Mozambicans arrive

[swamphen]

I've datelined this 1 October, assuming that the Mozambicans wouldn't be discovered for two months is a little hard to swallow for me. ;) And besides, having a small area experience a 'second Event' might make for some interesting reactions in the rest of ME. ;) But, if y'all would really prefer that the TL be altered to include the "Mozzies" on 1 Aug, I can easily change it...

This is the first of (??) parts. More tonight or tomorrow morning...

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1 October 2004
Beira, Empire of Mozambique

Patrick II, Emperor of Mozambique, looked over his fleet. The Royal Naval Review had gone well, and the annoucement that the next Battlecruiser would be fusion-powered had been a spectacular sucess.

Suddenly, across the south edge of the harbour, and extending east and west as far as the eye could see, there appeared a brillant blue wall of light...

[swamphen]

+1 minute

As the pulsating blue wall of light faded away, the Emperor snapped into his military mode. He ran to the nearest alarm box, activated it with his handprint, and pulled the lever.

Sirens began sounding across the harbour, and sailors rushed to their ships. Emperor Patrick called for his car, jumped in and raced for the HQ.,,

What he had seen had shocked him. On the south side of the harbour, where the megalopolis of South Beira had been, there was now...nothing.

[swamphen]

+3 hours
Bunker somewhere under the desert

Emperor Patrick II (aka Generalissmo Patrick O'Connell) of the Mozambican Empire sat down at the table. His advisors...what were left of them...took their seats around the table (it was round, and most of the advisors were/had been knights, of course). Also attending was Lt. Col. Lydia O'Connell, a (distant) niece of the Emperor, who was the CO of the Republic of Siberia AF 132 Squadron, which had been training with their Mozambican allies, and had been transported along with the rest.

"Well," Patrick began, "what have we determined?"

"We've been making overflights using our...special assets (1) since about 15 minutes after the Event," said Grand Admiral Miburo Mackensie, chief-of-staff of the RMN and newly-appointed defense minister. "Most of the Empire, and all of the rest of the world as we knew it, is...gone."

"Gone?"

"Yes, sir. As I said, everything south of Beira and north of Quelimane, is gone. Most of the western territories are intact - thank God - but none of the countries we used to border on are there."

"Good heavens!" exclaimed the acting Agriculture Minister, Ms. Janine Uhura. "The Boers, the Kenyans, the Angolans - they're simply gone?"

"Yes, ma'am."

Colonel O'Connell spoke up. "What about Siberia?"

Admiral Mackensie sighed. "I'm sorry, Colonel. Everything is gone. EVERYTHING."

"So what IS out there?" asked the Emperor.

"Well, based on our intercepts, we have two different South Africas to our south - the Federal Republic of the Cape of Good Hope to the southwest, and the Union of South Africa to the southeast. To the east, we have the Kingdom of Madagascar, which appears to have also colonised Zanzibar and is apparantly claiming the area to our north. To the west, we have a nation calling itself the 'Georgian Congo', and to the north, most interesting, we have what appears to be a Roman Empire of sorts, called the Hesperian Empire...that is still using biplanes."

"Most interesting. Proceed."

"Yes, sir. All the nations of this Earth appear to have been transported here from other dimensions, as were we, creating a virtual 'moasic Earth', if you will. It appears that all the others experienced a similar 'Event' about two months ago. Also - most of the nations on this Earth appear to use Zeppelin technology to varying degrees."

"Fascinating."

"Your reccomendations, sir?"

"Broadcast a universal message in all languages - " the Emperor than dicates the message (2). "The Colonel and I have somewhere to visit."

--

(1) "Other assets" here refers to a hypersonic spyplane, codenamed ALICE, that is the Mozambican version of the American AURORA. (OOC: this is the plane Testors kitted as the 'SR-75 Penetrator'.)

(2) See the diplomatic thread.

[swamphen]

+4.5 hours
Corridor in a bunker somewhere under the desert

Generalissmo Patrick O'Connell, Emperor Patrick II of the Mozambican Empire, and his (distant) neice, Lieutenant Colonel Lydia O'Connell of the Siberian Air Force, left the briefing room and headed for the underground airstrip.

"So Siberia's really gone," muttered Lt. Col. O'Connell.

"Indeed. I'm sorry you're stuck here."

"I'm more worried about my grandmother." (1)

"She's what now, 84?"

"Yeah."

"I know it sounds, well, silly, but I'm sure she can take care of herself."

The Colonel chuckled. "I guess you're right. I should be thanking God I wasn't flying when this...event happened, instead of worrying about something I can't control."

"Good thinking," said the Emperor. "And now, I'm going to give you two things to worry about you CAN control."

"Which are?"

"Well, for one, all my heirs were in the parts of the Empire that were not transported. When it comes to the Mozambican O'Connells, I'm now like Tigger from Winnie the Pooh - the only one."

Colonel O'Connell thought for a minute. "And how does this affect me?"

Generalissmo O'Connell stopped and looked into his niece's eyes. "You are my closest relative in this universe we find ourselves in; therefore you are now the heir to the Mozambican throne."

The Colonel took a moment to take this in. "But I'm not a Mozambican citizen..."

"You are now. As of now. Along with all your squadronmates. 132 Squadron, SAF, is now No. 132 Squadron, RMAF. I think we might need all the forces we can, perhaps sooner than we think."

"You think so?"

Generalissmo O'Connell nodded, and started heading down the corridor again. "I have a bad feeling about this."

The Colonel hurried to keep up with the tall man's strides. "And what's the other thing I'm to worry about?"

"As heir to the throne, you now have Alpha Omega security clearance. Access to every secret the Empire has. Every one. And where I'm about to take you, you'll get to see a lot of them. And you cannot tell a soul what you see, what you know. Not your squadronmates, not your friends, not your grandmother if we ever make it back - nobody. Kapish?"

Colonel O'Connell thought for a minute. "I guess so. So where are we going?"

The Emperor paused, checked to see if anyone was within earshot, then answered.

"Area 52."

---

+4.7 hours
Underground airbase, somewhere under the desert.

The ventilation system engaged as the engines of the Su-37U Flanker-M screamed up to full power at the end of the runway, held back by a 'bridle' similar to the one on an aircraft carrier's catapult.

Ten thousand feet ahead, two enourmous steel doors, eight feet thick and weighing 250 tons each, swung open.

With the touch of a button, the bridle was relased, and the Sukhoi leapt forwards like a turpentined cat. The fighter jet was airborne 6000 feet before it exited the underground base.

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

(1) - The grandmother of Lieutenant Colonel Lydia O'Connell is retired Major General Lydia Litvyak, the highest ranking ace of the Siberian Air Force with 59 kills (including victories scored while serving in the Soviet VVS and the Free Russian Air Corps).

[swamphen]

+6 hours
Somewhere over the African desert

The sleek Sukhoi two-seat fighter streaked over the desert. Generalissmo Patrick O'Connell (Emperor Patrick II) banked his craft to the left and pressed the radio button.

"Doghouse Two-One, this is Red Zero-Zero, over."

The response was immediate: "Red Zero-Zero, this is Doghouse Two-One. Authenticate Omega Omicron Iota Chi Bravo and state aircraft type."

"Alpha Zeta Rho Iota Omega-Omega-Omega. Sierra-Uniform-Gamma-Eta-Uniform."

A pause. "Good afternoon, SIR! Winds two-nine-zero at five. Satellite landing system is OUT. Prepare for directed approach."

From the back seat, Lieutenant Colonel Lydia O'Connell spoke up. "Who is 'Doghouse Two-One'? I didn't know there was an airport anywhere near here."

"Observe and learn, Grasshopper."

"Red Zero-Zero, Doghouse Two-One. You are in the capture box for Runway Two-Nine. Begin approach plan Delta Zeta."

"Two-Nine and Delta Zeta, roger, Red Zero-Zero."

Suddenly the Sukhoi pitched down and went into a steep left bank.

"Red Zero-Zero, come left to one-seven-five, decend to five-five. Looking good. Come right to one-nine zero. Maintain course and altitude. Time set on my mark. Three, two, one, MARK."

Patrick pushed the intercom button. "Lydia. Look down. What do you see?"

"Umm, desert sand?"

"Very good. Now watch, Grasshopper."

"Red Zero-Zero, hard left to two-nine-zero, then maximum performance decent. Decent profile Omega Six. You are cleared for landing."

"Red Zero-Zero copies."

Again, the hard left turn. Then a decent - at an alarming pace.

"Uncle, is this the normal decent for this place?"

"Indeed, Grasshopper. Now watch dead ahead."

"Assuming dead ahead isn't the appropate term..." Lydia grumbled under her breath. Then louder: "Why the crazy approach angle and why leave the gear up so long?"

"Look left and you'll find your answer...NOW."

Lydia looked left. At first she saw nothing. Then, very briefly, she spotted a Birdkiller SAM emplacement...tracking their plane.

The aircraft was now in roughly a 45-degree-angle decent, with the power off, the speedbrake out and the gear up - apparently approaching a barren desert.

Suddenly, directly ahead, a stretch of desert appeared to darken. As the darkening continued, a runway became visible, 25,000 feet long and 250 feet wide.

The Colonel was astounded. "How do they do that?"

"Sprinklers," the Genaralissmo said with a chuckle. (1)

At only 250 feet, Patrick pulled his craft out of its dive, retracted the speedbrakes and extended the gear. The Sukhoi touched down a mere 100 feet down the massive runway, but Patrick was in no hurry to brake. The plane ate up 12,500 feet of runway before it had slowed to 80 knots and turned off the runway.

Maintaing a very fast taxi, the Emperor aimed the plane for what appeared to be a sand dune. Suddenly the 'sand' began moving, and the dune was shown for what it was - an extremely well camoflauged hardened aircraft shelter.

Still going 50, the aircraft entered the shelter. Patrick flipped a small switch on his panel, and the Sukhoi's arrestor hook dropped, snagging a cable and bringing the fighter to a halt, as the blastproof doors closed behind it.

---

(1) Those of you who have read Dale Brown's Battle Born will know how this was inspired. ;)

[swamphen]

+7 hours

The introductions were brief. Generalissmo O'Connell explained to "Area 52's" commander, Major-General Riggs, what had happened - and also that the Colonel was Alpha Omega cleared, which annoyed the General to no end.

"But she's a foreigner - "

"Not anymore," The Generalissmo's/Emperor's voice was tinged with steel. "And I will tolerate no further discussion on the subject."

"Yes, sir." The General was clearly NOT happy with the situation, but wisely let the matter drop.

"Now, I want to know the status of the AWS projects. (1) All of them."

Major Sarah Langston, A52 projectes officer, cleared her throat. "Sir, as you know we had a wholly sucessful test of PROMETHESUS (2) six months ago. Another test wass scheduled for two weeks from now..."

"Cancel it."

"Sir?"

"The Americans didn't run any A-bomb tests between Trinity and Hiroshima. How many PROMETHESUS are there?"

"Six, with two more nearly completed."

"I declare PROMETHESUS Phi-Omega operational. (3)"

"Yes, sir. Now, THUNDERBIRD (4) is 98% complete, and will be ready for flight-testing in six months - "

"Three."

"FISHFRY (5) is two years away from prototype testing - "

"One."

"Five years to launch for HAWKEYE (6) - "

"Three."

Here's one he can't accellerate, thought Major Langston. "INFINITI had a breakthrough last year. INFINITI-1 is fifteen years away. INFINITI-2, thirty. Still need a breakthrough for INFINITI PRIME." (7)

"Ten, twenty, and throw everything you've got at it!"

---

(1) AWS - Advanced Weapons System.

(2) PROMETHESUS - Plasma warhead. Not like the ones from Dale Brown's books. Rather, it's based on a description of a weapon in a technothriller (set around ~2020 IIRC) that I unforuntatly cannot remember the author or series names, but the book was Terminal Run.

PROMETHESUS is a very powerful (cobalt?) nuclear bomb that, upon detonation, is 'trapped' in a 'magnetic bottle' for roughly the first ten to fifteen milliseconds. That doesn't sound like much, but it's enough that all the radioactive nasties - along with everything else - have been disintigrated into subatomic particles. So you have a bomb that is cleaner than even a conventional explosive. Everything within ~100 feet is 100% vaporised/'subatomicised'; ~250 feet disintrigated, and ~500 feet melted down/destroyed. Oddly, anyone outside of ~1000 feet, if they had something between them and the bomb, might not even notice that it had gone off...!

(3) - Phi security clearance - "need-to-know" - and Omega operational constraints - "by-direct-orders-of-the Emperor-only".

(4) - THUNDERBIRD is a Tu-160 'Blackjack' modified to run on a fusion reactor. (As the New Hebrides has a microfusion-powered jet, perhaps we could exchange technologies?)

(5) - FISHFRY - Laser pistol. The Mozambicans had three Airborne Laser Systems (in modified B-52s) but they didn't come along for the ride. Area 52 does, however, have a Tu-160 being modified to carry the 'big gun'...

(6) - HAWKEYE is a fusion-reactor-powered space station, intended to be placed at the L1 Lagrange point.

(7) - INFINITI is the most far-fetched of these projects. INFINITI-1 is a practible antimatter reactor. INFINITI-2 is an antimatter-powered spacecraft, and INFINITI PRIME is the achevement of faster-than-light travel...

[swamphen]

+2 days

Speech of Emperor Patrick II

"My people of Mozambique:

As you undoubtably know by now, yesterday our country experienced an event that, although I would not term it unprecedented (1), was most certainly unfortunate and unexpected. Part of our country was transported across the sea of time, through the fifth dimension.

We have not gone into the future or into the past. Instead, we have traveled "across time", to an alternate universe, to a Earth where all the nations have experienced a similar effect. (2)

Large parts of our country did not come with us. Undoutbably our friends and loved ones left behind are wondering what happened. Although we should think of them, we should not mourn. Whether or not we can go back, I do not yet know; but events in the 'old world' are beyond our control.

Instead, let us focus on our new world. Let us explore. Let us make new friends. While not forgetting the past, let us forge ahead into the future.

There have been some reports that none of my heirs were brought with us in the Event. This is true; however, I have already made sure that, in the event of my having an accident, there would be a heir to rule my people.

We have already made contact with a number of the nations of this Earth. So far, all contacts have been friendly; our borders are secure. We have information, however, that not all the nations here are as amenable. Some, I hear, may be intolerable by their very exsistance. To anyone who wishes us evil, let them know that we are quite capable of defending ourselves by any means necessary.

My people, let us raise the standard of freedom and unity in this 'mosaic Earth'. Let us show the peoples of this world what Mozambicans are made of. Let us show that, even if the worst case scenario happens to this planet, the Empire of Mozambique will always be there, as the last, best hope for peace.

Thank you."

---

(1) Nobody else knows it, but the Emperor has been transported across time himself, once before...

(2) Penciled note in margin of speech draft: "I hate temporal mechanics!"

-----------------

And that ends this little epistle, having tipped the hat to all of the 'big three' SF series, a couple of technothrillers, and a comic strip. Whaddya think?

[G.Bone]

Big Three? :confused: :confused: (Though I like the footnotes)

[swamphen]

Big Three? :confused: :confused: (Though I like the footnotes)

Glad you like 'em. :D

The 'big three' Sci-Fi series that get a mention here (the part of the quote not in italics is the mention):

Star Trek: *
...the acting Agriculture Minister, Ms. Janine Uhura...
Penciled note in margin of speech draft: "I hate temporal mechanics!"

Star Wars:
Generalissmo O'Connell nodded, and started heading down the corridor again. "I have a bad feeling about this."

and Babylon 5:
...the Empire of Mozambique will always be there, as the last, best hope for peace.

:D

* - In the TL the Mozambicans came from (Universe 102.5), Lt. Gene Roddenberry was killed in the sinking of the USS Franklin off of Okinawa. So no Trek in their TL.