American Australia - WWII - Requesting feedback

All, I'm looking for some help.

Over the past year or so, I've started a numerous threads gathering information relating to a subplot on some of my amateur novels that I hope to get published some day.

I've written about 3500 pages or so that would be spread across multiple eras (2 books for Alternate 7 Years War, 4 for Alternate American Revolutionary War, 2 for Alternate War of 1812 and several for Alternate US/China Wars from 1860 to 1950. Much of it is centric to the United States or, as I call it, the United States of Columbia.

If any of you have been following my Threads regarding Quasi-Wars I through VI, many of these themes (weaker Britain, Napoleonic France survives, no united Germany, Ottoman falls, China is stronger and conquered much of Japan) were included to get your feedback on the concepts for my novels.

Some background on my request:

I've lately been concentrating on a subplot regarding an American serviceman in pre-WWII era American Australia before the outbreak of War between the Chinese Empire and the United States of Columbia. In my TL, Australia was settled by American Whalers as Britain never controlled the sea-lanes as in OTL or the wealth and power of India in OTL resulting in less influence in China and therefore less interest in Australia. My theory is that Britain was less likely to settle Australia if the Indian Ocean wasn't effectively a British lake with no challengers and Britain had never been able to force China into the "unequal treaties".

So basically, Australia and New Zealand were settled much more slowly by America than they were in OTL. In 1945, "American" Australia and New Zealand had roughly half the population as OTL.

My questions today relate to some chapters I've written about a US serviceman stationed in Darwin (same name as in OTL as Darwin's expedition went forward). I admit I don't know much about the nation of Australia and want feedback if anything I wrote is factually incorrect regarding the environment, geography and culture of local Aboriginals and the place they had in Australian society in this era (assuming US governance wouldn't be that different than British). Remember this is being seen through to the eyes of a young non-com from Michigan who knew nothing about the area when he arrived. A certain amount of exposition is required based on this but I tried to keep it down (off the record, I struggle to reduce the amount of exposition in my writing but often get caught up and it makes it really, really boring).

Key issues and PODs:
Aboriginal culture and social standing
Local environment and geography of northern Australia including Darwin
My theoretical deliberate introduction of invasive fauna to large portions of Australia.


Note that I have started two threads before gathering data on my "American Australia".

One on the likelihood of Australia remaining unsettled (though claimed by many) to the 1820's. Many people were skeptical.

https://www.alternatehistory.com/discussion/showthread.php?t=370850

The other was regarding possible species introductions by a rich nutcase intending to plant big game animals there only to die before the hunt began and his descendants became game wardens. There were a lot of good ideas put forward.

https://www.alternatehistory.com/discussion/showthread.php?t=355507

For ease of reading (this is 9 pages on a full sheet with 10 font), I'll break each of the Australian chapters into separate posts.


Thanks for any feedback, good or bad. Feel free to offer any ideas. I'd especially love to hear from some Australians, if any visit these boards.

Also note that I haven't really proofread this yet and know that mistake a lot of its/it's/its', who/whom, etc, etc.



If anyone is interested in my Quasi-War Timeline, I've broken it into numerous chapters of 30 to 60 posts.

Quasi-War 1

https://www.alternatehistory.com/discussion/showthread.php?t=344281

Quasi-War 2

https://www.alternatehistory.com/discussion/showthread.php?t=366914

Quasi-War 3

https://www.alternatehistory.com/discussion/showthread.php?t=368565

Quasi-War 4

https://www.alternatehistory.com/discussion/showthread.php?t=370199

Quasi-War 5

https://www.alternatehistory.com/discussion/showthread.php?t=374541

Quasi-War 6 (ongoing as of January 2016)

https://www.alternatehistory.com/discussion/showthread.php?t=374541
 
Scene: Departure for Darwin

"Full house! Aces over eights!"

The Swabian groaned as Owen Reece collected his winnings for it had been Schnieder whom loudly complained about constantly being forced to participate in the "plebian" game of Euchre when more sophisticated card games remained an option. The longstanding (and usually enforced by the Sergeant) Company rules mandated small stakes in the nightly card tournaments and the old factory game of Euchre tended to promote this ideal. Wiping out your mate's weekly salary in a couple of hours in higher stakes poker games tended to have a detrimental effect on morale. But Schneider had insisted and now watched much of his meager savings swept away.

Sitting inside the stifling temporary barracks, Reece still couldn't comprehend why the 3rd Michigan remained in New Orleans after three months. Weren't they merely supposed to "pass through" the city on their way to some ship destined for the New Granadan Canal? Instead, the mild Louisiana winter turned inexorably towards spring and the full heat of the southern climate advanced on the soldiers. The Baton Rouge-born Willie Brown merely laughed at his mate's discomfort as Sergeant Trotter drilled the Company for hours in the sticky humidity of the Louisiana April.

"Boys," Brown mocked, his dazzling white teeth contrasting with his dark complexion, "this ain't nothing. Just be glad it ain't July. That "Michigan humidity" you talk about? That's nothin' compared to the joys of a Louisiana summer!"

It was Reece's turn to deal. He called out the rules, a simple one-eyed jacks are wild, as he dealt to his four mates whom huddled around the Spartan wooden table in the center of the barracks, surrounded by ancient bunks. Apparently, this bunkhouse had been hired from a bankrupt sugar refinery. In this room, dozens of impoverished workers had slept many a night away after toiling in the refinery. Even with the handful of windows open, only the faintest breeze swept through to interrupt the soldier's discomfort. All had stripped down to their undershirts and removed their boots and socks as they yielded to the afternoon heat. The tiny windows provided little illumination, the bare light-bulbs overhead cast barely enough glow for the soldiers to see their cards. Normally, the table might have been carried outdoors into the shade of the massive willow adjacent to the makeshift barracks but a consistent drizzle prevented any thought of this. Instead, the twenty soldiers occupying the sixty by twenty foot quarters were trapped indoors for the afternoon.

Schneider, whom had actually started to hold his sniping tongue after being bludgeoned by Reece a few week's earlier, was already scowling at the cards Reece distributed. Slowly, the pair had made some sort of accord after their initial respective distastes, Reece for Schneider and Schneider for everything Columbian. The incident which resulted in Reece wiling away multiple evenings in the glorious pursuit of potato peeling was not repeated. For the, the Michigander was pleased, but not because Reece conceded the big German's fighting ability. No, Schneider's admirable musculature suggested he would make a daunting sparring partner even for the tall and slightly gangly Owen Reece. Rather Scneider had finally listened to his sole friend Willie Brown's admonishments to "shut the fuck up because I ain't going to help you if the entire Company decides to kill you!" The Swabian finally relented in his endless criticisms and was eventually accepted into the group. As the week's bore on, Schneider confessed to his anger at the treatment he'd long received due to his immigrant status and often tended to "overcompensate in his own disparaging comments of Columbia".

Willie Brown, Eli Gaines and Walter Thuy also crowded the table. Brown and Gaines were down several dollars and Thuy appeared to running ahead as the older man tended to do. Thuy had tried to teach the Company a Chinese game called "My John" or something in an effort to broaden his mate's horizons but failed to generate any real interest. Reece checked his own cards, four hearts and a spade. Not a good chance of a flush but he tossed in a dime to call Thuy's raise. Schneider and Brown folded immediately while Gaines also called. Thuy asked for two and Reece tossed his spade in hope of another heart. He didn't even bother to hide his disgust at the deuce of clubs. He was already folding his cards when Thuy raised again, which Gaines called. Thuy took the hand with three kings defeating Gaines' two pair.

"Goddamn it! This isn't going to be my day," Gaines muttered in disgust as Thuy collected another pot.

As Gaines shuffled to deal, Thuy inquired gloatingly, "What did you think of the new automatic rifles? A hell of a lot better than those damn XXXX's."

For the past week, the Battalion had taken daily exorcises at the Camp Beauregard rifle range with the new weapons the Department of War had been distributing for the past few years. Ever since the threat of hostilities with China started to rise, the bureaucrats running the army had finally gotten off their asses and started to modernize the pathetically archaic weapons Columbia's tiny standing army possessed. Beyond the new guns, sparkling new trucks, tanks and artillery were rolling off the myriad assembly lines in Michigan, Illinois and Missoura (i?). Idle gossip maintained that the reason that the 3rd Michigan's "extended stay" in the dilapidated Camp Beauregard had stretched on so long was that the new facilities awaiting them in Asia (which country no one could even guess) had not been completed yet and the 3rd's old barracks in Michigan were being put to use as a training center for the new crop of recruits.

As to Thuy's question, Reece had to admit, "Shoots far and straight, that's I care about. The reload it tougher than Sarge claims, of course, but you couldn't tell him that. I managed to get twenty shots in a minute yesterday. Be nice when they actually give one to us rather than a few training rifles for the whole battalion."

"Mmm," Thuy replied articulately as he stared at his cards. He scratched at the line of sweat dripping down his back before nodding, "I'm in for fifty cents."

Gaines was in the process of raising when Jesus White burst into the room, nearly shouting, "I just heard from Lieutenant Sanders! We moving out next week!"

"Goddamn," Gained shoutes with false anger, "Its about time! Another week in New Orleans and I'd be in debt to Reece for the rest of my damn life!"

"Where we do go?" Inquired Schneider. Reece had long noticed that the Swabian's command of English tended to wane when excited. He'd studied some German in High School and found the vocabulary easy enough but that insanely inconsistent grammer! Oh, how Reece hated studying languages.

"No! Don't tell us!" interrupted Gaines as the redhead turned to his mates whom were gathering around the barrack's centrally located poker table. "Minor wager? I'm betting Guang or one of the other countries in old Cathay! Maybe Das Viet even!"

Cathay was the term most often used by westerners for the free Chinese states to the south of the Chinese Empire. Thuy had tried to explain that no one in China, in the free states or China itself actually used that term but no one ever listened to him. The name sounded exotic and exiting and had quickly come to encompass all the free Chinese states as well as Das Viet, Cambodia and Thailand.

"Not a chance," Thuy countered stubbornly, "The Empire has been dying to get the South Nipponese Islands back since the last war. With luck, we'll be sitting on a beach in Shikoko or Kyushu staring at the Chinese soldiers stationed across the Inland Sea on Honshu. The Empire has been threatening to invade for a generation and never summoned the nerve to try."

"A dollar, Walter?" insisted Gaines.


"Done!"

Both soldiers turned to the increasingly impatient ebony form of Jesus White and nodded for him to continued. Exasperated, White snarled, "Well, I guess you both lose a dollar because we going to Darwin!"

A striking silence descended before someone summoned the nerve to ask:

"Where the hell is Darwin?!"
 
Scene: Arrival in Darwin.

The fire-plug figure of Sergeant Trotter led his miserable charges down the gangplank towards an uninspiring dilapidated dock which sported obviously rotting timbers under the fading and flaking white paint.

"Well boys, we ain't in Detroit anymore," Reece repeated what was becoming an inside joke within his Company.

The lush stretches of forest blanketed the coastline from the Yorke Peninsula to Arhnemland, or the "Great Green North", as the locals sometimes called this little piece of paradise. A guidebook one of his mate's tracked down referred to the climate as "tropical savannah", though what the 3rd Michigan could discern from the deck of their transport would better describe it at "jungle". Stringy mangrove trees, similar to some of those found in the Mississippi bayou, stretched their roots into the salty waters of the xxxx of xxxx. If there was a savannah anywhere nearby, they'd yet to spot it.

The city, again at first glance, inspired few gasps of wonder. If anything, the architecture heralded back to the days of Dodge City rather than the exotic and ancient Asian cities Nagasaki, Hue and Shanghai (?) for which the soldiers had so fervently prayed before learning of their true destination.

"Mother of Christ," muttered Eli Gaines whom, like most of the Battalion, carried his pack over his shoulder.

No one bothered to ask Gaines for further illumination on his thoughts. The town's abject lack of charm was apparent to all. Sagging wooden building appeared alternatively termite ridden or just flat-out decomposing back into the soil. Exactly how the foliage could remain so vibrant while the streets billowed with clouds of brown dust was beyond Owen Reece. Longshoreman, mostly Viets or Thais by the look of them, busily carried boxes towards an old Studebaker flatbed at the end of the dock. If nothing else, Reece grudgingly conceded that there was nothing wrong with the harbor. Dozens of ships, some appearing to be cattle transports, lay at anchor through the sprawling bay.

Waiting until the Sergeant was occupied with a junior officer just arriving to greet them, Reece griped, "What the hell are we supposed to do in this dump? China is a thousand damn miles away!"

Walter Thuy, ever the pragmatist, countered acerbically, "Given the fact that we still don't actually have guns, perhaps being so far from the enemy might be a boon."

"Then why didn't they just leave us in Detroit?!" complained another. "We'd be about as useful to the war effort there than here. Just think about the money we could have saved the War Department by not having to ship us to the ass-end of the earth!"

Reece just sighed as Sergeant Trotter returned. Typically an officer would see to such duties but the Company had been without its Lieutenant for months. Rumors abounded that, due to the dearth of trained officers in the rapidly expanding army, the good Sergeant would swiftly be promoted to Lieutenant. However, weeks passed and no word was heard. The career soldier simply carried on with his duties without expressing any indication of resentment. Though hardly popular, at least Trotter was respected as a fair man. He didn't take it upon himself to torment his subordinates out of sheer malice. If you did what you were told, when you were told, Trotter would leave you alone. Reece suspected that the newly founded "officer schools" springing up over the past year would inspire far more commissions than promotion from the ranks. That was the way it always was and probably always would be.

"Well, boys," Trotter began with a trace of apology, "it appears that construction of our barracks have not been completed as of yet," he paused slightly at the word "completed" as if it really meant "started" before continuing, "but….tents…. have been provided to the east of town."

Even a career Sergeant had enough pity for his men to allow the collective groan that followed. He waited a few moments before silencing the mutters and complaints with a sharp bark, "Enough of that now! Form two ranks and follow me. This is our first introduction to this fine city. Let's make the best of it."


Trotter turned and called out a cadence for which the 1st Company of the 3rd Michigan Battalion promptly followed in some form of order, presumably to be followed later by the remainder of the 3rd's Companies whom were still disembarquing. If nothing else, the army taught one how to march in formation. Reece and his disheartened mates managed to stifle their protests long enough pass through the modest thoroughfares of the city of Darwin. Local residents, whom largely appeared an even mix of White and Asian, fixed vacant stares upon the passing soldiers as if already bored with their presence. Antiquidated Model T's, the type of which no god-fearing Detroiter would be caught dead in, prevailed on the dusty streets.

Ten minutes of dodging cow manure and swarms of flies resulted in the 1st Company arriving at the newly christened "Fort Sherman". The newest bastion of Columbian freedom appeared little more than a hundred acres of open field. No privies, commissaries, quartermaster's offices or anything else normally at hand on an army base presented itself. A few acres were littered with misshapen brown lumps about the size of a chest. Reece belatedly realized were the tents so helpfully "prepared" for the 3rd Battalion. He did not see any poles to hoist the tents upon.

"Mother Fucker," Reece moaned despondently, a sentiment promptly echoed by several of his mates.

Only little Walter Thuy, ever the optimist, found any upside to the situation.

"Well, lads," he inquired with false mirth, "You know what this means?"

"Care to place a bet on who dies of Bleeding Death or Malaria first?!"
 
Just some explanation:

1. Southern China broke off from the Chinese Empire years before and is now a separate country allied with the United States.

2. The "Bleeding Death" is an Ebola-like disease that came out of Africa in the 1760's to the rest of the world. There was also another disease referred to as the "Africa-death" that was basically an AIDS-type illness. This is one of the series' major PODs and plot-points.

Thanks.
 
Scene: Darwin: Listening to Rugby Match, Radio, poor conditions, Army Air Corps

"And Michigan State is at four tackles with only a few yards to go! Michigan leads by three with the clock stopped at one minute to time! Two more stands and Michigan breaks a four year Michigan State winning streak. The ball is xxxx played, Eric Hawk pitches to Darko Boban, Boban is hit! He's driven to the ground at the one before he could pass again! Last tackle with thirty seconds to go! This next play shall decide the game!"

Owen Reece surrounded the battered, crackling radio in the Battalion mess tent with his whooping and hollering mates. Even in Big Island (as Australasia's predominant landmass was referred to by the locals despite the maps naming it "Australia"), the Big 20 Conference's Rugby games were broadcast. Exactly how the radio stations managed such a feat as relaying a game around the globe was beyond Reece (he'd never been overly good at science). But the broadcast brought some semblance of home to the soldiers of the 3rd Michigan Battalion during their exile outside the borders of the city of Darwin, Australasia. They'd awakened at six o'clock local time, the sun already shining bright, to listen as the match seesawed back and forth between the teams.

For the past two months, the foot soldiers had been seconded to the Army Engineers as grunt laborers. Under the hideous "winter" heat of the equatorial city, the predominantly Michigan-born soldiers slowly constructed several runways for the Army Air Corps along with dozens of administrative buildings and barracks. Of course, the Johnny-come-lately fighter pilots whom belatedly arrived for training hadn't lifted a finger and swiftly commandeered the first few barracks while the 3rd Michigan remained ensconced in stifling tents adjacent to a swamp. Only in the deepest of the winter cold did the soldiers don long trousers. Since the fall, the shorts worn commonly throughout the region were more than enough. Fortunately, the fifty degree weather cut down on the mosquitoes swarming out of the local rainforest. Of course, hysterical local residents warned that this "winter" only lasted a few weeks and the ubiquitous clouds of tiny gnats and other pests would soon return in force.

"Goddamn it, Boban! Pass the ball for once, don't go for the glory!" Gaines groaned in disgust as he absently picked at a bedbug sore. "Don't you know I have money on this?"

"It appears Boban is shaken up on the play! Michigan State is calling for a stretcher…"

"Ah, Michigan State always chokes," snapped xxx snidely. "They were up ten points against Eastern Michigan last year and handed Eastern the game on a silver platter!"


"Shut up, xxxx," Reece snarled, "That was at Toronto, where Eastern always plays strong. Besides, what the hell is it to you? Isn't your family from Ohio? When exactly did you become a U-M Detroit fan?"

Sniffing, "I've been a Wolverines fan from about the time…"


"About the time U-M Detroit started winning at Futbal and Northern Rules Rugby!" interrupted Gaines triumphantly, "Funny how that happens. Of course, they still suck at Rugby Union."

"And Michigan State prepares for the play-in…"

"Shut up, both of you!" Thuy bellowed. "This is it!"

Thuy, like most of his mates, had wagered heavily on the game. Michigan State did indeed possess the unfortunate tendency to blow big games.

"Horner plays in! Hawk has the ball, he pitches to Burke to the right! The Wolverine line collapses forward….."

At that moment, the announcer's words were overwhelmed by the shrieking roar of a XXXX's engine as the fighter passed directly over the tent. Reece sprinted to the radio to crank up the volume to its maximum extent, all the while mimicking his comrade's curses towards the insensitive pilot whom possessed the temerity to interrupt the game.

Probably from Ohio, Reece thought contemptuously as the plane's xxxxx allowed for the announcer's baritone to declare:

"…and Burke crashes through the outstretched arms of the Michigan defense to cross the Try-Line as time runs out!!!"

"Yeah, how about that, xxxx?" Reece and Gaines crowed in unison. Both came from Michigan State families. Snidely, XXXX kicked at an invisible mote of dust and stomped out of the messhall without pausing to settle his wager.

"Michigan State wins the Big Twenty Eastern Conference title and will go on to face the Western title victor, either Notre Dame & University of Illinois at Chicago, in the combined title in a week's time! The latter two teams will collide later tonight to determine the Western Champion! Stay with us as we shift to our affiliates in South Bend, Michigan for Michael Darrow calling the play by play."

"And then, the national title, Owen," Gaines smiled at his jubilant friend. Already, the twenty other occupants of the enlisted men's mess were gleefully (or glumfully) settling their bets.

"Yeah, there hasn't been a title game without a Big Twenty champion in eight years. No way State doesn't get in if they beat Notre Dame or UI-Chicago."

"Best rugby in the country, no matter what the Southern Conference claims," Gaines agreed. "Let xxxx celebrate UM-Detroit's Futbal title. It doesn't men a tenth of a Rugby championship."

"All right, boys," Walter Thuy beckoned, his new Corporal's stripe suddenly becoming prominent.

Ever since his promotion into the long-vacant non-com position, the small Asian man had become quite the buzzkill. Not that anyone really resented his promotion, Walter was the longest serving soldiers in the Company and might have been the smartest. Besides, every man in 1st Company would prefer the devil they knew over some Corporal randomly assigned from outside.

Thuy noted the scowls on his friend's faces and reminded them with a gentle undercurrent of venom, "I went out of my way to get Sergeant Trotter to agree to give us a couple of hours off to listen to the game. And he pulled a few favors himself with the new Lieutenant. Don't make us regret it. Trotter ordered morning roll call in the yard the moment the game ended. I'm fairly certain he wasn't joking."


With that, Thuy turned and exited the mess, clearly intending for his subordinates to follow. As expected, Sergeant Trotter was standing at attention with an irritated glare rapidly spreading throughout his blocky features. To be fair, Trotter was not the most overbearing of Sergeants but he didn't suffer insubordination gladly. When Thuy counted off roll and three men still hadn't arrived, Trotter looked angry enough to spit nails.

"Well, lads," he announced with dreadfully false cheer, "I see that you've seen fit to take my gesture of good will and slap me in the face with it! Since the rules I generously laid out in allowing you fine fellows to listen in on today's game appear to be too complex to comprehend, I fear this offer shall not be repeated."


Reece's teeth clenched tight enough to bite through steel. There goes the Big Twenty Championship, he thought miserably. Maybe even the national title if it doesn't fall on a Sunday. Out of the corner of his eye, the three delinquent soldiers turned the corner into the quad and belatedly took their positions, oblivious to their Company's ire. Naturally Schneider was among them. Not caring for menial "Columbian Sports" as Rugby, the Swabian had taken to paling around with a pair of Ruthenians he deemed suitably "European" enough to associate with while the rest of the Company crowded around the radio.

With a frown, Thuy adjusted his roll call and handed it to the Sergeant. To Reece's surprise, Trotter declined to tear strips off the tardy trio, instead he merely nodded pleasantly at the updated roster before dismissing the Company to their duties. It took the Michigander a moment to realize there was no mercy intended in the Sergeant's leniency. During the Championship Game a week hence, The 3rd Michigan would be digging ditches and laying cement as Michigan State and, hopefully, Notre Dame play an intra-Michigan Big Twenty title. Schneider and his friends from Kiev would pay for that. Even the ever-forgiving Willie Brown wouldn't defend them now.

As Thuy led the 1st Company towards the rapidly expanding airfield, now a full four runways, Reece mentally began to list the types of retribution to be enacted that evening after lights out.

Oh, how the Euro-trash would pay.
 
A couple of minor points here:

"Eastern Michigan" (OTL Lower Peninsula) was a bit bigger as it included northern Ohio and Indian so included Toledo to South Bend to the borders of Chicago.

When I have XXXX down, it usually means I haven't decided on a character name or a piece of equipment (like which rifle or tank model to go with) so I left it to be resolved later.

Thanks.
 
Scene: Safari – North Australia – introduced species.

The hardy "Jeep" landed with a teeth-jarring jolt back up the ground as the tour guide pointed out items of interest. It had been months since Owen Reece and his mates in the 1st Company, 3rd Michigan Battalion, had been granted furlough and they intended to take advantage of the opportunity. Sadly, Darwin offered somewhat fewer pleasant distractions than Detroit or New Orleans. One Sunday was all that was required to explore the entire "city" or whatever the locals called the backwoods town. The sawdust-on-the-floor taverns provided watered down and overpriced drinks, the men outnumbered the women by at least a three to one ratio even before the soldiers began arriving en masse and there wasn't a decent brothel to be found.

When Gaines suggested a three day safari to explore the interior, there had been a few groans. They'd roughed it enough over the past three months sleeping in lice-ridden bunks under damp tents. A few days earlier, the Company had actually received the timber to build their own barracks – unfortunately, they hadn't been allocated cement and the planks had been left rotting next to a brightly covered sign entitled "future barracks of the 1st Company, 3rd Michigan Battalion". That was enough to break even the most intractable of holdouts. Deeming any alternative an improvement to the monotonous tedium of camp life at Fort Sherman, Gaines signed up eleven of his mates for a three day "safari" through the tropical savannah south of the mangrove swamps along Arnhemland's coast.

Ito "Fred" Nakamura, their Nipponese-born guide had immigrated to Australasia with his family at the age of three from Nagasaki. His father had feared that the Chinese Empire would eventually re-conquer Shikoku and Kyushu from the United States. The Nakamura's joined in on the latest wave of Asian immigrants to Columbia, especially to the Australasian States and Territories. As protectorates, the Nippon Islands were accorded preferred status in the immigration lottery. Previously, most Columbians hadn't even realized the inhabitants of the Nippon Islands were a unique people apart from their Chinese overlords.

Now in his thirties, the slender Nakamura was undoubtedly making a mint in his tourism business by gauging bored soldiers for his safaris. He drove a Jeep nearly identical to the command vehicles now common in Darwin, minus the green and brown coating, with Reece, Gaines, Jesus White and Corporal Walter Thuy bouncing around the back. Thuy's mates enjoyed overemphasizing the "Corporal" even when off duty. In truth, promotion hadn't changed Thuy one bit as he'd always taken on the role of responsible older man. That was the prime reason he'd been given the additional stripe. The Asian mix never let his rank go to his head as some non-commissioned officers tended to do. Two more jeeps followed bearing the local drivers and the other off-duty soldiers Gaines had coaxed into coming along.

"This is cattle country, pure and simple," Fred was explaining in the iconic Australasian accent, somewhat incongruous to his obviously Asian roots. The Australasian cowboy movies rarely portrayed the fact that half the men whom rode the fences and drove the cattle were, in fact, of Asian extraction. Reece rather liked their presence as the white women, what few there were, tended to be of pure English stock, having immigrated during France's occupation of the home Isles in the 1800's. Unfortunately, in Reece's estimation, English women tended to be homely as hell. The pretty little Cambodian and Thai girls whom worked at the ethnic restaurants in their exotic Asian dress…….well, they were given plenty of attention. The remainder of the population tended towards the largely silent, dark-skinned "aboriginals", whom were treated with equal contempt by the whites and Asians.

"Before Europeans set foot on Big Island, Kangeroos ruled these savannahs," Fred continued under his xxxx hat as he gestured towards the wide expanses of grassland, broken occasionally by eucalypts and various scrub trees. To the north, forest tended to predominate. To the south, the land opened into an increasingly unbroken plain. Kangeroos appeared to be the dominant herbivore as the odd creatures appeared frequently, sometimes even bouncing along the jeeps to the soldiers' delight. Reece had also spotted numerous cattle, a water buffalo and what appeared to be some type of deer grazing on the tall grass of the savannah.

"Thing is, a hundred years ago, some fool that owned a million acres by the name of Morgan (?) had the brilliant idea of introducing large Asian animals to the mix with idea of setting up a great game preserve. Figured he'd make a fortune organizing safaris with big-game hunters. This was before Abraham Lincoln and his natural preserves and parks. Well, Morgan kicked the local aboriginal tribes off of his property brought over Indian (?) deer, water buffalo, zebra and even some Javan Rhinos, if you believe it. You'll see them soon enough. I've never gone three days without spotting at least one."

"Then, once the Asian stock were fruitful and multiplied, he brought over a bunch of Indian Lions and Balinese Tigers, both of which are nearly extinct in their home countries. It took a while to build up the numbers but they bred well enough here. Turns out they took a liking to kangaroo meat, almost as much as what they ate back home. Thing is, they also liked cattle and sheep quite well, too. The lions and tigers soon spread off his property and tore into the local cattle stations stock. Almost started a range war until the Secretary of the Interior agreed to buy up a bunch of failing stations and formed them into a national park. Morgan died and his widow donated his properties to the park as well. A kind of loose peace was signed with the area property owners. There's no poaching in the park anymore but any lion or tiger that takes down a sheep is fair game on private property, same as dingos, foxes and wild dogs."

"They renamed the park after Morgan, per agreement with the widow, and have been adding to it with every administration."

"Yeah, Lincoln started a trend and every Columbian President tried to outdo the last administration," Reece commented in a rare recollection from his high school history class. "It was the "new naturalism" movement that came about at the worst of the bleeding death epidemics tapered off. Take care of god's creatures and he'll stop killing us."

The Nipponese nodded sadly, "The Nippon Islands were hit as bad as any place on earth. Millions upon millions of people died, either of Bleeding Death or the famines that followed after the farmers abandoned the rice paddies. Hell, even the last Emperor died of it. That's why the Chinese found us so easy to conquer us back in the 1800's."

Reece had no response. He'd always thought of the disease from the Western standpoint – how it affected Columbia and, to a lesser extent, Europe. But tens, perhaps hundreds of millions of people died over the years in Asia, far more than in the west. Kingdoms and Empires fell by the wayside as populations plummets in numbers not seen since the Beubonic Plague a thousand years ago. Das Viet, Cambodia and Thailand collapsed, not to be revived until decades later when Columbia made them protectorates, later to be granted home rule when workable government reemerged. The southern states of the old Chinese Empire revolted in a bloody civil war and eventually declared independence, later falling into a necessary alliance with Columbia. And Nippon, which Reece probably couldn't have found on a map if he'd ever bothered to look, was gobbled up years later by the resurgent Chinese Empire. Now, Columbia, which spanned most of North America, the vast Amazon and Australasia, stood with their Asian allies against fanatical Chinese Emperor. The two greatest nations on earth circled each other like cats as China publicly vowed to retake their "rightful domains" in Southeast Asia, very much against the will of their democratic inhabitants.

Lost in thought, Reece almost missed Fred's sudden hiss, "Look over there, mates!"

The tour guide brought the Jeep to a sudden halt as he pointed excitedly towards one of the thick stands of trees interspersed in the open savannah, perhaps forty yards from the Jeep convoy's position. For a long moment, Reece couldn't see a thing before spotting the source of Fred's excitement.

"I'll be damned," the redheaded Gaines muttered in awe.

Four lions, their coats a dusky tan, surrounded the base of a massive gum tree. The three females were swiftly devouring one of the oddly horned deer Reece had pointed out earlier. A huge male, sporting an impressive mane, paced around the trunk, occasionally scowling and snarling up towards the sprawling branches where a shadowing figure growled in frustration.

"So that's a Balinese Tiger, eh?" Inquired Thuy in awe.

Fred nodded as he explained, "Most likely the tiger made the kill and the Lion pride came along before it could finish its breakfast. If caught in the open, the male lion would try to kill the tiger but probably won't try to follow it up the tree. In a few minutes, the male with join his ladies and dine."

"Bad luck for the tiger then," Gaines commented.

"They don't get along, no," Fred agreed. "Lion prides have been known to take down tigers which unwisely stray too close, just as the tiger would slaughter any lion cubs found unprotected in the savannah."

"Mates, you should consider yourselves lucky. It's isn't often you get to see both on the same safari."

None of the soldiers responded, entranced by the scene before them. Eventually, hunger got the best of the male Lion who gave up his threats and brushed the complaining females aside in order to take his share of the ill-gotten spoils. Apparently forgotten, the brightly colored Balinese tiger swiftly descended from the tree and sprinted off into the cover of the forest. Catching the movement out of the corner of its eye, the dominant male stood to growl one last warning at the fleeing tiger's hindquarters but opted against pursuit. Apparently, the prospect of a warm meal outweighed a fight against an already defeated adversary.

Some hours later, the Lions retreated into the forest after a few baleful glance at the humans that intruded in their domain. Shortly thereafter (once the soldiers were given proper time to inspect the deer carcass), Fred led his little procession of jeeps farther into the fast stretches of the Australian Savannah. Upon the soldier's return two days later from their furlough, they were greeted with the news that war had broken out in Europe.

 
Thanks.

I've been trying to weave in a sub-plot about differences between US and British colonial policies (I have the Australian Territories granted statehood) but the geography and native culture would not change and I want to capture that.
 

Puzzle

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I'm curious what happened in Europe with a new pandemic at that early date. I do like the Asian focus, so often it gets overlooked on this site.
 
I'm curious what happened in Europe with a new pandemic at that early date. I do like the Asian focus, so often it gets overlooked on this site.

I have the Ebola-like "Bleeding Death" Pandemic as more of a tropical disease or in places, like New York, that are very filthy and densely packed. I don't know if that is the case with Ebola.

The AIDS-Like "African Death" is universal. One of the reasons often credited for Africa's high death rate to AIDS has been that many cultures in Africa find multiple lovers acceptable compared to other areas in the globe. I have this in particular damaging the navies and merchant marines of the world, the "African Death" often called the "Sailor's Disease" as the brothels spread the disease, decimating fleets and encouraging innovation for quicker advancements away from labor-intensive Age of Sail and towards less labor-intensive steam powered ships. This also had the indirect result of less colonialism as conquering decimated interior African and Southeast Asian lands didn't have much benefit and the European Navies that made this possible in OTL would be weaker.


I had the Bleeding Death hitting Brazil, Africa, India and Southeast Asia the hardest, destroying civilizations with a death rate, with the African Death, of 50 to 70%. For lack of any real reason, I had Indonesia as having the highest death rate.

Less tropical, i.e. WET, climates like Northern China, Russia, Europe, North Africa, the Near East and Persia, Argentina and the Andes regions of South America and most of North America were hit less hard, reducing population in the realm of 20%.
 
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