May is now finalized:
May 2: DC's cancelled 'Earth 2' comic is replaced by one called Earth Two, set on DP-Earth, and based on news stories and other information from that Earth (though only using the Dp-Earth versions of characters owned by DC). On Stp-Earth, Thomas Alva Edison's rocket design wins the Phelps Prize for that category, but his astronef is passed over in favor of that designed by Dr. Artemus Gordon, an inventor, adventurer, dime-novel Action Scientist, and retired Secret Service agent (which requires a partial redesign of both, and incenses the prickly Edison).
May 4: On Inp-Earth, Disney/Lucasfilm founds a group of holding corporations, and some subsidiaries thereof: Republic Space Services (containing Corellian Engineering Corporation, Incom, SoroSuub, et cetra), Republic Automation (Cybot Galactica, Indudstrial Automaton, etc.), Republic Defense Industries (BlasTech, Taim & Bak, etc.), and Republic General Products (Fabritech, Novaldex, etc.), as well as endorsing the Jedi Church's attempts to become an official NGO. Star Wars fanclubs are informed of this in advance, allowing rapid recruitment of empowered ('Force-sensitive', according to corporate documents) engineers and other workers (in a few cases, whole fanclubs are recruited together, into the same subsidiary). The point seems to be a mix of 'good PR' (or the hope that such will develop), 'going with the flow,' and 'making a profit off of existing copyrights, since Star Wars fans were most likely going to make these things, anyway' (similar reasoning inspired the creation of Starship Enterprises, on April 27th).
May 7: Inp-USA's 82nd Airborne Division is officially renamed 82nd Spaceborne Division, and all members who qualify (which is most of them) are requested to undergo astronaut training. On Stp-Earth, the Edison Radio Company opens audio-broadcast radio stations in New York City, N.Y., Menlo Park, N.J., and Washington, D.C., though there are less than a hundred households in all three cities that have receivers.
May 9: Stp-Japan launches their first satellite, a communications relay, into orbit. Scientists in the Ottoman Empire announce the success of a new 'eugenic enhancement' potion, which if given to a pregnant woman during her first trimester, will result in her giving birth to an Sahih Ądem ('Better Man') or Sahih Hatun ('Better Woman'), a new races of healthy, friendly, non-aggressive people, far less inclined to go to war. The oldest are now fifteen, and far enough into puberty that the Ottoman scientists are fairly sure they've got it right (though it is too early to say that the traits will breed true in the next generation). The Kingdom of the Greeks calls the new people 'Helots', and criticizes the Turks for making an 'obvious slave race' (which is unsurprising, given the amount of dislike the Greeks have for the Turks, but could certainly have been
someone's motivation). Edison and Hawai'i report both the announcement and the Greek response, which is the first anyone on Earth One or Earth Two have heard about Earth Three's successes in 'eugenics' (which is rather more like genetic engineering than selective breeding) - it's not common, and isn't something often discussed by radiotelegraphy, and wasn't something anyone really asked about, who was in a position to get a response.
May 11: In Inp-Tokyo, a gang war between two rival groups of magical girls ends when the leader of a third group, calling herself Bishojou Senshi Sailor Moon, 'purifies' both groups (incidentally saving the smaller group from being transformed into monsters by their own adviser/mascot). Opinions on this event are mixed, as no-one is entirely certain what this 'purifying' process actually
does, nor whether this 'Sailor Moon' intends to rule the world. The B-52Gs being given the Starfighter upgrade are officially designated SB-52I Astrofortesses, which surprisingly enough, accelerates the upgrade process, and greatly reduces many complications in it.
May 14: In Inp-Japan, a boy named Ikari Kenji is startled by seeing what appears to be the ghost '
Sadako' coming out of his television. He kisses her, so that at least he will have done that before his death. The spirit is so surprised that she doesn't kill him, but now he has quite possibly the creepiest girlfriend ever. At DARPA, testing of the portal gun continues. The portals tend to collapse in a few minutes to an hour or two, expelling anything still transiting the wormhole through either portal, either to the side that more of the item's mass is on, or the side with more room (if one side doesn't have enough), or the side least dangerous to the testing body. Today's test is particularly interesting: the areas on both sides of the wormhole are dangerous to the testing body (a wooden dowel) and too cramped to hold it's entire length. To the surprise of some of the scientists (though others predicted something like this) the blue end of the portal 'jumps' to dump the testing body into the lead scientist's trousers - rather painfully.
May 15: Inp-Greece announces its intention to exit the Eurozone at the end of the month. In a clearly coordinated move, Inp-Cyprus announces the same. Handley Page Ltd. recieves permission to attempt a Starfighter refit on two of the surviving
Victors, which are redesignated Victor*s ('Victor Stars') for this purpose.
May 16: The 'Valentine's Gift' (see February 14) arrives at Dp-Earth orbit, then makes a landing at a custom-built runway, a bit east of Blackpool, defended by a full Group of RAF fighters, and the Blackhawk Squadron. In Inp-China, a
mysterious white ooze leaks from the middle of a street in Nanjing, China. On Stp-Earth, the Nazi KKVs become visible in the upper atmosphere, striking points in or near (mostly near) London, Kristiania, Paris, and St. Petersburg. The points of impact suggest difficulty aiming at such long ranges. The third section of the
Pyotr Velikiy is launched.
May 18: In Inp-Syria, Bashar Hafez al-Assad is killed, along with most of his top military officers, and a number of government workers by what appears to be one or more djinn. Some leaders of conflicting rebel movements are also killed, leading to even greater chaos in the region. The Stp-Earth Papal astronef
Sanctus Aloysius arrives in Earth One orbit, and lands at Leonardo da VinciFiumicino Airport, outside Rome. The Nuncio is quickly conducted to a meeting with Pope Innocent XIV.