Part XV: War Clouds
Loom
From
1998 thru early 2001, Czar Vladimir II was able to keep Andre Yulinkov and the
RNC in check. However, in April of 2001, Yulinkov got the break he had been
searching for. His security agents discovered that the Czar had been having an
affair with a women in Moscow, and that he had fathered two children by this
women. At this point, Yulinkov blackmailed the Czar into taking a hands-off
approach to governing, and allow the RNC to turn the pressure back up on East
Russia. In less than two years, thanks to this information, Russia would drag
the world into war.
-Plaks, Dr. Jeffry, History
of Modern Russia, Cambrigde, MA: Harvard University Press, 2011.
YULINKOV REISSUES DEMANDS
PETROGRAD, MAY 3- Russian Prime Minister Andre Yulinkov
announced today that the Imperial Russian Government was rejecting the plan
outlined in the 1998 London Agreement, and that the Vladivostok Republic had 1
year to fulfill the other items of the “Petrograd Demands” that had originally
been issued in 1997. The Russian Foreign Minister announced today that by May
of 2002, East Russia must reduce it’s military to 1/3 of it’s current size,
allow for the construction of two more military bases for Imperial use, and devalue
the Republican Ruble to ¼ it’s current value.
Outgoing
Prime Minister Margret Roberts, who announced last month that she would retire
at the end of the year, expressed shock and outrage at the announcement from Russia.
“The United Kingdom, and the other members of the 1998 Five Party Talks put
forth great effort to make a plan for peace in Russia, and today the fascist
Yulinkov has cast aside these plans in what could only be called warmongering.”
In the United States, President Boren, who was a leader in coming up with the
London Agreement, expressed his severe disappointment at the news, and has
called on Imperial Russia to change its course of action to prevent conflict
from erupting.
So
far, the Vladivostok Democratic Republic has not responded to these renewed
demands, and many experts think that President Yuri Medinov may choose to
ignore what amounts to an ultimatum, and try and get the members of the ’98
Five Party Talks to get Imperial Russia back to the negotiating table.
-“Yulinkov Reissues Demands,” The Times (London), May 4, 2001.
ZENTRUM TAKES REICHSTAG
BERLIN, JUNE 9-The Zentrum Party, headed by Heinrich
Lehmann, has taken control of the Reichstag for the first time in nearly a
generation, beating out the Monarchist Party. Having a clear majority at 59%,
with the support of the Social Democrats and the Greens as well, Lehmann, the
great-grandson of Hugo Eckener, will take office later this month as Chancellor
of the German Empire. Kaiser Fredrick Wilhelm II offered congratulations to Lehmann
and his fellow Zentrum Party Members.
Some
now wonder what this all means for German-Russian relations, since the Zentrum
Party has been a vocal advocate of recognizing the independence of East Russia.
This is all the more of a touchy situation now that the Imperial Russian
government has reissued the “Petrograd Demands,” which has placed an ultimatum
on the Eastern 8government to comply within one year or possibly face military
action, which has been decried by the Zentrum Party, along with many leaders
around the world.
-“Zentrum Takes Reichstag,” Berliner Morgenpost, June 10, 2001.
INTERNATIONAL SPACE CONFERENCE PLANNED
CAPE CANVERAL,
JULY 6- Today the American Space Exloration Agency announced that ASEA,
the Imperal Rocket Force of Germany, and the British Space Agency plan to hold
an international conference in Berlin in November to discuss the possibility of
future joint ventures in the exploration of space, such as an international
space station (or stations) in orbit around Earth, and possibly Mars as well,
along with a more concerted effort at Lunar and Martian colonization.
The
idea for an international space conference, and possibly an international space
organization, has been around since the 1970s, but, apart from the Frankfurt
Treaty conference of 1990, there has been little in the way of joint efforts in
space. President Boren stated on the campaign trail that he wanted to see a
meeting between the major world space agencies to try and establish real
cooperation between the space-faring nations on issues like colonization and
space travel in and around Earth. Such efforts had been blocked during the
Republican administration of George HW Bush, and President Clinton was focused
on ending the war in Iran and issues at home.
-“International Space Conference Planned,” The New York Times, July 7, 2001.
RUSSIA CONFERENCE SET FOR WARSAW
PETROGRAD, SEP 3- The Imperial Russian Government has
reluctantly agreed today to an offer made by Germany, the United Kingdom,
France, Poland, and the United States to try and solve the issues between the
two Russian states, which look more and more like they could be spriling
towards war. The Imperial Foreign Ministry announced this afternoon that the
Russian Empire will agree to meet in Warsaw for talks with East Russia and the
5 neutral nations in April of next year, just a month ahead of the May 2002
deadline.
Despite
attempts at being optomistic, there are many in His Majesty’s government that
are very doubtful that this new conference will be able to solve the problems
arrising in Russia. Thomas Rutherford, a professor of political science at
Oxford and considered an expert on Russia and frequently used as a consultant
by the government told the Times that “A lasting agreement at Warsaw seems
highly unlikely. Prime Minister Yulinkov and the RNC are hell-bent on restoring
the entirety of the Russian Empire as it was before 1917, and the mere existance
of an independent East Russia flies in the face of their party agenda. For
awhile Czar Vladimir II seemed to have reigned in Yulinkov and his cronies, but
that has apparently ended.”
-“Russia Conference Set for Warsaw,” The Times (London), September 4, 2001.
PROTESTER SHOOTING FLAIRS VIOLENCE IN EAST RUSSIA
VLADIVOSTOK, OCT 12- What began as a peaceful protest to the
Imperial Russian demands on the East Russian state turned violent when two pro-Imperial
gunmen opened fire on the unarmed crowd that had gathered outside the
Presidential Palace, killing 5 protestors before police standing nearby
apprehended the shooters. This attack enraged the populace of Vladivostok, and large
scale riots ensued across the city. Within hours, thousands upon thousands of people marched loudly throught
the streets and converged on the consulate of Imperial Russia, overwhelming
police guards that had been set up outside. The protestors ended up storming
the gates of the compound, at which point Imperial guards opened fire on the
rioters, further enraging the crowd.
Eventually,
Imperial secuirty and Vladivostok police were able to push the rioters out of
the consulate compound and initially disperse the crowd, but not before
protestors were able to set fire to part of the consulate compound. And
although the crowds have dispersed, the city is still simmering, and government
has put into effect a dusk-to-dawn curfew, and have put up road blocks around
the district where the Imperial Russian consulate is located to prevent rioters
from attacking this part of the city.
-“Protestor Shooting Flairs Violence in East Russia,” L.A. Times, October 13, 2001.
The
Berlin International Space Conference in November of 2001 was the start of a
new era of mankind’s exploration of space. The governments of Germany, America,
and Britain had decided that continued competition between their space programs
was doing more harm than good. What was needed was cooperation. With this
attitude in mind, the delegates from the American Space Exploration Agency,
Germany’s Imperial Rocket Force, and the British Space Agency gathered in the
capital of the German Empire on November 4, 2001 and would be in session for
nearly two weeks.
Many
decisions were made during the deliberations between policy makers and
scientists. The meeting was dubbed in the press as the “Congress of the Minds”.
In the end, the Conference drafted the “Berlin Space Treaty”, which was
submitted to the representative governments for approval. Germany signed first
in December 2001, with America in January of 2002, and Britain in February of
the same year. The BST created the International Space Council, which would
consist of three members from each member agency, and would help direct all
joint operations. The BST also created the International Colonial Authority,
which was placed in charge of all human colonies on the Moon and Mars. The ICA
would be made up of two delegates from each member agency.
The
ISC met for the first time at it’s temporary headquarters in Frankfurt,
Germany, on April 3, 2002. A basic ten-year plan was established as a framework
for the ISC, with various joint missions being discussed. However, the events
of the following month in Russia would overshadow the ISC and it’s mission for
several years, with the outbreak of war putting space exploration on the back
burner for a good portion of that decade.
-Hanes, Dr. Samuel. The
Birth of International Space Exploration. New York City: Atlantic Press
House, 2014.
WAR! YULINKOV USE CONFERENCE AS DECOY
WARSAW, APR 20- The Warsaw Conference, now it it’s fifth
day, has come to an abrupt end. During today’s deliberations between Germany,
Britain, France, Poland, the United States, Imperial Russia, and East Russia,
news reached the Vladivostok delegation, made up of the East Russian President,
Foreign Secretary, and several other members of the East Russian government,
that Imperial troops had crossed the boarder in the Baikal region, bombing
military outposts and rail lines. Imperial Russian Chancellor Yulinkov left the
city shortly after the news was announced, and the East Russian president
announced an hour later that “a state of War now exists between the two
Russias.”
Chancellor
Lehmann gave the Foreign Ministry orders to dispel the Imperial Russian
ambassador and embassy staff in Berlin, and that the military should begin to
make preparations for war. It is widely expected that a formal declaration of
war by the German Empire against Imperial Russia will be made by the Reichstag
once the Chancellor and the rest of the German delegation return home.
As
the sun set, the American Vice President departed aboard the U.S.S. Eagle II,
and will also have the East Russian President and delegation with him as well,
since the faster route home is now a war zone. A military escort is being given
to the American airship that generally carries the U.S. President.
At
the time of print, it is still unclear whether or not the United States or
Great Britain will declare war on Imperial Russia, though it seems likely.
France has stated that for now, they will remain neutral. Poland has closed
their boarders with Imperial Russia and dispelled the Imperial Russian
ambassador.
-“War! Yulinkov Uses Conference as Decoy!” Frankfurter Zeitung April 21, 2002.
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