Five Earths, All in a Row

[Prince Charon]

In case anyone is interested in helping, or you think you might get inspired, the current draft of April, 2014 is up in the Main thread on SB.com. It's still a work in progress, of course, and I'm not sure how long it will take me to get it finalized.

[tshiggins]

I've thought of a vignette that I'll probably write up, here, sometime this week.

[Prince Charon]

Originally Posted by tshiggins

I've thought of a vignette that I'll probably write up, here, sometime this week.

Cool. I look forward to it.

[Prince Charon]

An article, oddly enough on Daily Kos, that is relevant to Earth-2: America Before Pearl Harbor - Early Kodachrome Images. I'd forgotten that Kodachrome was quite that old. Lots of pictures on a number of subjects.

Of course, Japanese Americans on Earth-2 are not under suspicion, as their counterparts on Earth-1 were in this period. Chinese Americans are, but they aren't being locked up, due to the influence of Earth-1 polities, including China-1.

[vitruvian]

Originally Posted by Prince Charon

Good point, that. Of course, it might be too late, by the time she does find out. One of the ideas I had for Dsp-Harley is that she continues the Jokers work after he goes too far and gets himself killed, because he doesn't have the advantage that the Earth-1 Joker-spirit has.

Or alternatively, she could choose to continue his work by using psychological conditioning (on folks who are already committed and under her 'care', or on folks she kidnaps) to make more of him when he dies...

[warellis]

Originally Posted by vitruvian

Or alternatively, she could choose to continue his work by using psychological conditioning (on folks who are already committed and under her 'care', or on folks she kidnaps) to make more of him when he dies...

That is deeply disturbing.

I forget, is Dsp-Harley even around yet? Or might Harleen there not actually fall?

[Prince Charon]

Originally Posted by vitruvian

Or alternatively, she could choose to continue his work by using psychological conditioning (on folks who are already committed and under her 'care', or on folks she kidnaps) to make more of him when he dies...

That is indeed an option, albeit a scary one.

Originally Posted by warellis

That is deeply disturbing.

I forget, is Dsp-Harley even around yet? Or might Harleen there not actually fall?

Right 'now,' there doesn't seem to be a 'Dr. Harleen Quinzel,' but that doesn't mean there won't be a Harley Quinn. There are female psychologists and psychiatrists, though none at Arkham, as yet, and there are female psychiatric nurses, including some at Arkham.

[Prince Charon]

OK, here is April, 2014:

April 2: In Inp-Germany, Heinkel Raumschiffwerke's HSJ-1 Gribbon (see April 19, 2013) reaches orbit for the first time. The vehicle is generally shown to be safer than more rushed designs, and is predicted to be somewhat less troublesome to produce in large numbers, once the factory is tooled up.

April 4: In Clp-Transylvania, outside Hermannstadt (modern Sibiu), Conrad Haas successfully makes an orbital rocket launch just before sunset. The payload is a set of alchemical long-burning flares, bright enough to be slightly visible even during the day, in each colour of the Transylvanian flag (blue, red, and yellow). The flares last for three-and-a-quarter to three-an-a-half orbits, first the blue flare burning out, then the yellow, and finally the red. Though the launch is not noticed by the other Earths, both Earth 1 and Earth 3 notice the flares.

April 5: The Scandanavian Federation vessels launched on Jan. 7 arrive over Dsp-Earth. They are escorted to Stephenville Air Base, Newfoundland and Labradour, by elements of the RAF, RCAF, USRS, and the Enterprise constellation. HMS Hood finishes refit (required by the damage she took at the Battle of the Denmark Strait), leaves Dsp-Jarrow as an atomic battlecruiser. In Stp-UK, the Official Secrets Act 1880 (formally 'An Act to prevent the Disclosure of Official Documents and Information') is granted Royal Assent. The Act is based on similar Acts in Dsp-UK and Inp-UK.

April 7: On Earth-1 General Dynamics Electric Boat's fusion-powered midget sub designs (see Nov. 4, 2013) are approved by the Inp-US Navy. At Inp-New Providence Island, the Royal Bahamas Defence Force takes delivery of two Space Harrier F(S).3s (Starfighter-upgraded Sea Harrier F(A).2s), immediately tripling the size of the RBDF Space Wing, and increasing the number of combat spacecraft from zero to two. In Dsp-USA, the first promotions of USRS officers to Lieutenant General and full General occur, most notably Lt. Generals Patton and Spaatz, and General Billy Mitchell.

April 9: The Battle of Midway(2) ends in a surprising Axis victory, with the Soviet and Chinese navies taking control of the islands. Stp-Japan decides never to accept battle at Midway Atoll, as it's clearly bad luck for the Imperial Japanese Navy. In Dsp-Germany, the Kriegsmarine's production budget is shifted to allow greater emphasis on submarines. The Stp-Illinois Aerial Militia is established, becoming the first independent air force on Earth-3. The IAM uses organization, ranks, insignia, and uniforms inspired by the Earth-1 United States Air Force and Earth-2 United States Army Air Forces. Due to the small size of the IAM, NCO ranks currently stop at Master Sergeant, and commissioned ranks do not go higher than Colonel (of which there is only one at this time). Controversially, that Colonel, popular Illinois lawyer and abolitionist Abraham Lincoln, permits several black men to form a squadron, the 4th (Colored) Fighter Squadron, 2nd Aerial Combat Group, 1st Illinois Aerial Militia Wing. In Stp-Washington, D.C., President Phelps sends for his doctor, complaining of an ulcer.

April 11: In Clp-England, Earth-4, a large warclank with an armoured howdah (cockpit) is tested. The first pilot, Sir Reginald Forsythe, is said to refer to it as 'a most worthy Battle Mechanism,' though other sources suggest that the name was inspired by radio conversations with a future Earth. In the pacific Ocean of Earth-1, Inp-USN Carrier Strike Group 5, accompanied by battleship USS Missouri, begins a series of freedom of navigation exercises in the South China Sea. The PRC is, predictably, rather annoyed. In orbit of Earth-2, Enterprise and Atlantis make use of their disintegrator rays on wide beam to clear the debris from the Battle of the Earth(2) Insertion (see Feb. 17, 2014).

April 12: In Dsp-UK, the Hawker Sea Fury enters service with the RNFAA. In Dsp-Washington, D.C., Auxiliary Nursing Group, Extraterrestrial Legions (called A.N.G.E.L.s), the nursing auxiliary of the US Rocket Service, is founded. At Area 51, Inp-Nevada, US military personnel begin testing of the DARPA-343 Industries MJOLNIR Mark I Armored Exoskeleton.

April 15: In Inp-Germany, four Starfighter-upgraded SP-3 Orions (with further upgrades to sensors) are delivered to the German Space Patrol (Raumpatrouille) as search & rescue vessels. While one of these was reassigned from the Bundesmarine (German Navy), the others were purchased from other nations, including the US. A common joke online is that they will be used one at a time, and keep getting destroyed.

April 17: In Inp-Madrid, an article in Los Mundos (formerly El Mundo), Inp-Madrid notes that there are now men who each call themselves 'Don Quixote de La Mancha' erranting around Stp-, Dsp-, and Inp-Spain. Further, the real Don Quixote (not Cervantes's Quixana, but the man Quixana thought he was) is known to be erranting around in Clp-Spain. No such reports are found from Fa-Hispania, though.

April 18: On Inp-Cuba, a psyker-lead revolution begins. The apparent leader styles himself (translated from Spanish) 'His Catholic Majesty Ernesto I, Anointed by God King of Cuba and Captain General of the Cuban Forces, Duke of Holguín, Count of Havanna, and Lord Protector of the Caribbean.' He is believed to be a probability manipulator, and possibly an esper or telepath; certainly he has subordinates with such powers. A speech he broadcasts across Cuba and posts online promises a return to security and prosperity, but conspicuously says nothing whatsoever about the United States, or the ownership of Guantánamo Bay. In Stp-Indiana, the first confirmed attack by Dr. Aeolus's Air Pirates occurs, though several earlier attacks are suspected to have been due to their actions - this was the first to have a surviving witness.

April 20: To the delight of many children on Earth-1, the Easter Bunny is witnessed in and around numerous homes and churches, though only the children catch a glimpse of him. Ki'i 1, a fusion powered space-probe, is launched towards Haumea. Dsp-USS Enterprise receives new aircraft: Vought F5U STOL fighters, using RADAR and turboprop engines influenced by Earth-1 designs. In Dsp-Washington, D.C., twenty-three year old Harriet Tubman Jones becomes the first African American woman to join the A.N.G.E.L.s. In Earth(2) orbit, the Enterprise Constellation and various Dsp-Allied spacecraft rendezvous, preparing to travel to Earth(1). Breaking orbit, they head to Luna(2).

April 22: 'Dolores Winters' and Alexei Luthor are recruited into Project M. Unknown to most on the project, they are also part of Project V (which is 'hidden inside' Project M): the development of technology to use in a possible conflict with the Future Earth. The Allied Constellation reaches Luna(2). Diplomatic talks between the Dsp-Allied powers and the Seleneans begin, and will continue throughout the journey, but the Seleneans do not accept embassies from the Dsp-powers at this time.

April 24: In Dsp-Ireland, reports are read to key members of the Oireachtas, from Irish spies in Nazi Germany and Nazi-Occupied Eastern Europe. With the arrival of the flight from Ice Warrior Clan Ssrax and the equipping of long-range boosters on the Earth(2) and Luna(2) spacecraft, the Allied Constellation breaks orbit on the way to Earth(1).

April 25: The Kotzebue Massacre occurs: in Dsp-Kotzebue, Soviet-occupied Alaska, seven people are killed, and thirty-one injured, in retaliation for a group of high-school students sabotaging a spare-parts bunker. Above Inp-Sweden, Earth-1, the Saab JAS 39G/H Sjärngripen (Star Gryphon) reaches orbit for the first time.

April 27: Dsp-Éire, citing the horrors of the Holocaust, declares war on Nazi Germany, though they specifically do not declare war on the other Axis powers at this time. In Dsp-Madrid, Fransisco Franco begins spending time with a tall, beautiful foreign woman. She seems suspicious from a distance, but anyone who meets her finds her quite harmless.

With thanks to Jonen C and Hiver on Spacebattles.com for Swedish expertise.

[Prince Charon]

Government of the Kingdom of England, Earth-4 (Clockpunk Earth), 1557

As a result of the Sisters' War (or 'English Civil War,' or several other names) between forces loyal to Queen Mary and those loyal to Queen Elizabeth following the assassinations of King Edward VI and his pregnant wife, Queen Jane (and the accusations that one side or the other had been responsible), the lands held by the English Queen are somewhat less unified than they were under her brother, father, or grandfather. Good Queen Bess and her advisors made certain deals during the war to gain support from neutrals, and to cut out a few of Mary's supporters who were wavering. In effect, Elizabeth Tudor is High Queen of a semi-feudal, semi-federal state, where many territories have rights, privileges, and duties that don't completely match those of their immediate neighbors. One of the more notable examples is that a few territories have the privilege of religious freedom, retaining the Catholic faith (or, indeed, any other non-Anglican faith), so long as they do not attack the Anglicans who may live in or pass through their lands; this is often bought at a significant price, sometimes trading away the right to send Members into Parliament, while still being bound by the Queen's other laws.

With the retirement of Sir William Petre, the High Queen has chosen to reorganize her senior ministers in a manner inspired by the Future Britains. In particular, the position of 'Minister at War' was created, based on the Earth-1 UK Defence Secretary and Earth-2 UK Minister of Defence. It is the duty of the Minister at War, especially during wartime, to make certain that the Lord High Admiral, Master-General of the Ordnance, and Lord Marshal of the Air (another new post) are all on the same page, and that all of the High Queen's forces are working together smoothly (or as smoothly as possible, anyway). The three remain what we would now call cabinet-level posts, but in war-time, could be considered subordinate to the Minister at War within the Cabinet. As the country is not at war, it remains to be seen how this will work out, and whether the post will remain with the Duke of Suffolk in the event of a war, or be taken by Sir William Cecil (possibly making Suffolk Foreign Secretary, as he's important enough that keeping him in a high position is a good idea), as Churchill effectively did when he became Prime Minister.


Chief Minister to the Crown (informal title, suggested from offworld): Sir William Cecil, also Foreign Secretary.

Lord Chancellor: Sir Nicholas Bacon, also Lord Privy Seal
Lord Treasurer: The Marquess of Winchester
Lord Privy Seal: Sir Nicholas Bacon

Secretary of State for the Foreign Department: Sir William Cecil
Secretary of State for the Home Department: Sir Thomas Smith

Minister at War: The Duke of Suffolk

Chancellor of the Exchequer: Sir Richard Sackville

Lord High Admiral: The Lord Clinton
Master-General of the Ordnance: Sir Richard Southwell
Lord Marshal of the Air: Sir Walter Mildmay

Lord Steward: The Earl of Warwick

Lord Chamberlain: The Lord Darcy of Chiche

Cofferer of the Household: Thomas Weldon

Master of the Horse: The Earl of Pembroke


Thoughts?

[tshiggins]

Originally Posted by Prince Charon

Government of the Kingdom of England, Earth-4 (Clockpunk Earth), 1557

(SNIP)

Thoughts?

Renaissance England still featured a lot of nobles more loyal to themselves than to either crown or country. One of the most interesting parts about Queen Elizabeth I is that, when it came to policy-making, she was only about average -- or, at best, slightly above.

The big thing she had going for her was luck. Following the upheaval that brought her to power, most of her subjects were worn out from fighting. On top of that, the Spanish made sufficient nuisances of themselves that she was able to focus a lot of British ire on them, and the storm that wiped out their fleet was a stroke of sheer, random, good fortune.

It also meant that she could authorize privateers to prey on Spanish shipping, which gave the most ambitious of her nobles and gentry a means of social mobility that didn't including fighting at home. North America also provided a second safety-valve, of sorts.

Given all of this, I'd wonder what lessons her people get from news about the other Englands? I'd bet she keeps a tight reign on the information that gets out, and she strongly emphasizes the power of the Dp-British Empire and the Stp-British Empire. I bet she doesn't really allow too much information out about the reduced circumstances of the Ip-United Kingdom, or the fact that they got supplanted by the nation created by the rebel American colonists.

The smart move is to try to integrate the North American colonies more fully into the United Kingdom, including parliamentary representation. However, that dilution of power starts to step on a lot of toes of existing interests.