A healthy baby boy...

[G.Bone]

...and now we come to the offspring of Kaiser Friedrich III...

It is at this point, dear reader that one must be acquianted on how many there are and where are they as of 1895;

The Crown Prince, the focus of this narrative, is busy in Germany, attempting to gain power through a controlled political party structure that rivals any visions that Marx would have of an Insitutionalized Revolutionary Party (in Spanish it would be the PRI).

Prince Heinrich of Prussia, otherwise known as Kapitän Heinrich of Prussia, or simply known as Kapitän Heinrich, is busy in Sudwestafrika, attempting to deal with the Dar-Es-Salaam-Windhoek Railroad, as well as the matter of the Boers, as well as the matter of the Afrikan/Afrikaans situation in his own colony, and the whole (extinct) matter of racism.

Prince Waldemar is in Kamerun, and has been...distracted by the incoming refugees from Brazil/Argentina/Uruguay. Some of them look attractive. Others seem to be really of a mind that he could do something with his life. Although Kamerun is a military state run by Commodore von Spree (just promoted himself to Admiral ), the potential of something other than his elder brother's policy is a good thing. He is getting out more....

Prince Sigismund is in London, as the Americans would say - lobbying -, for recognition of his elder brother's place as Kaiser. It's not going very well for hiim. Often times he has invitations from the Irish and other sectors of the British commons on "teaching them the tenets of New Socialism". Prince Sigismund does attend, but pushes for a more moderate version of "New Socialism"; as in, working within the system as the Compromise of '79 did, and not aping the Prince's actions as of late.

Princess Sophia is in another place of London, utterly disgusted by her brothers, and trying to prove she's "English". To cross her lines with an English noble would be a lifelong dream - she thinks - but cannot find any decent man that would take her offer. The taint of her elder brother is everywhere she goes. Princess Sophia then decides to leave to Canada, because in her letters to her mother; At least they're kinder over there.

Finally* - there is Princess Margarete of Prussia, who has married a psuedo-Danish German count*, and has been keeping a very low profile due to the catastrophic division that her elder brother has made. Princess Margarete is noted throughout the Empire as a non-entity, repeatedly vowing that she is simply a princess and nothing will come her way. Although she is not as firm as her sister is in the English ways, she does see the advantages of being English.

It is this fact that is key to the succession lines of Kaiser Fredrich III, who is becoming little more than a "lame duck", given that his elder son has ursuped his power. The only thing now is to abdicate. His pet Chancellor is gone. The Conservatives are busy fighting The Party on not gaining control over all of the Empire. The NLP are helping them and are being almost lynched for their actions.

The fact of his wife's sudden absence within Berlin has only made it worse.

It would be bad form for him to do the Nipponsee thing*. Kaiser Friedrich III has not gotten a response from Austria. There is a Russian Army in Poland.

Kaiser Fredrich III is a dead man.

Thus it is that Kaiser Fredrich III writes the last letter he will write as Kaiser; the instrument of abdication. *

I, the German Emporer, King of Prussia, do abdicate my rights as the ruler of the German peoples as a result of the treacherous acts of my eldest son and his mentor, Prince Otto von Bismarck, and realize the fate that I have done in attempting to set the Empire upon a position in the greater community of my fellow emporers. It is my own wishes that my eldest sun shall never become Kaiser nor his descendents nor the men that he associates with. His family is forever barred from the throne as his deeds have shown him to be a sin upon the family. I, Kaiser Fredrich III, do in this document, forever disown him and his family.

I, Kaiser Fredrich III, cannot annoint the second in line, for he has been corrupted as well. Thus it is that I have come to my decision on whom shall rule. Let them hold the unity that is the Empire and let them have a future far beyond what my eldest son has done to me.

I, Kaiser Fredrich III, do annoint this throne and title to Princess Margarete, who has shown her faith in a way that my mind is lifted from the sorrows that it has over the years. Her children will become Kaiser; I have hopes that they will advocate peace rather than war. In association with this statement, I do appoint Prince Waldemar as second in line, in hopes that he can find a decent position in life. While I do know that this goes beyond any principle that the German Empire has ruled upon as well as the Kingdom of Prussia, I am willing to allow a Regency composed of the leading Conservative & National Liberal Party leaders to help advise them on their new responsiblities. May God shine upon you -

Kaiser Fredrich III's body is found at his desk, ironically, by the former Chancellor Bismarck and Prince Chlodwig zu Hohenlohe-Schillingsfürst* (a firm ally of Bismarck) who has been elected as Chancellor in an emergency vote to avert total destruction by "The Party" and The Crown Prince. They were going to talk to the Kaiser about appealing to abdicate for a minor sibiling or scion. There is the Kaiser, sprawled on the floor, a piece of paper lying on the ground, his face contorted with pain.

The doctors state that it was stress that did him in. Almost everyone knows the cause of it. Kaiser Fredrich III is pronounced dead on the Ides of March, 1895, from a massive heart attack. The results are swiftly published and announced, along with the abdication.

The Crown Prince is not pleased.

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*Princess Viktoria is not born ITTL; rather her sister is her replacement. The former Princess Royalle stopped at Princess Margarete, citing the on-going difficulties with her other sons. (She had personally disowned her eldest at an early age and upon the rumor that he was meeting up with Chancellor von Bismarck)
*Prince Frederick Charles of Hesse-Kassel, linked by blood to the Royal House of Denmark through his sister, who is the King's Consort, wife, and "source" of continued heirs. Diplomatic relations with Denmark is kind of "iffy" due to the concentration on the Continent as well as other areas...
*seppuku, although he doesn't have a knife
*based on OTL's Abdication of Edward VIII although a whole lot nastier and politically based, due to the conditions
*elected way earlier than OTL due to migating circumstances

[Wendell]

"Englishlanders" strikes me as improper, or was that the point?

(Isn't it Angland)

Anyway, it looks like the old Kronprinz (Furst?) might have himself a civil war...and maybe with the Danes-What fun

[G.Bone]

Retcon: Please regard the above "Englishlanders" as simply the Englisch.

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As one could expect, the duties of being second in line is profoundly refuted by Prince Waldemar, who is quoted in the Colonial Gazette in saying;

My brother is of iron. Admiral von Spree has nothing against him. Kamerun does have it's advantages.

But as one is pleasently surprised, The Prince does not press his luck against the infamous Instrument of Abdication. It is said that when he was informed of the event, The Prince was touring Gdansk, learning what it meant to be Polish and Roman Catholic, and interrupted by the news that his father was dead. The Prince does not jump with glee; instead he says a prayer right then and there for his fallen father.

Out of respect of the dead, he does not attend the funeral.

If the shock of the Telegraph Affair had eclipsed 1894/5, then the Abdication Affair swallowed up the following years of 1895/6/7. The funeral alone was a political hot potatoe, with the Princess Royalle attending the service but dropping daggers every which way against her disowned son. Prince Sigismund appears at the funeral dressed as a financial broker would in London. The funeral is most noted for those that appear rather than not.

Princess Margarete is now the first Empress of Germany. Her husband is now the Kaiser Consort. Her advisors are from the NLP urge her to create a hasty treaty with her brother, whom has a firm lock on the industrial and military might of the Empire. Those that are from the Conservative factions urge her to simply address the growing rift that characterizes her family and the Continent as well. The latter notion is easier than the first.

The first action that she does as Empress of Germany is to convene a 'conference' with her brother and the various other parties of the Empire upon the notion of the Continent. She extends the invitation to her brothers, who all try to attend with the exception of Prince Heinrich, who states that he is needed in the colonies instead of the Empire. Ironically, Prince Heinrich is the only one out of the many princes that has been faithful to the ideal of the Empire through his service to the colonies and the Kaiserliche Marine.

Upon the telling that his father died by the New York Post, Prince Heinrich comments;

My brother is the Prince; what more did you expect?

The conference is held in Brandenburg. Present within the proceedings are the heads of state that were around when the previous Kaiser was buried, taking their time in packing up their gear to leave. It is documented that the new Kaiserin spends a lot of time with the Crown Princess of Russia and her sister-in-law, the Queen Consort of Denmark, just to show that she is getting along in her new position.

However, that does not assume the issues of the civil war clinging upon the horizon. Her elder brother has to be dealt with - soon - else he will cause the said war. At any time, her elder brother can kick her off, if only he wasn't restrained by the other nobles in the area.

The conference drags on for about a fortnight. It is obvious that the small clause in the abdication will have to be ignored. It is obvious that the Conservatives are openly hostile at sharing power with the Party members, especially on giving key posts of the ministries (i.e. War or Foreign Affairs) to the Konzprinz and/or "his cronies". At one point there is an accusation that the Conservatives actually dared to sack a Party headquarters in Berlin, followed by a riot in Koln, and the sudden death of the ex-Chancellor Bismarck by an unknown sniper. There are counter-riots in Munich, followed by the utter defeat of Conservative "Loyalist" troops in Kiel, and a formal declaration by Marx Kretschmer (cousin to the famous Kapitan Kraus Kretschmer, the man who managed to save the Republic of Brazil from a naval rebellion through his U-Boat that didn't have a torpedo guidance system but most certainly proved the might of the Kaiserliche Marine*) that Kiel formally supports the Konzprinz becoming Kaiser.

The conference drags on for another week.

Finally, a compromise is reached.

Then the word comes in that a French ship in Madagascar formally opened fire on a German "stealth" cruiser for "violating it's sovereign waters"....

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* "It was an accident! Really!"
(ITTL the family of Otto Kretschmer gets a boost from the increased naval production & technical progress in the colonies)

[Wendell]

'Tis interesting so far. Was it legal for the German Empire to be led by a woman?

[G.Bone]

Conditions in Ost Afrika
By Huckel Sorenson, writer for The New York Post (1895)

While upon my late discoveries in the Cape Colony, I came upon strange rumors that Ostafrika was something different. While it did not bend over backwards for the native populations, it did have a major difference, mainly with the Muhammeds. Then there was the long heritage of it's convoys, attempting to cover the long distances between the colonies by chosing the sea, as if it were the missionary voyages to the Sandwich Isles.

It is upon my voyage to Ostafrika that I learned of the great dangers just simply getting there. The ships are constantly shepherded by British corvettes as well as other foreign navies in order to avert a war with France. The whole notion is comical until I came upon the real reason why such an even was avoided; Ostafrika does not have a navy.

It is hard to pass judgement upon them now since they do not have the complex system that Kamerun bears or Sudwestafrika. The scuttlebutt of those that do the journey from Ostafrika to the other colonies is that the Prince would have given Ostafrika up had it not been near the French and near the Brits. This may or may not be debated in it's veracity but the fact still remains that the Reich is a very turbulent place with only it's colonies as islands of peace, bouyed by their involvement in the arms trade.

Then there are the people that man the Kaiserliche Marine ships themselves. It is hard to describe to you the lines that these ships may have. They stand as any revenue cutter based in Maine or perhaps New Orleans, hunting down wayward smugglers that would dare to break the power that is the USA. They have large to medium cannons that are encased in metal. Their engines are no different from ours; I was told by a British sailor that the only reason why they are to their speed is that they trade with them.

I find it hard that they would allow those that they have defeated aboard their ships. I have been informed that Sudan is under British jurisdiction. That is a fact that I have been authenticated by the local colonial officials here. Yet the sheer presence of them as well as other people of color defy any sensible rules that an Empire should run on. The only saving grace is that they have employed German officers within the ship. I have been told that these are their 'coolies'. Would coolies be defined as those that would be given liberty to mingle with their officers as equals?

The ship that I have secured berth on is the SMS Nürnberg. They are returning from their trip from Luderitz Bay. I shall inform you more of this strange journey upon a series of states that seem so unlike us and yet similar in origin...

[Wendell]

Interesting update. Nice work using an American columnist.

[Shadow Knight]

Good update G-Bone. Again this thread/TL is one of the more unique ones out there, good job.

[Anaxagoras]

I cannot say enough how much I like this TL. It is certainly one of the best-written and most creatively-presented scenarios I have seen on this board.

Looks like things are about to blow-up big time...

[G.Bone]

Conditions in Ost Afrika
By Huckel Sorenson, writer for The New York Post (1895)

It has come to my attention that the Captain of this ship hails straight from Germany. His name is Reinhard Scheer and there is something about him that reminds me of our dear Police Commissioner. There is a difference though - perhaps it is the rule of iron that is perverse throughout his ship - or the way that his face is ravaged, as the legend goes, from a wrathful Mohammed in a battle off Madagascar. He is naught of the visage as the irritating coolies - of not of the color white - or the Marines - chattering in a language I find annoying.

Reinhard Scheer has invited me to his cabin on several occasions, just for the manners of a guest and other European glories to our fellow members of this gallant race. I have imparted on him the glories of New York City and how we are expanding each day. Reinhard Scheer has pointed out that Dar-Es-Salaam and Sudberlin is on equal footing as our beloved city, with the concession to the immigrants that are arriving each and every day, the order upon them all being German, of course.

The one major difficulty that I have come across is the devotion to the Konzprinz, or the Kaiserprinz as many tend to call him. A picture of him with a mustache, perhaps modeled on Lord Kitchner, decorates each hall and room. The picture is little more than a copy of a picture that hangs in the Captain's Cabin. Some are even crude in it's making, carved into wood, lathed in ink, and pressed on to paper to show that it is truly of the Kaiserprinz. A good number of the officers do bear the mustache in honor of the Kaiserprinz, including not only the Germans but the Italians, which strikes me as odd.

The manner of how the Crown Prince is treated in the Kaiserliche Marine runs along the late King Arthur or perhaps George Washington, the exception of him being alive as I write these words. The Captain did state that he grew up with the Prince, a dubious air attached to such an assumption, and that he is the man responsible for the colonies flourishing as they are. Even the Mohammeds, in their broken German/English patios tend to state that the Prinz is something other, a man who would show his force through equality, and has been responsible for the theft of words from our late beloved President Lincoln. I sincerely dout that his son would be bothered by it*.

Our progress is measured in days. There is the coast off the starboard side. We are accompanied by the Rainha de Portugal from Maputo. (I must apologize to the readers from afar that I do not know if it is a His Majesty's Ship, United States Ship, or the exact meaning behind the prefix SMS!*) It is strange that we should be accompanied by the Rainha de Portugal - they are far more friendlier than the British in the Cape Colony. Perhaps it is from their Prinz's move in buying Angola through ships or the USS Holland's* - or that the arms they are bearing are German - the reasons are simply boiled down to them being bribed, as a certain Hall* would do - not that I am of that department but overseas.

I have been told by the Captain that we will experience some dangers involving the French in Madagascar. It does not make any sense for us to go around Madagascar than simply to cut through the Channel. The answer is fairly obvious; yet I may have done an accident in assuring the Captain that perhaps sailing at night would be great for coverage. That would be infinitely wiser than discovering the methodolgy of the Princely gentlemen slipping a packet of money for all those cursed to enact his goals of possible war.
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*Robert Todd Lincoln; Ass't Secretary of State^ (1877-1881), Secretary of War (1881-85), US Ambassador to England (1885-1889), Secretary of State
(1889-1893, 1893- present day)
^takes the offer ITTL
*I seriously don't know if the Portuguese at this time would have HMS as their prefix for their ships.
*He means submarines. There's a subtle tension between the US Navy and the Kaiserliche Marine on the fact that their submarines are being advanced quicker than the US's and that it already has been "distributed" to the Argentinian, Spanish, and Portuguese Navies. Needless to say, the US has started to pour money in submarine development as well as counter-submarine ships, i.e. destroyers, but severely hamstrung by politics of the current year (1895)
*Tammy Hall

[Midgard]

As always, a great, well thought out TL - very enjoyable read. I would definitely be interested to see what happens in Germany now that the Kaiser is dead, and Wilhelm is, well, apparently on his way to become Kaiser himself, no matter the clause in his father's note. Let the chaos ensue... Also, will the French then oppose Wilhelm? Sounds like it would make sense, and could create another Franco-German war if things get rough. Somehow, I doubt the French army in TTL will make a better showing than at Sedan - Germany seems to be the leader in military innovation, and just appears to be a bit more powerful, plus, with the neo-Communist doctrine, a case could be made for Germany being somewhat parallel to Revolutionary France in terms of her military prowess.

[G.Bone]

Ah- the War With France...

It is an understatement that much of Germany has been orientated towards antagonizing France. It is a complete lie that the (former) Crown Prince finds the French political system adept to his purposes. The Prince is woefully hamstrung by his alliances with the Continent that such a war is impossible....

It is at this point that one must go into the Prince's own psychosis. Ever since his sons perished in the boating accident, there has been acute discoveries upon the matter that it was not simply an accident; it was an assassination attempt. It missed the eldest son, but perhaps that was the point of it. The gunpowder that rocked the ship did not have smoke - there was simply a bang - with the three sons of the Prince reduced to bone, flesh, and shattered organs in the harbor.

Only the French have gunpowder such as this. Only the French would point out in their newspapers that the Prince deserved it, not in such a blatant way, but proving it in their talks with his weak minded father. Then there is their open copying of the German arms with their own "Lafeyette" model that has eight bullets in the clip, the official snub that they have towards the German officials from the Prinz, and the open attempt upon the Prince's life in Italy, which may or may not have been another point.

For the Prince, everything is wrong with the French. They must be dismembered before they can sink their teeth into Italy or any other country. The matter of Mozambique along the Ost Coast is just a cherry on the cake. But then the crude murder of his sons occurred and it is time to unleash hell upon the French.

Then the news comes that not only the French fired upon a German ship but also "accidently" killed a US news reporter in the process. It was for The New York Post - one of those papers that are always so curious about his motives. The French government openly apologizes for the affair but they can't cover the matter up, especially with their new rifles pouring into Spain in order to counter the German war machine, and...finding their way to Cuba. It does not help them, as well, that they have managed to triumph in swaying France to their own side, bribing him with a French broad, and managing to convert the poor hapless German princess there to their own devious little ways. The poor thing never had a chance.

The thing about the Party is that it's not so much a political machine but of a social insitution. They say that there's crude copies in Amerika where a fat man bribes everyone to be part of his "agenda". He is so base, as Shakespeare would say. He should be shot for stupidity. What matters is the influence of money, guns, and a structure that a people can trust - namely the military, the militia, and a series of colonies that are actually being successfull in their ways than anything else. In the Prince's mind, his father was a genius in appointing his younger sister to the throne; at this point he can bribe the Danes and capitalize on the people to drive France into the ground, burn Paris, and give the English what they want. If the English don't want it - then they can have Morocco - the Prince does not care either way.

It is also at this point that the Prince takes Lenin under his wing. Lenin is a man that truly can see the points on how to rouse a sleeping giant into an unholy wrath of the Holy Crusades. Austria-Hungary will have to be dealt with.

It is at this point that the Prince visits Kiel. He has a nice talk with Marx Kretschmer. He visits the shipyards. This will be his time. It will be his era. It will be his century.

It is time for Poland to go free-

- Excerpt from the Kiel Gazette, 1895-

So - it has come to this-

My friends, comrades, and brothers in arms -

France has dared it's claws. It dares to say to the Amerikans - we are not responsible. It dares to say to the world - we are not at fault. It was some other country's fault - the tamed Danes - and the docile Norweigens. It was the Turks, the Greeks, the Hungarians, when it has been all their fault. It has been their fault all along and I hold them personally responsible for the slaughter upon my bloodline, upon my lost three sons, and upon my own family that they have slain my lost children in the harbor. Why else would the gunpowder not leave a trail? Why else would they be the first to say - I am so sorry for your loss - please accept our apologies - never mind that there was nothing for my sons to be buried with - three empty coffins - and the gall to seduce my addled minded father into their own peverse ways that only a Crusading Pope would know.

But I would never offend the Pope. He is a wise man. He lent me guidance in my times of sorrow. I know now the reason why we exist in the first place.

I will not lecture you upon the matters of the Hegemon; God Himself has shown the error of my ways. Look at that bay my comrades, look at the devious evil waters of the ocean. That is where my sons died. That is where our might perished upon the weak mind of my father, who bowed down to a cow of a mother, a woman that would not even befit the name of bitch, for the canines would cry at the insult. It is good that my sister is in Canada. I mean no offense to the Queen Mother but this is our time. This is our response.

If the French are to be pansies then let them give us all of their colonies in Afrika. They do not need it. In fact they are so busy killing the innocent children that they dare not to publish it in their papers. Look at this paper - does it not read - Woe to the Infidels? They are killing innocents a dime a dozen - and look at this paper - We are Sorry dear Amerika! We are sorry!

The French are our enemy to this day. We have triumphed them due to the past glories of the Chancellor Bismarck, may God judge upon the errors of his soul. We were an Empire once but we have fallen under the decay of my father and now the traitors that dare to say that we are a bunch of Jewish pandering merchants that are blind to the fact that we are not German.

What is Germany then? Look upon your visages comrades - do they not bespeak of solidarity of the Vikings, the Vandals, and the wandering Jew? Even though the Jews do not worship the Son, they are as persecuted as us, nay even hounded to the point of extinction, and we should embrace them as comrades! We are not one people under one visage of white! We are not as pure as the Finns or the Vikings! We are a bastard race! We are the mongrols, the mutts, the bitch in the streets, and the dirty orphan that was kicked by a French soldier who was commanded not by a French Emporer, but a rabble rouser from Corsica that had height problems! He was no bigger than that lad over there, the man who is wiping his nose on his sleeve, and you, dear boy with the skullcap, or you, Daughter of Eve, in a dress that has so many patches that it might as well be a quilt than the mark of superior craftmanship.

Germany is of the Hegemon. I say this because look at you. You have served with my dreams for so long that you know nothing of poverty! I have given you the world and you have given me support that I will never know thanks to my father. I have even you an Empire that holds Angola in it's grasp, the sea in the terror of the seawolves*, and Britain in the horror that we will seduce Ireland away from us, let alone be better than shipping them to Australia!

We are Germany. We are a German race that has defied an Empire and has become an Empire. I promise to you now that I will never allow you to be fallen in a state of Rome or perhaps Greece. I will make this Empire the best that it can be, and if it will not, then you, dear man with the rabbi hat, can kill me. You can come in my sleep, grab a knife, and cut my throat. I will welcome it. I will welcome it and embrace the unholy fires of Hell for not doing my job. I will be dammed before I lead you awry. This is my promise and this is my goal - to have a German people so diverse that it will stretch from the Balkans to the Atlantic that will need for nothing, want for nothing, and be as the strong might as Lord Pitt the Younger predicted the Amerikans to be. We will help the Apache, the Hopi, the Mexican, and the African to their place in the sun. They will not need for anything. We will be no longer Germany at that point; everything will have fallen for this goal of Utopia, where children shall not have hunger, the Jews shall not have fear, the Hungarians shall know the flag of Saint Stephen will be of their own, and Poland shall exist now and forevermore.

But that is a dream dangling upon an edge. We shall deal with France now. We are Sorry doesn't cut it. Henry V said it best that to unite a country we shall have to liberate a country. We shall liberate France. This I say to my Grandmother, have no fear in us. We will not slay mothers with child, play how many babes on a bayonet, and murder children in the harbors they see as a playground. We will teach them the errors of murder. We shall teach them the proper way of blood price - all of her colonies in Afrika - and let them deal with Asia. After all - their activities in Afrika is not the same in Asia - especially with this paper - if I may translate to you the words -

For this we shall expand our ventures in Indochina so that there will be no natives left. We are being threatened every day by German in Ostafrika. We shall not know fear now. We are France, the liberty granted by the Revolution, and the glories of the Third Republic. We will win again!

I tell you now, my comrades, there will be no cruel mistress for those that ire me; I shall set them free. I will given them a passage to Kamerun or Angola. God was right in saying that one should treat others as they would do unto you. But he did not say that murder was a God-given right of the French.

For this I say, let the heritage of Rome beam upon us, and the German Empire conquer the sun in the strenght of the Iron Cross!

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*slang for U-Boats & "Stealth" cruisers

[Midgard]

Simply beautiful. Sounds like France is going to be in the world of hurt.

[G.Bone]

Well - so the typewriter does not agree with me!

So - on to Russia-

Tsar Alexander III is not a kind ruler. He is autocratic. He is harsh. The favorite phrase he likes to utter is - "Russia for Russians".

Alas with strength, one can never really account for bones breaking in a train accident, even though Tsar Alexander III proves himself to be a giant of a man. His young son learns from this as well as constant abuse for him to become strong instead of being weak.*

Due to the adoption of the Reinsurance Treaty, German arms are introduced to Russia. These plans and factories are converted into being "Russian" as can be expected. There is a reason why much of the other ethnicities that would otherwise be populating a space in - oh - Lithuania & Poland - are not there; they're in Kamerun or Sudwestafrika or even other remote places.

The marriage between the Crown Prince and the former Princess Helena Victoria of Schleswig-Holstein is not exactly passionate. The Crown Princess does spend her time at the Russian Chapter of the YWCA, converted into some Russian translation of that said organization, and run by Russians. She does like children and is commented of being something along the lines of a flower in a Russian arctic plain. The compliment is documented as sounding better in Russian than in English translation.

Much akin to his "cousin" in Germany, the Crown Prince gets involved in the arms industry, even promoting the new variant of the Mosin-Nagant model, based on the Mauser Gewer '89 design, and "Russian", just to go along with his father's ...pro-Russian stance. He learns how to use it. For every blow that is made upon him on becoming strong in childhood, a bullet is fired at the Imperial firing range, and the Crown Prince becomes an excellent shot with the Mosin-Nagant and the Nagant M1893* pistol.

It is also said that within the Prince's ascension in Germany, Tsar Alexander III repeatedly pressures/abuses his eldest as to "be just like Wilhelm", and sent to train with the German advisors that the Prince has sent.

(This is before the formal Reinsurance Pact has been signed.)

The Crown Prince does like his Naant M1893 pistol. He is given it at the Imperial Armory that is running along the lines of the gun factories in Germany. He often carries it within his person when he accompanies his wife to the YWCA as well as security "watched" walks in the capital.

But the latter phrase is unimportant when it comes to the Otsu Incident of 1891.*

The incident is known for it's simplicity; the Crown Prince is visiting the far remote port of Vladivostok, where the Trans-Siberian Railroad will be starting it's long and ardous journey to Moscow. The new development of the new infantry rifles have not quite gotten there nor the oft heralded panzerkamfwagon, which at this point of time, is more of a armored train carraige than anything else. It is because of the length of Siberia that the Crown Prince takes the long way around to Vladivostok, picking up Prince George of Greece, his cousin, and visiting other places along the way that are unimportant to this narrative.

(Ostafrika was crossed out because of it's addition to the time table)

Much akin to the attempts that took his grandfather's life, the assasination attempt is done to humiliate Russia by one hand, and thus the deed has been done. The attempt is done by a Tsuda Sanzo, a policeman, and further discussion on why he did it needs not to be explained; it will only take up time. Needless to say, there is much fanfare, and then this singular dissident policeman comes after the Crown Prince with his saber.

It is remarked by the Crown Prince that if he had used a pistol, he would have been more successfull.

There comes a time when an abused man will no doubt take his anger on the poor souls that might come his way. It is the cycle of abuse. The Konzprinz's case is something that we will not discuss at this time, because he is the Konzprinz, and there is iron in his eyes.

The Crown Prince does not get a good shot at the man. Prince George of Greece takes the first blow of avoiding the saber. For some reason the would be assassin attempts to run away. The Crown Prince then shoots the man in the head with his pistol, blowing up his head, and then firing five more bullets into the still quivering corpse. It is documented that he then turns to Prince George of Greece, asking if he had any more bullets, and staring at the corpse to see if it is still alive.*

The incident sends shockwaves through Japan. The Emporer of Japan personally apologizes for the incident. The Crown Princess is worried for her husband. Prince George of Greece is trying to have him less of "Wilhelm" and more of "himself".

Ironically, the Crown Prince then proves his mettle by taking it all in. He visits the family of the slain assassin. He visits the Emporer's castle. He visits all these places - with the main "moment of surprise" being the offer of giving the fabled Mauser technical plans to Japan - and what he has heard of "dear Cousin Wilhelm".

In an interview with his father later on in the month (for it takes some time just to get back to Moscow from Japan), the Crown Prince attempts to defend his position by saying that he did do a "Wilhelm" and it is far better to be united with Japan as a vassal state than an opponent. His father hits him for this assumption but then praises his shooting of the opponent. It is then that his father starts the formal training of his son, who has killed a would be assassin, with his eldest always watching where he goes.

On another ironic note, the very same pistol that he used (later the whole incident is disputed in French Conservative circles as "impossible" and "mayhaps a German agent was present that did the deed") is given to the Emporer as a token of his gratitude that the hospitality that he had in Japan. He did visit the family of the slain policeman, as noted in the previous paragraphs, and gave them a book that his father shoved in his face to be "strong". The book is a Russian translation (well- soon to be Japanese...) of The Art of War, scribbled with annotations of the Russian Crown Prince has done while listening to the adventures of "Dear Cousin Wilhelm".

From 1891-1895, the Crown Prince grows up to become quite a different man than what his father expects of him. The Crown Prince starts to hold talks with Sergei Witte on the matter of schools situated along the railroad to help "the commons not get lost". He starts appearing in the Cabinet meetings and is noted to be "quiet as a tomb but sharp as a knife".

In 1894, due to ill health, Tsar Alexander III turns the reigns of Russia to his son, who is crowned Nicholas II, Emperor and Autocrat of All the Russias. Three weeks later, he passes away in his sleep. His funeral is attended by all the representatives of the leading heads of state, including the Konzprinz, who stays only for a short while due to his "concerns of the state", and has a quiet conversation with the new Tsar. The conversation is documented as taking 4 long hours with the Empress and one Julius Martov* present.

Julius Martov is left behind as a "gift" to the Tsar. It is at this point that the new Tsar starts to rescind much of the pro-Russian policies that his father made. The reforms - such as the establishment of the Duma with added powers - are slow. What isn't is the sudden declaration of the "Russian Socialist Party" as a political entity, immediately partaking in the reforms, and becoming quite aggressive in it's "New Socialist" agenda.

Julius Martov is present as an advisor of the said party and of the Tsar....

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Annotations
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*same as OTL although it's more of verbal abuse than Ivan the Teribble abuse with a stick
*two years earlier than OTL due to the rearamament of TTL's Germany
*the year may be wrong due to the Russian calendar, which is kind of iffy on the exact dates of what happened when
*http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C5%8Ctsu_Incident
*leading member of the Konzprinz's cadre of "friends" sometimes called "stooges", "assistants", "cohorts", "comrades", "ministers of chaos", etc.

[Midgard]

That's a better way to keep Russia around... a Berlin-Moscow-Vienna-Budapest-Tokyo axis sounds scary for Britain - especially with Washington a honorary member.

[G.Bone]

Reflections upon Russia
Thomas Hadley, Correspondent, The New York Times

It is hard to really judge on if Russia is on the path of war as Germany. While they do have the gun factories and attempts at an armored train, there is the fact that Russia is simply too big to go to war. They have yet to even link their Pacific Coast with Moscow!

However, it is not about the theory and application of war that I am writing about; it is of the government of Russia and the new Tsar. Almost everyone has heard of his famous shooting of the assassin that dared to kill him. It is said that he still carries the gun with him for security reasons. Many do not fault him for doing this.

There is no overt "worship" as the Konzprinz has in Germany; rather it is a muted respect of what the current Tsar is at the moment. The ceremony that did annoint him as Tsar was a very spartan affair. Although there was an overt "pleasing of the masses", many remembered it as more of a YWCA homeless programe than anything else. The soldiers were present to keep order. The food was handed out in a neat and orderly line. The only positive thing about it was that it appeared to go well with the commons, seeing that it lasted three days, and everyone in the city of a low income status was invited.

The Tsarina is also of a curious affair. She is more of a British princess than anything else. The limit of this, of course, is not to emulate the former Princess Royalle whom continues to get a black name on not knowing her limits within the Royal Family. Then again, the same thing could be applied to her son, who has learned well the lessons that only a woman knows.

Government within this new dynasty is a muted affair, as noted in the earlier passages. It is not unusual to see soldiers present at every major interesection, holding those famed German Mausers, and keeping an eye out for any subversives. The legacy of the former Tsar is present here; the absence of the Poles and Jews are omnsicent in the quarters they had resided in before.

There is the singular note of the Baltic people's migration as well. Current politics within Russia still dictate that they are not welcome, even though some may have converted to the "Russian ideal". Many have been "urged" to immigrate to Ostafrika or Kamerun, with the emphasis placed on the former, seeing that there is Constaninople to think about. This idea has been propogated by the many dissident parties that have now been given the legal stance of being allowed to prosper. The Russian Socialist Party is one key example on how a party can become a legalized entity.

I am reminded of Richmond in '65 - utterly desolate and omniscent in what the Late Rebellion did to their misguided citizenry. Although there is the presence of greatness in this city of Moscow, the buildings still standing, the people healthy in some aspects, it is very much a world apart from the fanatical "wealth" that Germany has. It is said that the key absence of many of those that would be here are now residing in Siberia, not linked with any railroad, but rotting in the snow.

There is some considerable effort on reversing this trend. Tsar Nicholas II has made it his theme on giving Russia back to the Russians, namely with the re-establishment of the Duma. The elections have been scheduled in the future months, giving time for the political parties to exist. It is true that Nicholas II is rearming his mighty army for a possible war, as required by the treaty his father signed, but it is not to the point of overt conquest. I am amazed by the fact that he has dispatched a smaller army to Poland in full defiance of the rumors spreading around the continent that they are to invade the moribund Empire of Austria-Hungary. I have been told that the army is little more than a brigade of cavarly - and was privy to the specs of the said entity - and my mind istorn on it's perception of Russia at the present year.

If the Konzprinz is a model of realpolitik then Tsar Nicholas II is the expression of caution. He has even appointed a committee of several leading merchants and random citizens on a set given allowance on improving the city. I, myself, had the personal fortune of running into him on his walks through Moscow. Tsar Nicholas II is not as cunning as the Konzprinz but reserved in a way that one would recollect the wisdom of Marcus Aurelius, forced to become a warror when all he wanted was to ponder the universe, and possibly write a manual on not to destroy an Empire's allies through deceit and lies*. I was attracted to his singular scar above the right eye - measuring about four inches* in length, his somber eyes casting their light upon me - and stating a good day to me in the Queen's English. He even asked about the possible fortune of visiting New York City one of these days and had to break the conversation so that one of his subjects could greet him with a flask of vodka. It was strange that he would have allowed such a motion to occur. I did notice his holster on his hip and his personal detail present. Yet the very way that he seemed to treat his subject was beyond words.

It was only after we parted that I realized that his holster was empty.

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Annotations
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*a subtle dig at the Konzprinz
*about 18 cm (he doesn't know the conversion table), and about 4 cm larger than OTL's Nicholas II's scar.

[Wendell]

You are building quite a different Germany, I see. One for the better thus far, I'd say. France is not the only one to worry. Looks like Turkey might get Franced as well. The Yanks may have interesting fortune in all of this, as it seems that you are putting Spain in the pro-France camp leaving the potential for a rather fun showdown....


Great work, again, watch those series of Vowels. Otherwise, you may be typing in a Norwegian Patois

Also, was the Kaiserprinz's speech entirely from scratch?

[G.Bone]

Ah - France - one truly has to wonder on how they can live for that long...

without German "guidance" of course.

No seriously - the status of the Third Republic is in between a rock and hard place. They've been hard pressed to explain to the Hearst papers that they are truly sorry for their mistake. In the case of Germany, they're not sorry. In fact, many of the French leaders are too busy to give interviews with the reporters from Amerika and the UK, with some focusing on the military, and others focusing on the military in the colonies.

It is on the latter that they have been failing at. For the first time, Ost Afrika has an excuse to try out it's magificient navy. Although the Administrator there only has a small amount of loyalty in the Schtuztruppe to rely on, he does have a large amount of annoyance to the French, and especially the irritating presence of Madagascar to his shipping routes to the Cape. Telegraphs are sent towards the Cape, which is independent all but in name, and a couple of ships are sent towards Ost Afrika with colonial leaders from that region on board, with the guns pointing squarely at any French ship that passes.

It does not help that the former Madagascar Royal Family is entirely positive towards their return. The plans are made for the next month, given mobilization from other areas. Mozambique does not entirely support either nation due to it's location but it doesn't refuse the access of it's ports by German and British ships, especially those that hold German mobile artillery pieces, as well as the Maxim '93A40*.

That is the East. In the West, the naval might of the Kaiserliche Marine are unleashed upon everything in between Kamerun and Angola. Although they are the larger of the colonial forces, they do not have a large Schutztruppe that Ostafrika has, and with what they DO have is mired in Angola. So, it's up to the Kaiserliche Marine to shell the heck out of the colonies, seize the ports, and perhaps lean on Sudwestafrika to pull their Boer connections - not that the British are sad for them to go.

As for the European Continent - that is another mess -

It is plain fact by now that all the power is geared to the Konzprinz, even though he has been disowned. Instead of the planned week long strike against the Kaiserin, the Konzprinz directs "his" Party on gearing up to the War with France. This means that a good deal of organization is needed, the "Home" Fleet re-organized, and a system of allies to be pulled. The Russians aren't exactly pleased to contribute to the "War". The Konzprinz gives them some latitude on "healing" after their former Tsar.

What isn't ignored is the large immigration of Finns, Estonians, Lithuanians, and Latvians joining the "Legions of Doom"* that the Konzprinz has from his foreign "allies". Permission is gained by the Kingdom of the Netherlands on marching through "her" lands. Leopold, getting the first shipment of goods through the railroad, is perfectly blind to the imperialistic wants of the Konzprinz. Of course then there are the Danes and the Scandinavians to deal with - who are very hesitant on the issue of the Konzprinz calling the shots.

The British are very worried to say the least. Queen Victoria is *not* talking to her favorite grandson for his casting off of her favorite daughter. Lately her health isn't as good as it's supposed to be. That leaves her eldest son, Prince Edward, as her "subsitute". His opinion of the whole affair is that while he's up to gaining colonies in Afrika, there's this whole bit about Asia, and Australia, and just the sneaking feeling that he's been manouvered in a war that he did not start. The representative from Canada has shown some dissent upon this breaking of the "Splendid Isolation". The new Colonial Secretary, Joesph Chamberlain, is urging Prince Edward on the matter of an increased Empire that would stretch the boundaries of sustaining the said entity.

It will take some time for this war to start up.

Meanwhile, back in the colonies, Atwell Schroder is being offered a command as the liasion of Prince Heinrich, who cannot possibly be in two places ast the same time. The command is of the new prototype SMS Osten, adapted for a longer stay underwater, and designed for activites as sinking French commercial ships. While this is shocking to say the least, the amount of French ships sailing from Paris to Afrika and Asia is alarming, and needs to be stopped.

It is shocking to say the least - but Prince Heinrich knows nothing about the French possessions in the East. Thus it is, perfectly reasonable to go sink some battleships in the Pacific, and that the U-Boat itself could be supplied by the Cape or perhaps Ostafrika, depending on if it's gained Mozambique in the near future. The SMS SMS Scharnhorst can support the U-Boat, since it is a prototype as well, and that it is one of those ships that Prince Heinrich personally designed for his superior, Commodore von Spree (Prince Heinrich has started to use his title just to show that he doesn't agree with the Commodore's self promotion to Admiral and has yet to see the paper from his elder brother on authenticating it - which then arrives in 1896...).

When asked why a night watchman could be promoted so fast to Kapitan, Prince Heinrich then points to the large Nama and Herero members of the Kaiserliche Marine that have joined since Atwell's signing up, as well as the growing numbers of leading technicians and sailors, and states -

The fruits of my brother's labor is paying off for once in his rotten life. Even though they may sink to the bottom of the sea, at least they have done something for the Empire. Besides, Atwell is a good man, and he's watched over the Yacht for two years now. I trust him with my life and I don't want him to certainly kill me in my sleep!*

Atwell Schroder's first command will be launched the following year, depending on his immediate "crash course" on how to pilot a U-Boat, as well as an apprenticeship on UP116*.

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Annotations
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*a crude nickname as coined by some Amerikaner writer by the name of Stephen Crane ("curious fellow") and has stuck ever since. It helps to picture a political French Foreign Legion, although German, and commanded by Hungarians/Austrians/Germans/Polish/Jews.
*A ficticious model that I invented. The A stands for something....
*Kapitan Heinrich of Prussia does not entirely approve of the Kiel France speech (as it's called in the papers) nor does he approve of rushing into war so soon. He's got a lot of work just dealing with the railroad. There's some serious thought on just buying the Congo Free State from Leopold since he's doing such a cr*ppy job in the said area. Kapitan Heinrich of Prussia is very fond of shooting things as of late...
*Another prototype although earmarked to be "given" to Portugal in exchange for Portugese Guinea.

[Wendell]

...That you should have just called this "Guns of the Kaiser"

Seriously, Maybe the Germans could offer the Russians a (French) colony or two, say, New Caledonia? That would add to the Russian/British rivalry rather nicely

Furthermore, maybe the Germans could find sympathy in Vietnam....

[G.Bone]

My Dearest Brother;

Your war is faulty. Your war is wrong. Kamerun is prepared for it; we are not.

I say this with full confidence that Sudwestafrika cannot loose so much to your folly. It would mean that the balance we had here is gone. The Colonial Assembly is all black now. I do not know if it was your idea in sending the Baltic peoples here but htey do not fit. At least send some Hungarians or perhaps Austrians - or maybe some Italians would be nice!

I'm running out of steam!

Kapitan Heinrich of Prussia

---

Dear Brother,

I sincerely doubt that your new successes with France was honestly gained. I hear these awful things that you have done in the name of your own war and I am troubled. I know not on why you seek the permission of me or our siblings.

On an more honest note (this is for you dear brother to learn), I have secured the permission of the Congo Free State to finally give jurisdiction over the railroad. I want no part in this war and the affairs of the colonies are too much to bear. I am a naval officer and for the peace of the population I am devoted to. I don't suppose you did attend the funeral. It was bad form dear brother for you do have did that to poor Margarete. I cannot disown you for I do not have the authority. Perhaps you were right in saying that I would find mercy in Afrika.

I also should inform you that perhaps the word of the Pact has gotten to your ears. I know that it will destabilize the region but you have done it already in your sleep. I do not know why I bother writing these letters; you're too busy taking over France already. The days are long here and I measure them by the passing of the sun. Oskar sends his love for his Onkel and asks when can he return to Germany. I have to lie to him and say that it is not safe yet.

It is funny that I should send the Hungarians to protect the Boers. They didn't accept the Nama nor the Herero. They said that they personally do not like Afrikans protecting them. I cannot say a thing for dealing with them is treacherous waters. I am doing the best that I can, dear brother.

The Pact dictates that what little of the Schutztruppe we have will be protecting the gold fields on the 'Rand. The Hungarians were nominated simply because they are not German. Mr. Cecil Rhodes was quite taken aback that we did have a large amount of Hungarians to use. I am not a Schutztruppe man.

We have been forced to hire more Argentinians and Brazilians. Our troops over there are doing great work it seems, enough to send us enough people to staff the absences in the ranks. I have been forced to hire a strange people called the Oorlams to help police the large spaces in between. There are so many tribesmen learning German that it's not even funny that the average lingua franca can write it blind.

The real funny part is that the Boers are using us as the dumping grounds of their unwanted "slaves". I call them that because I have seen enough brutality in my day - both in Kamerun and Congo. I am trying my best dear brother, to be as humane as I can possibly can. Sometimes I wish to coat myself in black paint just to hide the sin that my race has done. Sometimes I cannot cope with it, dear brother.

But I will edit this letter to not let you know of the desperation I face as Administrator of this colony.

WHY DID YOU DO IT?

I am sorry that I wrote that. I am actually proud of what you have done to Alfred von Tirpitz - he was always such a cad. Now he will be a cad to the French. I may be using the word wrong. My own war - war of administrationi - goes on.

Kapitan Heinrich of Prussia

---

Dear Brother-

Leberecht Maass* has taken Antsiranana. I can hardly spell it! There was a tremendous loss of life. We are marching into Madagascar ever so slowly.

It is true that we have captured Mahajanga first. I suppose you had the great glory of seeing that in the paper. News comes slowly here; we are more pre-occupied in the matter of the lands between Guinea & Kamerun.

I have no doubt that you applaud von Lotha's actions in Eastern Congo* and Gabon. I suppose you are looking into the whole "mobile war" in Madagascar as well. There are your fruits of your labor - burning everything and a bounty on every enemy's heads. I feel so sick of it.

-----------

Brother -

The SMS Sachsen and the SMS Wilhelm have been sunk. I grieve for my comrades. I cannot stand it sometimes-

My first message over the Congo Line - we did a telegraph line as to help the railroad go through - was on promoting Kapitan Reinhard Scheer to Commodore. I am the only Royal Prinz here. I outrank everyone - think of that! I can hardly stop from laughing -

That was sarcasm by the way.

Our allies have managed to capture Toliary*. Is war so easy? I want to focus so much on the railroad that it hurts. No - I am the only ranking officer here - and besides - Sudwestafrika would go into pieces -

---

Brother -

What has happened to Margarete? I do not hear of her in the papers. Wlady (my nickname for him) says that you've disposed of them. I find it ironic that we're getting all the supporters from France - supporters of you -

I can't -

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Annotations
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*liberty of the author since there's no recorded birthdate of this OTL figure
*OTL's Republic of Congo
*Toliary is OTL's Toliara, the modern spelling adopted in the 1970's
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toliara

NOTE: The below map is an approximation the territory gained in the first three years of the "Second" Franco-Germanic War
(I couldn't find any decent map of Colonial Africa around...

[Anaxagoras]

I rather hope the French bring out some surprises.