward.”

May 1916- Sailings cut, merchant fleet investigated

3 May 1916, Naval Ministry, Lower Belvedere, Vienna, UHE

Rear Admiral Karl von Kantenfels had much work in front of him. Firstly, draft military orders for all civilian shipping, especially Austro-Lloyd, Hungarian-American and Royal Illyrian lines. They would be dispatched today and consequently notices would appear in all newspapers advising that all sailings for the Far East, North America, the River Plate, the Red Sea and Australasia were suspended from midnight tonight. Sailings to Brazil were to be suspended from midnight 5th May. Only the service to the Congo via Austrian Sahara was to continue, along with Mediterranean and Adriatic traffic.

The UHE merchant fleet was the ninth biggest in the world and numbered some 565 vessels of some 1,396,865 tons, counting only vessels of 100 tons or more, much larger than the UHE Navy's 465,000 tons on 146 hulls. His task was a large one, one commencing with those civilian vessels. The UHE government had not actively subsidized the shipping lines in the same way the British Government had, however, a small number of 20 knot plus ships had been Government subsidized and were subject to requisition as need, even without a declaration of war. These amounted to eight vessels, all Austro-Lloyd or Hungarian American flagged. Conversion plans already existed for such vessels. That left 557 other ships that could be requisitioned in the event of war.

His task, one that he had been given only a week ago, was to investigate the seaworthiness and capability of such vessels and review which may be suitable for conversion to Navy service either as Sperrbrechers, hospital ships, armed merchant cruisers, depot ships or raiders, oilers, colliers or barrack ships. It was a monumental task and involved four vessels of over 10,000 tons. The remainder between 100 and 9,090 tons.

May 1916-They are going through Belgium..

6 May 1916, Hofburg, Vienna, UHE

Rudolf had been waiting for his wife to come back from her trip to Dalmatia. Like all bad news, he was happy for the chance to avoid telling it and so had been happy that was had been away but the matter could be postponed no further.

Stephanie knew something was the matter straight away when Rudolf looked tired and drawn and said “Steffi, please sit down.”

“What is the matter, well aside from the obvious? Erszi or the children. Lola’s engagement?”

“No, they are all fine. This is something else. It is about Belgium.”

“Belgium? What about Belgium?”

“If war comes, the Germans intend to go through it, either voluntarily or non-voluntarily. There is no other option, apparently the plan has been in place for well over ten years and cannot be changed at this late stage. To make matters worse, we cannot alert the Belgians or your cousin Albert that the Germans will request access to cross the country either, lest the Belgian Army itself have extra time to prepare defences in the event of a refusal.

I know this is going to hurt, but there is nothing we can do I am sorry. War comes or it does not come, but likely it comes I am afraid.”

Stephanie closed her eyes. Already she was an unpopular figure in Belgium because of the Congo, this would scarce do anything to improve her level of popularity. Plus the people. The people did not deserve this. She supposed that could be said of any war. What was to be done? They had tried to avoid war, but it seemed whatever way one went war was around the corner lurking like a footpad. Already one of her daughter’s was involved. Now they were on the verge of another war themselves, a war that would likely turn out to be as pointless and bloody as the one she remembered. She sighed and looked up at Rudolf.

“When the time comes, I will contact Albert and do all I can, but I fear he is a true patriot and a proud man, I cannot in all good conscience imaging him inviting in foreign troops, no matter their mission or likely length of stay.

We have failed Rudolf, failed utterly.” Said Stephanie, tears leaking out.

“Yes, we have my sweet girl, but sometimes, there are some problems that are just too great to be resolved. I would like to think that we have done some good things, some things that have made a difference in people’s lives. Avoiding this war seems destined not to be one of them. We have a fantastic country here, a fantastic marriage and a fantastic family. Two people can only influence so much and now we need to look to our country and our family.”

Stephanie nodded. What else was there to do?

May 1916-War!

2116, 10 May 1916, Paris, French Republic

Three notes had been delivered in quick succession commencing at 8.30pm. In Rome a similar situation was occurring.

"The Imperial German Government have used every effort since the beginning of this crisis, a crisis not of our own making, to bring about a peaceful settlement. France, without waiting for a cessation of diplomatic efforts, proceeded to a general mobilisation of her forces both on land and sea. In consequence of this threatening step, which was not justified by any military proceedings on the part of Germany, the German Empire was faced by a grave and imminent danger. If the German Government had failed to guard against this peril, they would have compromised the safety and the very existence of Germany. The German Government were, therefore, obliged to make representations to the Government of France and to insist upon a cessation of the aforesaid military acts and a compliance to the terms of peace as presented by Germany. France having refused to comply and indeed not deigning to answer this demand, and having shown by this refusal that her action and the vents of April were directed against Germany, I have the honour, on the instructions of my Government, to inform your Excellency as follows:

His Majesty the Emperor, my august Sovereign, in the name of the German Empire, accepts the challenge, and considers himself at war with France."

Europe was officially at war. It was just the beginning of a series of declarations.

May 1916- I declare, you declare, we all declare

Extract from "An undignified rush to War" by Simon Frankcombe Macmillan Press 1958

"By evening on the 10th May Germany, the UHE and Russia were all at war with Italy and France. It was only the commencement of various declarations of war that would split the world itself into two camps. On the 11th May Germany submitted a demand to Belgium and Luxembourg that it required access across their territory for Germany's military forces. Whilst Luxembourg was to agree to such terms, Belgium, despite entreaties by two daughters of Leopold II to her King, Albert, was to refuse. The following day, the 12th, Germany was to move forces into Belgium without a declaration of war.

This was to provoke an ultimatum to Germany from the UK that they would declare war unless German forces vacated Belgium. Having declined to do so, Britain and her Empire was to go to war at 1600 on the 13th May(Black Saturday), followed by declarations of war against Russia and the UHE the following day.

The 14th was also to see The Congo and Albania declare war on all three Entente countries. There was at this point, the "three week lull" was to occur. It was broken on the 4th June when Japan declared war on the League powers and Korea. This was followed by the Ottomans declaring war on the 6th and bombarding Sevastopol on the same day, then by Argentina and the "Pact of Steel countries" on the 9th June. Brazil followed against the Entente on the 12th June, along with Chile, outraged that the British had refused to deliver a battleship and two submarines that had been brought and paid for, then by others of their alliance throughout June.

It was all done in undignified haste as the remainder of Europe, indeed the rest of the world, waited to see the results of such a struggle, whilst the United States remained mired in Mexico until Huerta was to flee Mexico City on the 3rd June, effectively ending organized Mexican resistance and leading to the Treaty of El Paso on the 28th July 1916. Consequently, there were no further declarations in 1916, although diplomatic efforts to sway nonaligned powers continued unabated."

May 1916-UHE Navy update

14 May 1916, Pola, UHE

So, they were at war with Britain, France and Italy, with Japan also a likely opponent before too long. It was like Europe had waited with baited breath, no army making a move as they waited and saw whether Britain would honor her commitment to Belgium and now it had happened. Anton Haus had received communications to the effect that the Army would not be able begin offensive operation until the 16th May in any case so to that end the last four days had been a "phony war" as both sides waited to see who would commit, afraid that overt offensive action would force a decision by a neutral party.

Haus was happy with the state of the Navy, the UHE had not been caught with large numbers of big ships under construction that were unlikely to be completed. This was a fortunate thing as dock space would now have to be made for mercantile conversions as well. The fleet's dispositions were as follows:

Capital Ships(all at Pola)
1+1 31,800 ton Kaiser Franz Joseph I, 12x14 inch, 16x5.9 inch, 26.5 knots(Kaiser Franz Joseph) NOTE: Second ship Kaiserin Elizabeth due to begin sea trial July 1916)
4 24,800 ton Tegethoff Class battleships, 8x14 inch, 16x5.9 inch, 24 knots(Tegethoff, Arpad, Radetzky, Babenburg)
2 19,800 ton Kaiserin Stephanie Class battleships, 9x12.2 inch, 12x5.9 inch, 21 knots(Kaiserin Stephanie, Szent Istvan)
3 18,300 ton Schreck Class battleships, 7x12.2 inch, 10x5.9 inch, 22 knots(Schreck, Kaiser Rudolf, Heiligedreifaltigkeit)
3 20,100 ton Veribis Unitis Class battleships(conversions from battlecruisers), 8x12.2 inch, 16x3.9 inch, 24 knots(Veribis Unitis, Prinz Eugen, Hapsburg)

Battlecruisers or Cruisers(Budapest and Wien Class ships at Fiume)
1 17,200 ton Budapest, 8x10inch, 14x3.9 inch, 8TT, 32 knots
1 9,700 ton Lissa armoured cruiser 16x5.9 inch, 26-27 knots
4 2,580 ton Pula Class light cruisers 2x5.9 inch, 9x3.9 inch, 27 knots(Pula, Fiume, Zagreb, Prague)(coal powered)
6 1,900 tons Ostrau Class light cruisers, 6x3.9 inch guns, 28 knots(Ostrau, Brno, Pressburg, Trieste, Lalbach, Salzburg)
2 3,400 ton Wien Class minelaying cruisers, 1x5.9 inch, 3x3.9 inch, 30 knots(Wien, Budapest)
4 3,500 ton Sankt Georg Class scout cruisers 2x5.9 inch, 6x3.9 inch, 28 knots(Sankt Georg, Sankt Wenceslaus, Sankt Joseph, Sankt Agnes)
0+2 3,300 Novara Class scout cruisers, 7x3.9 inch, 31 knots NOTE:both launched and due first half 1917

Destroyers(6 Carpi Class at Fiume, 2 Tiger Class at Sazan)
10 1020 ton Kaiser Class destroyers 4x3.9 inch, 27 knots(coal powered)
3 480 ton Planet Class, 22 knots, 2x2.6 inch, 8x1.8 inch(coal powered)
1 350 ton Destruktor, 22 knots, 1x3.9 inch, 6x1.8 inch(*Sahara)(coal powered)
16 370 ton Libelle Class, 28 knots, 2x 3.9 inch, 2 1.8 inch
12 990 ton Carpi Class, 4x3.9 inch, 32 knots
4+14 Tiger Class, 2x2.6 inch, 4TT, 30 knots NOTE: All due 1916 to first quarter 1917

Submarines(all at Fiume)
1 U4, 200 tons, 8/4 knots, 2TT
3 U5 Class, 370 tons, 10.5/4.5 knots, 7TT
3 U8 Class, 425 tons, 13.5/7 knots, 6 TT
4 U-11 Class, 850 tons, 15/7 knots, 4TT
6 U13 Class, 300 tons, 9/7 knots, 4TT
2+1 U19 Class, 1550 tons, 17/10 knots, 5TT
0+8 U22 Class, 420 tons, 14/8 knots, 5TT NOTE:all due 1916 to first half 1917
0+1 U30, 1650 ton, 17/10 knots, 1x10 inch, 8TT NOTE: Due 1917

Various:
2 5400 ton Luft Class aviation cruisers, 2x5.9 inch guns, 8-10 aircraft, 20 knots
1 400 ton sail training ship Mowe
1 10,005 ton Dalmatia transport/cadet training ship
1 3500 ton Custoza repair ship 2x5.9 inch, 18 knots
1 4560 ton Dandalo aviation ship, 10 aircraft, 12 knots
1 2800 ton Imperatrix aviation ship, 2 aircraft, 12 knots
1 1150 ton Salamader minelayer
3 980 ton Jupiter Class colliers 1x5.9 inch, 12 knots
1 310 ton colliers, 12 knots
12 150 ton landing craft(two modified as a water tankers)
6 river monitors
8 11 ton motor torpedo boats, 22 knots
4 11 ton motor gun boats, 22 knots
24+12 12 ton motor torpedo boats, 28 knots
6+2 12 ton motor guns boats, 28 knots
8 240 ton minesweepers, 1x3.9 inch, 12 knots

Congo Navy
Cruisers:
2 3,400 ton Wien Class minelaying cruisers, 1x5.9 inch, 3x3.9 inch, 30 knots
Destroyers
1 140 ton Kap Weiss, 24 knots, 5x1.8 inch
Various:
1 280 ton Basilisk minelayer
2 150 ton landing craft(one modified as a water tanker)
4 river monitors

The next part task would be to assess how best to use captured French, Italian and British vessels. There were eight "schnellboote", all banana boats of between 3,000 and 5,500 tons built using government subsidies to be capable of 22 knots, all would be converted to raiders. The 12,950 ton Austro-Lloyds liner Calipso was to become a hospital ship, her sister Ceres would become a troop transport, the just launched 8,050 ton Austro-Lloyd small liner Cracovia Kaiser Rudolf was keen to convert to an aviation ship, but this would take much valuable yard time. The large 12,950 ton Hungarian American line ship Hungary now lay interned at Charleston, as did the 8,150 ton Gablonz in Shanghai. All others available vessels were less than 7,500 tons in tonnage. Many would be converted to Speerbrechers, others smaller ones to harbour defense vessels or minesweepers, some perhaps to minelayers. Two captured Italian vessels were earmarked for usage as MTB mother-ships, another French coaster as a submarine depot ship.

May 1916-List of coutries at war

Countries at war by end June 1916

Entente Cordiale etc.
Great Britain (+ its empire)
France (+ its empire)
Italy (+ it's Empire)
Belgium
Japan
Ottoman Empire
Argentina
Peru
Bolivia

--vs--

League of Three Emperors etc.
UHE
Germany (+ it's Empire)
Russia
Albania
Brazil
Chile
Congo
Korea
Colombia
Ecuador
Ethiopia

Neutral(N= true neutral, T+ more disposed to the League, E+ more disposed to the Entente)
USA(at war with Mexico, in occupation of Nicaragua, Haiti and the Dominican Republic)(N)
Mexico(at war with USA)(N)
Sweden(T)
Norway(E)
Denmark(E)
Spain(N)
Portugal(E)
Serbia(T)
Bulgaria(T)
Romania(E)
Bosnia(T)
Greece(N)
Montenegro(T)
Venezuela(N)
Uruguay(E)
Netherlands(N)
Afghanistan(T)
China(T)
Philippines(T)
Siam(E)
Liberia(N)
Paraguay(E)
Panama(T)
Central American micro states are all true neutral.

May 1916-First sorties

15 May 1916, off Pola, Adriatic Sea

The big ships were out. Whilst destroyers bobbed and weaved in the swell, the larger ships seemed to throw off the very waves themselves as they gradually formed up into their cruising formations, at the fleet's core three divisions of battleships. Vice Admiral Ludwig Ritter von Höhnel watched from the bridge of SMS Kaiser Franz Joseph I. At the time of her completion, she had been the heaviest battleship ever built, although now the German Bayern Class was marginally heavier. They were joined by three divisions of light cruisers and nearly 30 destroyers and would target Rimini, Ancona and the furthest Southern group, consisting of the five fastest battleships, Bari.

Further South, the battlecruiser Budapest, along with support ships, would assist the Horthy's aviation section in operations against Venice. It was time to go to war.

May 1916-War news

16 May 1916, New York Times International Edition

"United States Army forces have captured the strategically important crossroads at Pachuca and are now only 30 miles from Mexico City as they continue South. Mexican forces are digging in to fortified positions some twelve miles South of Pachucha in a bid to stop United States forces from investing their capital. President Huerta indicated that they will 'fight to the last man, the last drop of blood' to prevent the imperialists(sic) taking their capital city."

"Former President Teddy Roosevelt's son urged the annexation of Baja California as a 51st state yesterday, seeking to quell the fears of many Democrats by pointing out that the whole territory, occupied all this year by United States troops, had less than 45,000 Mexican inhabitants in total and was of great strategic importance. 'We must obtain something out of this brutal war that has so far cost 2,800 American lives and will no doubt yet cost more' he added. 'This territory could generate a new land rush" he added, referencing reports of gold discoveries."

"Outrage at liberation of so called concentration camp containing United States citizens near the town of Molango. Interned as a result of the ongoing war, women and children, as well as men were kept in unhealthy insanitary conditions without access to medical facilities and with starvation rations. US Army sources describe their condition as 'wretched.'

"Mr Charles Mulinger, of African Queen Oil, announced today the re-flagging of all tankers owned by the company under the United States flag, citing 'That they could no longer continue to operate under the Flag of the Kingdom of the Congo due to the dangers that such an allegiance brings, indicting that 'African Queen is, after all, a majority owned American company.'"

"In Europe Germany Army forces have moved quickly and occupied all of Luxembourg, 21 year old Grand Duchess Marie-Adélaïde ordering her own forces not to resist the German occupation. In Belgium, German forces are reported to have already invested the great fortress at Liege. In other news, it is reported that the first British troops had landed in Calais."

"In Bucharest Romania Crown Princess Tatiana has given birth to identical twins, Michaela and Alina, a rarity in royal births."

"Our own correspondent has accompanied the United Hapsburg Empire fleet on a series of raids on the Italian coast. Ancona, Bari, Crettaccio Island, Vieste, Sennigallia, Pessaro, Rimini and Ravenna. Two Italian Navy destroyers were sunk at sea and at least two torpedo boats and five merchant ships sunk in harbour.

Venice was attacked by aircraft and a torpedo boat was sunk, along with two docked merchant ships reportedly torpedoed by aircraft in a surprise attack. the dock area was reported to be in 'panic' after the raid."

"Chilean Navy armoured cruisers O'Higgins and Esmerelda have been reported to have engaged a Peruvian cruiser, a gunboat and two armed merchant ships and sunk all four units near Arica in Northern Chile. More reports to follow.

May 1916- The Army makes it's first moves

15 May 1916, Italian Front Headquarters, Malfalcone, UHE

Svetozar Boroević and Army Headquarters had been remarkably free in giving him his own head in terms of disposition of forces that were available to him, probably because there was actually a surplus of forces available for the campaign itself. Colonel General Arthur von Straußenburg looked again at the forces at his disposal, a virtual smorgasbord of men and material. They comprised the following:

1st Army(Victor Dankl) consisting of: 1st, 5th, 12th, 14th, 24th, 33rd Infantry Divisions, 43rd Landwehr Infantry Division, 45th Landwehr Infantry Division, 44th Armada Infantry Division, 37th Honved Infantry Division, 1st Cavalry Division, 4th Cavalry Division, 9th Cavalry Division, 10th Motorised Cavalry Division and would be supported by a Railway Artillery Regiment. These would generate the main thrust to Udine and hopefully eventually Venice and would cover a front from the Adriatic Sea to the Carnic Alps.

4th Army(Hermann Kovass) consisting of 4th, 10th, 15th, 19th, 22nd, 25th Infantry Divisions, 13th Landwehr Infantry Division, 26th Landwehr Infantry Division, 46th Vojska Infantry Division, 39th Honved Infantry Division, 6th Cavalry Division, 7th Cavalry Division, 11th Hungarian Cavalry Division and would be supported by a Railway Artillery Regiment. Their main task was to man a front from Riva near Lake Garda to the Carnic Alps. Their main tasks were to move South, their ultimate objectives Verona and Padua.

The Carnic Alps would be held by two Mountain Regiments, supported by the first of the Landsturm Divisions, which would be greatly assisted by the terrain.

The much smaller 3rd Army(Eduard von Bohm) consisting of: 3rd, 8th, 30th Infantry Divisions, 1st Jager Division, 23rd Honved Infantry Division, 41st Honved Infantry Division, 46th Landwehr Infantry Division and 2nd Cavalry Division. These would hold a front from Laka Garda to the Swiss border and their main objective was to advance on the 4th Army's flank and secure Brescia.

Of reserves there were ample, the entire powerful 2nd Army backing the 1st, the 5th Army the 4th and 3rd Army. To the East the 6th Army had some units in Galicia but most to the South facing the Balkans. In Hungary the 7th Army was forming and in Vienna the 8th Army, all would consist mainly of Landsturm units and more joined the six Divisions already active. In Pola, the Naval Infantry Regiment lay ready for deployment, operations against the Northern beaches of Venice being discussed.

May 1916- The Russians arrive in Germany

15 May 1916, Kiel, German Empire

Reinhard Scheer reviewed the information again. So, the Russians had arrived with their own reinforcements for his campaign, such as they were. He had doubts about the utility and training of the ships supplied by the Tsar himself, however, the Kaiser had insisted that the Russians be included in operations against the British as they occurred. At least they had been persuaded not to include any of their obsolete capital ships and had instead sent only the forces requested, namely the armoured cruiser Rurik, a division of four light cruisers and ten of their excellent Novik Class destroyers, which were actually better than anything the High Seas Fleet had, as well as a division of eight submarines.

They would be difficult to work with due to language barriers and difficult to supply and he admitted he used his own command authority to make them HIpper's problem rather than his own, placing them in the Scouting squadron, which needed extra ships in any case.

The fleet was short of cruisers and Vice Admiral von Spee's East Asia Squadron, consisting of three armoured cruisers Blucher, Roon and Yorck and three light cruisers, as well as the UHE armoured cruiser Lissa had done the opposite, moving North to join themselves to the Russian Pacific Fleet.

The Russians would be needed soon enough, as he had planned a bombardment of the Yorkshire Coast within the next six week to try and draw a portion of the Grand Fleet South.

May 1916- Early land movements

20 May 1916, Vincenza, Kingdom of Italy

Marshal Luigi Cadorna had suffered their first shock of contact with the enemy and the news was worrisome. UHE troops had attacked all along the front, using large artillery barrages as a preface to their advances. His own troops had fought well and bravely, however, whilst he had 18 divisions and 225,000 men, his own troops appeared to be outnumbered at a rate of near 2 to 1. His troops represented the best of the Italian Army, although more than a million men awaited a call up, none of the newly mobilized Divisions had yet been deployed at the front. It did not help that four Divisions were in East Africa and two more in Libya. In the meantime his forces would be forced to hold on, a worrying sign since he had already committed all of his reserves bar one Division of Infantry.

There were worrying signs, the enemy had effective heavy artillery and their divisional level guns seemed to have a slight advantage of range. They had used their proximity to the UHE fleet base at Pola to use heavy ships to support their land operations with bombardments and despite his pleas his own Navy had done nothing to prevent such actions. They also made copious use of small mortars to harass his own troops enough to allow access to his lines of "shock troops". The shock troop advanced single file, the men two yards apart and consisted of two flamethrowers and four grenade throwers, along with four men with small automatic pistols.

He had interviewed a private that had survived such an attack. "What is this? Has hell opened up under our feet? Are we right at the rim of a furious volcano? The trench next too us is filled with flames, with sparks, with bitter smoke, the air is unbreathable. I hear hissing, crackling, and alas, yes, the cries of pain, then the stench of burned flesh and as the flame reaches out to my own trench I turn and run and I keep on running.”

The UHE troops have deployed some new and quite terrible weapons and that has caused his own forces to buckle, if not yet break. On the plains near the sea the UHE forces had advanced some twenty kilometers in places, fighting for Laticana, although in others no more than two. Mount Maggiore had fallen, as had the town of Tarcento, where UHE forces had reached the edge of the mountains. Just as concerning, in terrain that should have suited the defender more, whilst in some places his line had held and he had repulsed the enemy with heavy losses, in others his line had buckled as much as almost 30 kilometers. UHE forces were less than ten kilometers from both Valdagno and Feltre. Both signaled the end of mountain territory and the start of plains, but the later was particularly important since, if lost, it would cut the railway to the Carnic Alps terminating at Pieve. To the Far North, the village of Bornio was also under pressure.

He had written requesting British troops to assist and at the same time the Navy assured him that once they were reinforced with Royal Navy and French ships they would sortie.

May 1916-RN arrives in Italy with a dubious Admiral

22 May 1916, Brindisi Naval Base, Kingdom of Italy

Admiral Berkley Milne's Mediterranean Fleet had arrived in Italy, consisting of the sisters ships HMS Invincible, Inflexible, Implacable, Illustrious and Indignant, the light cruiser Dublin and four destroyers. They were under instructions to operate in conjunction with the Italian Fleet to wrest back control of the Adriatic from the UHE main battle line, which had dominated the Northern Adriatic so far.

It was the same day that a decision was taken to send the III Corps of the BEF, which was three weeks away from being fully formed, not to France but to Italy.

May 1916- Northern Italian campaign turns against Cadorna

25 May 1916, Vincenza, Kingdom of Italy

Marshal Luigi Cadorna's forces were at breaking point, especially his under pressure Third Corps, which had been pushed back with very heavy losses. Every day the UHE troops had made gains ad he had been forced to deploy his 5th Corps to reinforce the 3rd Corps, but this had also been treated roughly. He now had no reserves, having committed them all to cover unrelenting pressure on his front line. Slowing the UHE advance down the Northern Adriatic Coast by committing his reserves had come at the cost of not being able to stem their advances in Trentino, where they had ground steadily forward and now overlooked the plains that led to Vincenza.

If the two UHE forces were to meet, or even if Vincenza and Treviso were to fall, then over 100,000 of his troops would be trapped. Already there was fighting inside the city of Undine, the rail line to which had been cut, however, his main worry was keeping the two UHE forces from encircling his own army, an event, that if it happened would throw open the whole of Northern Italy and would represent an unmitigated disaster.

There were other considerations as well. The rail line near Castelfranco has been cut, seemingly the result of irregular troops or spies. However, the main concern was the fact that covered by a naval bombardment, UHE Naval Infantry, using flat bottomed vessels, had landed troops at Duna Verde North of Venice and behind the lines of his own troops. He had been forced to throw in hastily assembled local conscripts from Venice to try and seal off the breach. Padua had been subjected to an air raid of all things, large enemy bomber aircraft coming by day and zeppelins by night, all targeting the railway station. Thankfully the track had taken no damage, even if the Central railway station had been partially burnt out and the civilian population shaken.

His pleas to Rome for more assistance had brought two more divisions, but these had easily been eaten up by his 23,400 casualties so far. Worse still, as his own units continued to take casualties, it appeared that the enemy was introducing new units from their own reserves. Finally, the Regia Marina had indicated that they expected to sortie on the 26th to stop the incessant shelling of his troops by UHE Navy units.

Map shows front line 25.5.1916

May 1916- The fleets come to grips

27 May 1916, Adriatic Sea, 38 nautical miles South-south-west of Pola

Admiral Berkley Milne was beginning to be unsure of this little expedition. He had dismissed Fisher's warning as to the capabilities of the UHE Navy. What would the old man know and his opinion was no doubt coloured by his own prejudice against Milne, who's career had only advanced to the pinnacle after Fisher's retirement. However, he was also uncertain as to the intentions of the Italian Admiral, Enrico Millo. He had kept Milne's five battlecruisers at the rear of the Italian line as they plodded ever Northwards at 15 knots, far too close in his own mind.

His own ships were supposed to scout ahead of a fleet using their superior speed, a task seemingly made even more important by the lack of light cruisers in the Italian formation, only two such ships being attached. He was also concerned by the extensive "tail" of the Italian fleet, older Pre Shreck battleships being included in a theoretically impressive 15 ship line of battle, 20 when his own ships were included. Yet his five battlecruisers were tacked onto the end of the Italian line, almost as an afterthought and were plodding along at 15 knots in a fleet line not likely to make more than 17-18 knots, held to such a speed by the older and slower ships.

The UHE Fleet had not easily been visible and no smoke had been sighted before the lookout's cry was to come.

“Ships on the horizon! Fighting tops sir!” had come the report. Milne had waited for the Italian Flagship to finally signal "Enemy in sight". They had sighted the enemy late thought Milne, the sea mist blowing off in the early morning sun and allowing the UHE fleet, a battle line 13 large ships long, to appear 35 degrees off their starboard bow, allowing the UHE ships the use of full broadsides. Milne awaited the signal to open fire as the range bled down. Standard Royal navy engagement range was 13,000 to 15,000 meters, yet at 19,200 meres he saw the UHE line erupt into fame. Whoever was in charge over there knew his business. Fire was concentrated on the leading six modern Italian battleships and his own five ships, the weaker ships at centre of the Italian line not being targeted. For ten full minutes they endured fire from the UHE line, Inflexible being hit twice and his own flagship Invincible also took two shells. Ahead the Italian flagship Leonardo da Vinci showed a puff of smoke as a hit amidships was gained.

Finally, the combined fleet, now moving at 18 knots, made to turn to port to bring their own main armaments to bear when a ladder of shells fell over HMS Invincible. One moment there had been a 17,250 ton battlecruiser firing back in defiance at her enemies, next there was an enormous fireball as her forward 12 inch magazine was penetrated, a 12.2 inch shell contemptuously punching through her 2.5 inch deck armour.
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“Hit!” Someone in the conning tower of the Kaiser Franz Joseph I had yelled as a bright flash on the hull of the Cavour Class ship had indicated the impact of at least another shell. It was only a few moments later that report had come through. “Sir! Enemy are adjusting course! Heading…220! Sir the enemy appears to be withdrawing, do we pursue?”

"Nein, continue to engage though."

Vice Admiral Ludwig Ritter von Höhnel watched the Italians and British turn away from the bridge of the SMS Franz Joseph. As well they might he thought. He was happy to see the end of the engagement himself, two of his ships, namely Kaiser Rudolf, which had taken a heavy hit forward that had required flooding a main turret and Arpad, which had accumulated flooding. He would not support the Army today and those two ships would require yard time, as would five other battleships that had less serious damage. He had also lost the light cruisers Pula and Zagreb, which had blundered into the Italian main battle line.

He had engaged first at long range thanks to the advantage of more modern guns, holding the range as long as possible. Then a pounding match had occurred, with his own units outnumbered 20 to 13. However, it seemed the Italians were putting some older, less durable ships in the line of fire.

Facing a wide vee of warships the Italian formation stuck together with their six battleships in the lead, hammering away whilst their weaker vessels followed up behind, guns elevating and training. within 60 seconds of a British battlecruiser exploding an old Giuseppe Garibaldi-class armoured cruiser had suffered the same fate. There had followed a brutal pounding match punctuated by the sinking of another Giuseppe Garibaldi-class armoured cruiser due to accumulated flooding, a second British battlecruiser exploding but what had caused the final turn away had been the Italian lead battleship suffering a hit that caused a large fireball. After the smoke had cleared the ship was well down by the bow and the Italians limped away at ten knots. He had declined to pursue or to engage with his own light units, which he needed to secure the Northern Adriatic. He had achieved his main mission, to keep sea control in the area of land operations. Of course, he continued to pound the Italian rear as they retreated until they moved beyond 20,000 meters, being rewarded by a few more hits even though their escorts made smoke.

In any case, they had another surprise to spring as yet.
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Admiral Enrico Millo's flagship Leonard da Vinci was in major trouble. She had taken 16 hits, however, the most serious had been a 14 inch shell that penetrated her after turret barbette and caused an ammunition fire in the working chamber. This fire spread rapidly through other compartments, igniting ready propellant charges all the way to the magazine. He had been fortunate that the magazines had been flooded but the ship was now punch drunk, the cost of maintaining ten knots had caused her to ship water. Now out of range of the UHE forces and some twenty nautical miles South, he had ordered her brought to a full stop so that damage control parties had a chance to try and save her.

The British had lost two ships, a politically explosive hand grenade all by itself. His own fleet had lost two 'battleships', really armoured cruisers that probably should not have been included in his own order of battle. Nearly every one of his battleships had serious damage and his own ships duel with the UHE flagship showed all too well that she had come off second best. Now his main concern was saving his own flagship.

‘At least we hurt them to…’ he thought. It was then the alarm wailed and he heard the officer of the watch. "Aircraft, a number of aircraft off the port bow." He watched in horrid fascination as the nine huge four engine machines came on, one dropping into the sea after a hit from a 3 inch shell, a second dripping, hitting the waves and cartwheeling. All flew over his ships, which remained unmolested aside from scattered machine gun fire. They were followed later by sixteen more smaller machines, who came some then minuted later. Most concentrated on his immobile flagship. Some ten or so flew over, a small bomb hitting near the stern but doing little damage. The remaining six came in low, one pitching into the sea. At the last minute he saw the wake of the weapon before it slammed into the weakened bow, the explosion shearing away the weakened section. Accumulated flooding that may have sunk the ship in any case was to take care of the rest and at 1316 Leonard da Vinci was to slip gently beneath the small swell of the Adriatic.

June 1916-war reports

1 June 1916, New York Times International Edition

"United States Army forces have engaged in a large scale battle just 12 miles North of Mexico City. 170,000 United States troops have been reported to have engaged a Mexican force numbering as many as 240,000, breaking the main force of the Mexican Federal Army during the course of a two day battle. Casualties are reported to be heavy, with over 4,000 killed and twice that number wounded or missing. Mexican forces are reported to have been "shattered", with as many as 25,000 killed and 'at least' 80,000 wounded and/or captured.

The advance to Mexico City will likely resume within days, with no organised Mexican forces now between United States units and the Mexican capital. Unconfirmed reports indicate rioting on the streets of Mexico City itself. "

"In response to calls for annexation of Baja California, as well as admission for Hawaii and a separation of Carabinia into Cuba and Puerto Rico Governor of New Jersey and likely Democratic Presidential nominee Woodrow Wilson states "We need no further Latin states in this country.'"

"British blockade of Germany, excluding United States merchant ships from deliveries to Germany, the UHE, Russia, Congo, Albania decried by shipping companies."

"Four German liners, including the huge Imperator, interned at New York, also one UHE ships at Charleston."

"In a large scale fleet action, two British battleships lost in the Adriatic, with only five survivors from these two ships. the Regia Marina have been reported to lose three battleships in what constitutes a severe defeat."

"UHE Naval Infantry seize coast near Venice, Italian forces forced onto the defensive in land battle. Padua has also been reported to have been bombed from the air as many as three times."

"Swedish military observer Count Carl Bonde describes numbers casualties on both sides in Northern Italian campaign as "horrific" and mainly caused by "barbaric modern methods of war."

"Chilean forces claim to have repulsed initial invasion attempts by both Bolivian and Peruvian forces with a Battle near Arica described as a "great victory". Peruvian sources have not confirmed these reports."

"Brussels falls to German troops four days after the great fortress of Liege had been subdued. German troops continue to advance through Belgium. King Albert vows to fight on at the head of his Army as the first British troops land on the continent."

"Massacres have been reported in Armenian villages in Eastern Anatolia around Siirt. Russia has protested 'in the strongest terms'. Ottoman sources state that 'people are being 'relocated for their own safety.'"

June 1916- A small fleet a long way from home

1st June 1916, Vladivostok, Russian Empire

The mixed nation fleet of Vice Admiral Von Spee slipped out of harbour, consisting as it now did of four armoured cruisers and four light cruisers, as well as a captured liner slipped out of the port. They had already sunk two other British and a French ship. There was no way back to Germany, that was true, but the Pacific itself was vast and the port of Valparaiso could serve as a coaling port on the way to their ultimate objective, Brazil. On the way there would be ample opportunity to harass British shipping and remain a fleet in being. If they were able to reach the South Atlantic, well then damage could be done.

June 1916- Hoisted on one's own flagpole

3rd June 1916, National Palace, Mexico City, Republic of Mexico

He had waited the night out, his last in the luxurious surroundings, hoping that the early morning would bring a relief from the civil disorder in the city. There was no question now that it was well and truly necessary to leave. He had already sent most of his family away and now José Victoriano Huerta would follow. He had rolled the dice, hoping for a win and a negotiated peace and had lost, the population now baying for his blood.

They prepared the two cars and truck and set off in a small convoy. They had gone less than a kilometre onto Sur 65 when they encountered the roadblock. In the time taken to turn around, large crowds had appeared behind them, their mood ugly.

His small bodyguard were unable to protect him, the killing of two "Revols" only serving to further anger the crowd. Less than 15 minutes later the Mexican President, lame from a large stone hurled into his leg, was set upon by the enraged mob. When United States Army units entered the capital the following day they were to proceed to the National Palace, the only resistance in the city some scattered stones that were thrown. Once there they were to discover the bloody corpse of the Mexican President upside down on his own flagpole.

The Mexican American war was effectively over, Plutarco Elías Calles being appointed President after the failure of Federal forces and being given the unenviable task of negotiating a peace.

June 1916-Fall of a First Sea Lord

3 June 1916, Admiralty, Whitehall, United Kingdom

"Jackie" Fisher wasted no time in striding aggressively into the First Lord's office. "What in blue blazes is going on sir? Two of our ships sunk, almost 2,000 sailors blown to Kingdom Come without so much as a by-your-leave, turning and running like whipped curs, it defies description. What do you intend to do sir, I ask you that?" went Fisher, plonking himself down in a chair.

Prince Louis of Battenburg was to give a diffident grimace. "There is nothing I can do Jackie, sad to say."

"Nothing you can do? Poppycock. You are in charge of the Navy sir, His Majesty's senior officer at sea."

"That is just it Jackie, I am not. I have been replaced, effective immediately. Apparently I am a German, no matter my Royal Navy history." Prince Louis said bitterly.

Fisher did not know what to say. "Well, I am sorry the axe has fallen on you. Who is the new man?"

"Harry Jackson. It was considered desirable to keep Jellicoe in charge of the Grand Fleet at this stage, many think Beatty is not ready."

"Jackson would hardly be my first choice, I would have used Jellicoe all the same. What happened to our ships?"

"Both penetrated at ranges in excess of 12,000 yards, 15,000 for Invincible. Magazine explosions in both instances. We do not know more at this stage."

"Stooging along at the back of the Italian line at 17 or 18 knots. It is not how ships such as that are meant to be used. They should have been steaming independently at speed. Damn the Italians to hell and that fool Milne should never have allowed it. A political appointment so what can one expect.

I warned people here did I not that control of the Adriatic would be difficult to wrest from the Imperial Navy, did I not? No one was of a mind to listen but I was not just picking Dahlias for Gods sake when I was based there."

"Well perhaps I am to blame for that as well Jackie. I am afraid you will have to take it up with others now."

"What do we do from here?" asked Fisher.

"Well we have raiders in the Pacific that need to be tracked down. The Australasian's seem more interested in running down German colonies than searching for them so a communication would be in order. Bearing that in mind, we need to send forces to the South Atlantic and patrol around Cape Horn as well. A German cruiser has been reported off West Africa and two Congolese cruisers have detained merchant shipping in the Gulf of Guinea. Meanwhile, the German cruiser Karlsruhe is active in the West Indies. All will require cruisers, maybe even battlecruisers, all of which will weaken Home Fleet.

The real worry is the Italians and we need to lean on the French to provide the necessary support. As usual, they are being difficult and want to keep a battleship Division on the Atlantic coast for security, detaching Pre Shrecks and their three Bretagne Class ships only, which I am not sure will do more than restore the previous status quo.

So, it all comes back to us Jackie."

"Of course it bloody well does."

June 1916- Don't think-Do!

8 June 1916, Hermesvilla, Vienna, UHE

Never had security been so tight, as nearly every Archduke and Archduchess that was part of the sprawling Hapsburg family contained within the one room.

Rudolf, Stephanie and Lola occupied the high table at the head of the room as the other participants sat around the table, even now in groups. Franz Ferdinand, Karl, Max Eugen and old Ludwig Victor in one group, the Teschens, numbering six Archdukes, in another. Then finally the Tuscans, 11 Archdukes led by Johann Salvator. In all 21 Archdukes, their wives and the various Archduchesses that still retained a Hapsburg place in succession in their own right as well.

It was Rudolf who was to speak. "Yes, it is extraordinary that I have called you here this day to speak as a group, something that had not occurred since my own coronation some 24 years ago.

The answer to the question 'Why now?' should be all to obvious. Four days ago the Empire of Japan attacked the Russian Pacific Fleet to little effect. Two days ago the Ottoman Fleet bombarded Sevastopol, again to little real effect, plus the Ottomans have launched a military campaign against the Russian Bosphorus enclaves, already capturing one. We are now in a life and death struggle with five Major Powers, Great Britain, France, Italy, Japan and the Ottomans.

Despite our recent spectacular success in Italy in regards the capture of Treviso and Vincenzo and the subsequent trapping of up to 40,000 Italian Royal Army troops in a pocket, we cannot assume a short victorious war, for that would be the height of not only hubris but folly. Our own casualties already number 25,000 spread between the Army and Navy.

So why are you all here? The answer to that question is simply duty. This dynasty must do it's duty to it's own people or risk being judged not worthy of them. This brings me to the heart of why we are all here. As head of this household as well as your sovereign, I charge you all with a solemn duty and command. I think of our common soldiers and sailors and I charge and order you all the following. 'At least do something'."

Rudolf's voice went up an octave. "Do. Don't think, don’t hope, don't discuss. Do. No matter the course of the war at least you can and will say, 'I did this, I was involved in raising money, I fought on the front line. I was a nurse. I helped transport food. At least I did something for the sake of this, my country. Do. Act. Don’t talk, don't propose. Act. Be decisive. Love your country. For we must win this contest to survive as a country at all, losing such a war will break us under the question of nationalism and with this country will go this family. Winning, that is all that matters and that requires your full commitment, each and every single one of you. More than that, you must cooperate with each other, my Government and it's appointed representatives. You must be desperate enough to back your country, our country, through thick and thin. You must sacrifice your time, your energy, your worldly goods and even your life if required.

If, after you have contributed as a nurse, a soldier, a sailor, a diplomat, running a charity, fundraising for war efforts, being involved in Government itself, if you have given your all, if you're feeling tired, if you're feeling tired — just think of the common man, mowed down by Italian machine guns, writhing on the end of a bayonet, vomiting. He’s not here to speak for himself so I do so for him.

I ask of you far, far less than many families have already contributed. To that end and to emphasise the significance of what I am asking of you, my own direct family will be contributing the following. All palaces aside from the Hofburg and Schonbrunn not already occupied on Government business are to be allocated for use in the war effort, including this one. Both my own and Stephanie's private fortunes and our own private art collection will be liquidated to provide for the war effort. Crown Princess Helena and Kaiserin Stephanie will both be joining the Kaiserin Elizabeth Army Nursing Corps on a part time basis, as will all of their ladies in waiting that pass the basic medical requirements.

Now I ask you all and will shortly ask each of you individually what you are prepared to do? No one will leave hear today before you individually answer that question."

June 1916- Plans of Taft

10 June 1916, The Coliseum, Chicago, United States of America

It had been a formality in many ways, but it had been his first chance to push his "31-20" agenda for a movement of the border South from it's current position to 31 degree 20 minutes North, which would add some 8,400 square kilometres and two new counties to the South of New Mexico, 18,100 square kilometres and two new counties to the South of Arizona and of course all of Baja California.

That was his position in regards a Peace Treaty now that Mexican forces had surrendered unconditionally four days ago and that would be what he took to Congress as well-all as part of his platform for re-election later this same year. The end of the war had fallen very fortuitously. Casualties had been high enough(7,876 dead, 188 missing and 19,870 wounded that territorial annexations were more than expected. In regards his own position, as the victor of a war his popularity was at an all time high, finally rivaling that of his late mentor Teddy Roosevelt.

Taft had been careful to foster the career of Roosevelt's son as well, so as to also ride on the Roosevelt name. Yes, he was confident in 1916 and when elected would be careful to keep the United States out of any European entanglements whilst at the same time keeping an eye on events in South America, events that were rapidly falling apart.

Congress would agree to Baja California, he had no doubt as to that, the blood that had been spilled and the rumours of gold that would not go away were proof enough of that. The fact that there were very few Mexican there would also help the cause.

Along with Hawaii and the separation of Cuba from Carabinia, he would go down as one of those Presidents who assisted the United States to go from 45 to 53 states in less than 20 years. That would be enough to ensure a legacy and for afterwards perhaps the Supreme Court was still not out of the question if the slot was to come available.

End of story and link to new thread for Rudolf Will Reign Part 2

This is the end of Part 1 of this story. Thank you for all your support. Please join me in Rudolf Will Reign To-Part 2-The World at War.

I will put in a link here once I have created the new thread.

https://www.alternatehistory.com/fo...ll-reign-dear-part-2-the-world-at-war.459409/

John

Table of Contents

November 1888-Two ISOT's, two deaths

November 1888-Heydrich and Sharapova are discovered dead

November 1888-A meeting with Franz Joseph

November 1888-Stephpova contemplations pre first Reindolf meeting

November 1888-Reindolf gets a bruise. Reconciliation. Plans are made.

November 1888-Reindolf goes Fishering. Search for an admiral

November 1888-Stephpova on the Congo

November 1888-Fisher gets a holiday in the Med

November 1888-Stephpova plans, tennis
November 1888-Tantalising Tesla
November 1888-Discovery
November 1888-Stephpova's bath ponderings
November 1888-Secrets revealed and detente

November 1888-Discussion, tennis, plans to bring down Leopold

November 1888-Reindolf, Franz Joseph, 1871 Fundimental Articles

November 1888-Women's rights talk. Stephpova rubs him up the right way

November 1888-Reindolf naval design pondering-full broadsides

November 1888-Discussions on the train to Pola

December 1888-At Pola with von Sterneck
December 1888-Medicine, colonies, shoes
December 1888-Musings on oil
Interlude-Stephpova character photos
Interlude-Reindorf character photos

December 1888-Daimler and Maybach in Vienna and Ostrau

December 1888- Viennese Mortars

December 1888-Flamethrowers and Christmas presents

December 1888-Future plans and Christmas presents

December 1888- Intimacy, foreign policy thoughts, Reindorf situational acceptance

January 1889-Whitehead and torpedos, tennis, Horthy

January 1889- Ethnic map, boundary change thoughts

January 1889-Chinese purchases

January 1889- Fisher, Rudolf at Pola

February 1889-Reindolf, Stephpova discussion on Fisher, plans

February 1889-Budapest, Ganz, shipbuilding, Tesla, Plural voting

March 1889-Bodyguards, contemplations of Prague and Brussels

March 1889-Grégr, Federated Empire discussions

March 1889- Stephpova musings, preparing for Leopold

March 1889-Cards, Congo, slavery

March 1889-Wimbledon

April 1889-Arctic, West Indies, Danes, American, Navy plans

April 1889-Torpedo Boat, Schnellkruiser designs

April 1889-Maria Mosconi on Stephpova routines

April 1889-Mannlicher

April 1889-Preparing for Leopold, New Free Press, Auguste Fickert

April 1889-Thoughts on Ministries
May 1889- Violence over the Congo
Aftermath, declarations
May 1889- Hofburg disagreements
Possible Three Kingdom flag

May 1889- Shipping thoughts with Austro-Lloyds

May 1889- Congo Governor
May 1889 - Congo thoughts and planning
May 1889-Rumblings in Whitehall

June 1889-First voyage of the Kronprinzessin Erzherzogin Stephanie

June 1889-Head North young man

JUne 1889- A few Von Goghs are in your luggage madam...

June 1889- Wimbledon, annexations, filling a newspaper

July 1889-Bertie, Alix reflections
July 1889- Serbian musings
July 1889- Wimbledon
July 1889- A meeting with Thyss
July 1889- A royal swap meet
July 1889-Conundrum in the Congo
July 1889- Big Willie-Britain or Russia?

August 1889- Sailing, Danish sale, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Serbia thoughts

August 1889-New weapons, Can't see me suit

August 1889- A school visit

August 1889-Rudolf, new weapons at army exercises

September 1889- Plots, murders, completing the family tree

September 1889- Family business
September 1889- Colonial musical chairs
September 1889-Cruisers for colonies

September 1889- Galite Islands coaling station

October 1889- Spanish solutions
October 1889-A talk with Sissi
October 1889- Sold to Uncle Sam

October 1889- Diamonds are a girls best friend

October 1889- Acropolis reflections, Van Gogh
October 1889- A package in the mail
October 1889-Wedding conversations
October 1889- Barney Barnarto, naval thoughts
November 1889-Santorini and seriousness
November 1889-Naval thoughts in bed
November 1889 - Empire

November- Cruising, friendship, political thoughts

November 1889-Kap Weiss
November 1889-Cars, trucks and tyres
November 1889-Army budgets
November 1889-Arrival, Tippu Tip, Cabinda
December 1889-1889 'long lances'
December 1889- Attempted matchmaking
December 1889-Leaving the Congo, thoughts
December 1889- Army budgets and discussions
December 1889- Christmas and anarchists
January 1890- An offer to Portugal
Border changes map 1890

February 1890-Rudolf thinks on the Congo, diamonds, oil and Rockefeller

February 1890- Barney Barnardo
February 1890- Standard Oil and black gold
Austro-Hungarian Navy on 1.4.1890
February 1890-Review
February 1890-Conversations on the future
March 1890-Lust in St Petersburg
March 1890- Bottletops and bullets
March 1890- Congo and Teff
March 1890-Talks with the new Hungarian broom

March 1890-Army knives, family detente and oil

March 1890- Philadelpia thoughts
April 1890-The fall of Bismarck, Czechs
April 1890 - Oil
April 1890 - Two Van Goghs visit

May 1890 - A warming in relations, a bonding over sweat raised

May 1890 - Tiffany comes up trumps
June 1890 - To Russia and love
June 1890 - Nicholas ponders
June 1890- Fisher and battlecruisers
June 1890 - Yellowcake
June 1890 - Meeting the Russian bear
June 1890- St Petersburg balls
June 1890- Eyes on the Congo
July 1890 - A second Wimbledon
July 1890 - Miscarriage
July 1890 - A file extracted
July 1889 - Counter plans
July 1890-Preparing to move
August 1890- Two suicides and a murder
August 1890- Unexpected progressions
August 1890- Russian news, Bohemian plans

August 1890- Pipelines of Oil, money and deception

August 1890- Awax's impressions of Vienna
August 1890- Preparing for war in the Congo
Kingdom of the Congo Flag
August 1890- Battlecruiser guns
August 1890- Naval auxiliaries
August 1890- A bloody victory
September 1890- Mannlicher M1891
September 1890- Not quite Bohemian Rhapsody
September 1890 - Czechia proposed borders

September 1890 - Kingdom of Czechia?, interludes

September 1890-Musing on changes and Russians

September 1890 - On holiday, France reaches out to others

October 1890- 1st November announcement, financial negotiations

October 1890- The downfall of the first Fuhrer

October 1890- A meeting on minds on Marxism
November 1890- Counts and Zeppelins
November 1890-Congo economics
November 1890-Melees in Prague

November 1890 - Post Offices, stamps and Empire names

December 1890-The Iron Ring and electroral musings in Cisleithania

December 1890- The laying of battlecruisers
December 1890- Troubles in Croatia
January 1891- Prague election preparations
January 1891-Congo railways and resources

February 1891-Filing cabinets, diamonds and orphans

March 1891- The end of a tortured genius
March 1891- Triple alliance
April 1891- Election aftermaths
April 1891- A corination in Prague
April 1891- Uniforms and Waffenfarbe
May 1891- A Czech parliament
May 1891- Time with the Kaiser

May 1891- An approach to the bear for a Balkan solution

May 1891 - Possible Balkans map
May 1891 - Possible Bosniak map
May 1891- A Russian wedding

January 1892- Reflecting on troubles at Sandringham

January 1892 - Arise as Kaiser

January 1892- Body in a battleship

January 1892 - Thoughts on changes, a Russian reply

January 1892-Navy Changes,sale to China(again)

January 1892- Cecil Rhodes, Cape to Cairo and the bloody woman

January 1892-Paving the way with Franz Ferdinand

January 1892-Economic cake cutting, not enough coins and crushing responsibility

January 1892-Fisher arrives
January 1892 - Lastkraftwagons
January 1892-Standard Oil and tankers

January 1892-Funeral of a Kaiser, start of a new era

February 1892-Young guns

February 1892- Military budgets and the Hungarian Diet

February 1892-Last of the centre battery ships

February 1892- A proposal on taxation reform and for Hungary

March 1892-Hungarian thoughts
April 1892- Trouble in China?
April 1892- Ethiopian adventures

May 1892-Balkan machinations, edging to a Russian agreement

May 1892- Profitable Congo

May 1892- Affirmation of the heir

May 1892-Army funding agendas, uniforms, conscription lengths, machine guns, artillery

May 1892- Preparing for a return to the Congo
June 1892- Ship trials in America
June 1892-Army reforms(part 1 of 2)
June 1892-Drabbles
June 1892- Army reforms part 2 of 2
June 1892- Grenades for grenadiers
July 1892- Three out of four ain't bad

July 1892-Royal marriages, changes of governor

August 1892- Popper and the sisters

August 1892-Preparing to catch a Tsar and a mouse

August 1892-A very secret treaty

September 1892- Rearming an old lady

September 1892-Reluctant change in Transleithania

October 1892-Pimps, prostitutes and promotions

October 1892- Machine guns, mothers and Olympics

June 1893- Hungarian-American

July 1893- Pallets and parenthood

July 1893- The commencment of KuK common army changes

July 1893- Naval musings

July 1893- Skoda and artillery

August 1893-Diplomacy and the death of the Franco-Russian alliance

August 1893-Railways and frontiers
August 1893-Family business
September 1893- Bullets and barbarism
September 1893-Olympic kernals
September 1893-Lado enclave
October 1893-Unusual new recruits
October 1893- A counter proposal
November 1893- A letter to Hitler

November 1893- Congo revenues, Budapest expanses

November 1893-New cruiser, Rudolf thoughts

December 1893- Preview of the Treaty of Trieste

December 1893-A Treaty signed, naval thoughts
December 1893-Railway completion
January 1894- Coco Islands expedition

January 1894-Olympic discussions and thoughts on conflicts

February 1894- Fruits and not far off labour
February 1894- Baby time
February 1894-It's a girl
March 1894- Ganz works developments
March 1894- The thoughts of Pasteur
April 1894- New large destroyer contracts
May 1894-Italian African ambitions
June 1894- Big trouble in little Korea
June 1894-Italy gets a green light
July 1894-War thoughts, vacation ends
August 1894-War clouds gather
August 1894-Rosebery's musings
August 1894-Navy summary
August 1894-KuK Army summary
August 1894-Coco Islands
August 1894-Plans revealed
August 1894- War is imminent
August 1894-Ottoman naval thoughts
August 1894-Departures from Pola
August 1894-Demographics and doubts
August 1894-Albanian thoughts
August 1894-It's war!
August 1894-Naval first moves
August 1894-First contacts
August 1894-Whitehall waits
August 1894- Prepartions to a naval encounter
August 1894-An evaporation of options
August 1894-First Sighting
August 1894- Torpedo alley
August 1894-End of the battle of Mikonos
August 1894-The magnitude of defeat
August 1894-Austrian aftermath
August 1894-Dispair of the Red Sultan

August 1894-British and French thoughts on the matter at hand

August 1894-Prelude to the death of the Russian bear

September 1894-Hopes of a miracle
September 1894- Abdul Hamid makes an offer
September 1894- The prelude to peace

September 1894- A looming naval clash in the Far East

September 1894-I have found your perfect match....

September 1894 map

September 1894-Potential Russian possessions near Istanbul

September 1894- Making a match

September 1894-RN searching for lessons, Chinese defeat

September 1894-Life lessons
September 1894- Arrival in St Petersburg
September 1894-A French purchase
Congo map
September 1894-Congo infrastructure map
September 1894-Post funeral talks

October 1894- Photos of some timeline presences

October 1894-Zeppelin plans
October 1894-Budapest Olympic preparations
October 1894-Conversations in Albania
October 1894-Pre conference thoughts
October 1894-Ganz orders

October 1894-Plans for the Sudan, Cape to Cairo ambitions

October 1894-Post the Conference of Corfu
October 1894-Names and flags
November 1894-Kingdom of Illyria discussions
November 1894-The economics of Illyria
November 1894- A snippet of Bosnian thoughts
November 1894-Troubles on the horn of Africa
November 1894-Fisher probing
November 1894- Army review
November 1894-Sunday fun run
November 1894- Future chats on a wet day
November 1894- New strikes of black gold

November 1894- Army structure change recommendations

November 1894- An approach to Marconi
November 1894-Sazan Island
November 1894-Mixed ambitions and marriages
November 1894- An Albanian wedding
December 1894-The natives are revolting....

December 1894-Lamentations of a boy on a man's errand

December 1894-The many problems of the new regime in Istanbul

December 1894-Economic discussions,
December 1894-Amphibious warfare
October 2017-Future fun in sunny Albania
December 1894- A landing at Durres
October 2017- The next morning
December 1894-War on the horn of Africa
December 1894- Wireless and torpedoes

December 1894- A premature death, a native appointment

January 1895- Mahadist plans

January 1895- Illyrian arrangements

January 1895- Big Willy and the coastal railway

August 1895-Worrying changes for Salisbury

August 1895-New concepts. How many turrets does it have?

August 1895- Does any man here have any objection....

August 1895-I heard it on the radio
August 1895-Armoured trains
August 1895-Budapest buses
August 1895-Mahadist slow progress
August 1895-An unhappy dad
August 1895-Castles, palaces and learning
August 1895-Labour reforms on the way

August 1895-Remembering the renewal of the League of the Three Emperors

August 1895-Weddings, oil and railways

September 1895-Albanian happenings, oil, chromium, silk

September 1895- Army updates

October 1895- A Tsarevich and a peace conference

October 1895-Italian musings
October 1895-Royal Navy changes
April 1896-A Russian inspection
April 1896-Italian woes
April 1896-Zeppelins underway
May 1896-Sudan battles
May 1896-The Cuban question
May 1896- Portuguese worries, oil, twins
June 1896-Dreadnought musings
June 1896-Talks of the Copenhagen Convention
June 1896-Railways in Albania

July 1896- Rhodes thoughts, railways and Boers

July 1896-Tides of change in the UK and Russia

July 1896-Skoda and the 7cm gun
July 1896-A murder in St Petersburg
July 1896-The boy from Brazil
July 1896-Army doctors, Congo education
July 1896- The railway moves to Katanga
August 1896-Budapest is in readiness
August 1896-Olympic medals
November 2017-Strolling through Budapest
August 1896-Mahadist slaughter
August 1896-River trade on the Congo

August 1896-Murder in the Georgian backstreets

August 1896-A job done

August 1896-Olympic closure

September 1896-Changes in Galicia and Lodomera

September 1896- Yes, I can hear your voice

September 1896-There are no kangaroos in Austria

September 1896-Aftermath with Roos
October 1896-A royal wedding on the horizon
April 1897-Old ship, new gun
April 1897- End of the millenium dreadnought
Apri 1897-Fear of changes, Congo financials
April 1897-Let's build a Zeppelin
April 1897-Gun problems solved at Skoda
April 1897- A new type of automobile
May 1897- U Boat!
May 1897-Dalmatian Railway
May 1897-Torpedo problems
June 1897- Budgets

June 1897-Arriving for the Fleet review at Spithead

July 2019-Arriving for the Corination review at Spithead

June 1897-Artillery reequip
June 1897-Shipping developments
June 1897-A trio of Tisza's
June 1897-Communications in rural Hungary
July 1897-With Queen Vic
July 1897-Thoughts in Whitehall opposition
July 1897- A wedding in Budapest
August 1897-Electoral discussions
August 1897-Diamonds and art
August 1897- Schreck contracts

August 1897-Elections and medical breakthroughs

September 1897-Girl's birthday parties and women's clothing

September 1897-End of the Mahadist State
October 1897-Cuba in his sights
October 1897- Silencer
November 1897-The railway comes North
January 1898-Meanwhile, in Havana
February 1898- Two bangs gain a war
February 1898-prelude to war
February 1898- Aguinaldo makes an approach
February 1898-New dreadnoughts
March 1898- Another Whitehead
March 1898-Bukama and the mining industry
March 1898- A coming battle
March 1898-Victory?
March 1898-Annihilation at Manila
March 1898-Education in the Congo
April 1898-Armoured trucks
April 1898-Letters
April 1898- A sortie from Cuba
May 1898- Purgatory at Puerto Rico
May 1898- A declaration of independence
May 1898-A Prime Minister is dismissed
May 1898- A Spanish peace feeler
May 1898-Money for independence

May 1898- Picking through the lots in a colony sale

May 1898-Peace proposal on the verge of acceptance

May 1898-Offers, offers
June 1898-Peace, a colonial carve up
July 1898- A Saharan carve up
July 1898-Pre departure talks
July 1898-A rapid escalation in wealth
July 1898-Arms sales to Abyssinia
July 1898-On the way to the Congo and Marxism
July 1898-Congolese defence forces
August 1898-Changes in Split
August 1898-Meetings
August 1898- An application of penicillin
August 1898-Having a ball in the Congo
September 1898-Motivations
September 1898- An imperial assasination
September 1898- A bad cellar to be in
September 1898-Aftermath
September 1898-Aftermath 2
April 1899- The fall of Rhodes
April 1899- Five states of being
April 1899- Railway and Mining boom
April 1899-Sahara's new Governor
April 1899 - Lost plans

May 1899- A prelude to the Cisleithanian 1901 elections

May 1899-Labour laws
December 2017-I have met a girl
May 1899-Income tax reform
May 1899-First flight of LZ-1
U-1 and U-2
May 1899-Consolidating the railways
June 1899-Taxation, income tax
June 1899- The seeds of change in Russia
July 1899-Zeppelin OZ-1
August 1899-A new drug empire
August 1899- Rockets red glare
August 1899- Dreadnoughts hit the sea

September 1899- Dancing, Brazilian inheritance

September 1899-Heartburn at the Admiralty

September 1899- Postal arrangements

October 1899-War clouds gather on a number of fronts

October 1899- Battleship angst
November 1899- Happenings in Albania
November 1899-Boer War policy
November 1899- Death of a President

November 1899-The plight of fatherless children

December 1899- Bedtime conversaions and Boxers

December 1899- Italian thoughts on dreadnoughts

June 1900-A new mountain gun
June 1900-First Flight
June 1900-The British react

June 1900- Presidential election on the horizon

June 1900-Final voyage of the old flagship

JUne 1900-UHE and Russian joint task force puts to sea

June 1900-Cornering a spy

June 1900- The final destruction of the Beiyang Fleet

June 1900-Legation quarter
June 1900-Electrification
June 1900- Rail developments, Lake Tanganyika
June 2018-Congo 2018
June 2018-Congo vacation
July 1900-Luis steps up to 2 i/c

July 1900- An assasination and future questions

January 1901-Current events
January 1901-China concessions
January 1901-Panic versus overconfidence

January 1901- An after action report from Peking

January 1901- The march of father time
February 1901-Death of a Queen and Empress
February 1901-A Portugese Tungsten mine
February 1901-Navy update
February 1901-Army update

February 1901-Diplomatic discussions with the new King

February 1901- Elections and Physicists
March 1901-Pulsudski moves on
November 1902- An intervention in Venezuela
November 1902- A trip to Brazil
November 1902-A Russian Pacific transfer
November 1902- Departing Fiume
November 1902-Kommando tortures in the Congo
November 1902- A demonstration in a field
November 1902- A Congolese deployment
November 1902- Chinese silver
November 1902-Upcoming Congo departures

December 1902- On board with the Brazilian navy

December 1902- The taking of Rio part 1

December 1902-Morning after

December 1902- An announcement of revolution and Empire

December 1902- American Sitszkreig

December 1902- Revolutionary successes, succession dilemmas

December 1902- Political status of the various areas

December 1902- Resistance collapses in the face of inevitability

January 1903- Not the next generation, the one after that

January 1903 - State of naval play
January 1903- A switch to Adriatic defence
January 1903- Fake Programs
February 1903- Brazil moving forward
February 1903- Resolution in Acre
March 1903- Arrival in the Congo
March 1903- Changes in Lodomeria
March 1903- Congo State Rail
March 1903- A Brazilian trip to the UHE
November 1903-Tensions in the Far East

November 1903- Naval and other developments in Brazil

November 1903-Thoughts of the Tsar on Manchuria

November 1903-Coco Island stop
November 1903- Chinese thoughts
November 1903-Succession changes
December 1903- Luis returns, naval matters
December 1903- New machine gun
December 1903- Fisher reaches the pinacle

December 1903- A stepping down, an engagement, a future wedding

December 1903- War clouds in the Far East-again

January 1904-Russian arrivals, Japanese plans
January 1904- "The talk" and family moments
January 1904- Departure and flogging
February 1904- Plans to a "swept" channel
February 1904- Disasterous starts
February 1904- Tied hands in London
February 1904 - A Brazilian Imperial arrival

March 1904- A battle is fought, Rudolf's thoughts

March 1904- Thoughts of Togo
March 1904- Obscure appointments
March 1904- Schencker expansion, containers

March 1904-There are ever those that disagree....

April 1904- Developments at Whitehead
April 1904-Sins of the father
April 1904-New army Chief of Staff
April 1904- Doctors in love
May 1904- The end of the IJN main body
May 1904-Aviation developments
May 1904- British plans...
May 1904-UHE Fleet update
June 1904-New coins, old monarch
June 1904- Changes in Russia
June 1904- The spread of penecillin
June 1904- A new addition to a genius family
July 1904- Balfour feels the pressure
July 1904- Japanese dilemmas
July 1904 - A Sultan on his death bed
July 1904 - Coastal artillery

August 1904- Feelers for peace, possible Entente Cordiale

August 1904 - New economic thoughts in Brazil, banking, rubber, steel

August 1904 - Peace demand thoughts

September 1904 - The problems of a terminal President

September 1904 - A Papal election

December 1904- A new heir to a restored Empire

December 1904 - Congo developments

January 1905 - Busy shipyards

January 1905 - New innovations in naval gunnery

January 1905 - Carnolia elevation

February 1905 - Navy airships

February 1905 - Mapping out a path for German goodwill

March 1905- Rail developments and consolidation

March 1905 - A death in office
March 1905- Economic considerations and GDP
March 1905 - On a grey horse
April 1905 - Common expenditures and revenue
April 1905- Rudolf and Nicky discuss Willy
April 1905 - Churchill and Fisher discuss

September 2018 - A blueprint of the road to war

March 1908 - The succession and Lola
April 1908- A massacre at Lisbon
April 1908- Over the Adriatic
April 1908- Winds of change in the U.K
April 1908- Naval state of play 1908
April 1908- Tapping steel in Brazil
May 1908- Naval aviation?

June 1908- Who do you think you are kidding Mr Hitler

June 1908- Triple Entente-Into one camp or another

June 1908- Is it an enigma or a mystery
July 1908- Case Green
July 1908- State of the Congo
July 1908- Congo map

August 1908- A new arrival ,a naval discussion

August 1908 - Italy lays a Schreck
Congo province map
February 2020- Women's rights a look back

September 1908- Phosphates in a mountain of sand

October 1908- A new government in Budapest
October 1908- Ethiopian sinking
The Road to War

November 1908- Getting older and sub machine guns

November 1908- UHE Naval update
December 1908- A return from the Congo
December 1908-Succession resolved

January 1909 - It is a new broom here in Vienna Mr Trotsky

February 1909- A Tsar and a Kaiser

February 1909 - A ball and the affirmation of an heir

January 1912- The fall of the Qing

January 1912- Naval state of play

January 1912- A split within and without the SD's

February 1912- Aircraft competitions

February 1912- The first stirings of carrier aviation

March 1912- Zipping to success
April 1912- Brazilian economy turns slowly
April 1912- An uneventful trip
May 1912- The army gets a new commander
June 1912- E Boats?

June 1912- Rise of the USA plus planes, trains and automobiles cost money

July 1912-Roosevelt contemplates
July 1912- Sales to Greece, orders by Greece
August 1912- Congo rail completion
September 1912- The 1912 census
October 1912- And the money keeps rolling in
October 1912- A colossus of a President falls
November 1912- The Regia Marina awakes
December 1912- Charitable arrangements

January 1913- Naval developments and laying a fleet flagship

February 1913- Army developments
February 1913-Russian letters
March 1913-High Seas Fleet
March 1913-Assasinations and marriages
April 1913-Phosphate rails

April 1913-Covering the Bosphorus like Jason and the Argonauts

May 1913-A German wedding and conversations

June 1913- An attempted reverse course by Britain

July 1913-UHE Naval update
July 1913-Heavy bombers
July 1913- Elections in Germany
August 1913- France strains her sinews
September 1913- The Pashas grow restless

September 1913- Bypassing the heir in Ethiopia

October 1913 - Sperrbrecher’s

November 1913-Albanian railways

November 1913- A mutual defence treaty in South America

July 2019- A Royal Albania meeting

December 1913- Counter alliances in the Southern hemisphere

December 1913- Shooting it out
January 1914-South American navies
January 1914- American thoughts
February 1914-Scandals in Japan

March 1914- Social changes, first hints of power devolution

March 1914-Death of an Empress
April 1914- A new way of delivering a torpedo
May 1914- Tesla and aircraft

May 1914- Maritime disasters and American agression

June 1914 - And a shot rang out

June 1914- Still setting the standard for oil

June 1914- Thrust to the forefront, America declares

June 1914-The shipyards are working overtime

June 1914- Arrivals and thoughts on the Congo

July 1914- An improvement in MTB's in a small yard

July 1914- Natural Gas and He
July 1914- America invaded!
August 1914-Jumping into the big blue
August 1914- Second last night in the Congo
August 1914-Russia reinforces the Far East
September 1914-Ghosts from the past
September 1914- A return home, a war update
October 1914- There is no fear of revolution
November 1914- Soaring expenditures

December 1914- Developments in the back blocks

January 1915- Evaluating the threat
February 1915- Congolese deployments
February 1915- Jackie Fisher contemplates
April 1915- A visit to Constanza
May 1915-Talking young love and duty
May 1915- Largest ship so far takes the sea
May 1915- Kongo U-Boat
June 1915- New fighter, new guns
June 1915-Coming to America
July 1915- Schlieffen emerges
July 1915-Developments in Mexico
July 1915- Developments in Brazil
July 1915 - The path of least resistance
August 1915- Horthy works up his command

September 1915-The two words every young man dreads

October 1915- New battleships, thoughts

October 1915- Grinding into Mexico

November 1915- Dissolution of the Imperial fiat

December 1915 - Reasons to start worrying about a Congo defence

December 1915- Last pre war RN battleships laid

December 1915-The start of a difficult year
January 1916-Germany's swollen shipyards
January 1916- The first step towards war

February 1916- Rudolf's half sister leaves for the Congo

February 1916- The tide of war turns fully against Mexico

February 1916 - The new battleship arrives
March 1916- Coup in Istanbul
March 1916-An isolated lighthouse is built

April 1916- Even before a war they are still a girl's best friend

April 1916- A poisoner found and exposed
April 1916- One bombardment deserves another
April 1916-France
April 1916-Germany
April 1916-Russia
April 1916-Belgium
April 1916-United Kingdom
April 1916-Ottomans
April 1916-Italy
April 1916-Japan
April 1916-Chile
April 1916-Argentina
April 1916-Brazil
April 1916-UHE and Congo
April 1916- An ultimatum arrives
April 1916- A shot rings out
April 1916- Biting off more than you can chew
April 1916- Ottomanizing the Empire
April 1916 -Rushing to war
April 1916- A German note
April 1916- First Naval sortie
April 1916- A unexpected telegram
April 1916- A sortie to the Far South
April 1916- Chaos at the River Plate
April 1916-A conundrum for Churchill
April 1916- A French reply
April 1916- An Italian reply

May 1916 - One wedding and three major powers at war

May 1916- British considerations

May 1916- Sailings cut, merchant fleet investigated

May 1916-They are going through Belgium..

May 1916-War!

May 1916- I declare, you declare, we all declare

May 1916-UHE Navy update
May 1916-List of coutries at war
May 1916-First sorties
May 1916-War news
May 1916- The Army makes it's first moves
May 1916- The Russians arrive in Germany
May 1916- Early land movements

May 1916-RN arrives in Italy with a dubious Admiral

May 1916- Northern Italian campaign turns against Cadorna

May 1916- The fleets come to grips
June 1916-war reports
June 1916- A small fleet a long way from home
June 1916- Hoisted on one's own flagpole
June 1916-Fall of a First Sea Lord
June 1916- Don't think-Do!
June 1916- Plans of Taft

End of story and link to new thread for Rudolf Will Reign Part 2