An unstable world is destined to fight itself to death. Many countries, large and small, begin to struggle economically as a result of the TN transition.
Those who can't keep up are left in the dust, and those who are not united will divide further. Centuries old nations suffer under the internal pressure.
In this chapter we'll see the first human spacecraft and immense technological progress, but also civil war and strife.August 1922:Japan - Mitsubishi and Kawasaki begin factory upgrades with TN machinery, but the Zaibatsus' heads are left speechless at the retooling speed shown by some of the western powers.
The Japanese government had thought that this would be a good opportunity to level the playing field with the westerners. However, not being the first has its advantages: the conversion schemes from all other TN powers have been studied extensively, and a plan has been formulated using mining predictions.
This plan includes, among other things, the production of Orbital Support Fighters. This would require dedicated industries, but japanese airplane companies have plans to retool 5 production lines for this purpose. Research is directed immediately towards improved productivity to boost the industrial sector, with only one lab working towards development of laser weaponry.
Germany/USA - The Germans complete the first working nuclear reactor, followed by the americans a few days later. Both nations begin working on an engine prototype, but the USA dedicates two laboratories to improved ground unit training methods and equipment.
October 1922: Austria-Hungary - The dual monarchy begins the retooling of the economy to TN industry, Skoda factories in Prague leading the way. Struggling for a common direction, two projects are started: the Pressurized Reactor and Gauss Cannon Weaponry.
December 1922:Italy - The peninsular nation joins the TN club, with extremely aggressive retooling plans, focusing heavily on industrial output over mining. Research is directed towards power production and railguns, to try and get a military edge over the Ottoman Empire.
February 1923:Ottoman Empire - The Empire is significantly lagging behind other powers in the TN race, struggling under the pressure of modernization. TN technology partially helps in closing the gap that existed since the start of the first industrial revolution, but it also makes the transition harder.
A plan is devised to help the fledgling industry: the Empire will build maintenance facilities, to sell at a later date to other nations in exchange for investment. Any ships would have to wait at least a decade for the Empire and without a complete understanding of TN theory, complex facilities cannot be built, hence the choice.
The German government officially expresses interest in a deal in the future, whereas the Americans want the deal to remain secret, sending an official from a shell company to make it look like a private initative.
USA - Nuclear Engines are now a reality, with the Stone-Gallagher Nuclear Drive prototype fully operational. The US has picked up on the Japanese plans, and now the goal is to make the drive small and powerful enough for use in a small craft.
The American expertise in armor should allow for significant weight reduction, an advantage no other power has. Geological survey sensors are under development, whereas Stone and his MIT team work on engine boosting, to squeeze every bit of power from the tiny engine size planned in the craft.
April 1923:USSR - Ustin Golovin's team, in a remarkable effort, brings the Soviets in the TN era. Many are surprised to see the previously war torn nation adopt the technology before France, but their scientists are very talented. The same cannot be said of the Commune, with many French scientists fleeing to other countries after the revolution.
Research efforts focus heavily on Earth operations, with teams on kinetic weapons and training equipment.
UK - With the TN conversion, the UK is rapidly regaining a position as a Great Power. Troop deployments in Lagos and Accra, two of the last outposts still surviving on the african coast, are announced. The current government is banking heavily on these ventures succeeding, as the army's reputation is already damaged enough.
Research wise, the UK still has no Propulsion experts. Inexperienced scientists are therefore assigned to the projects, hoping that some experience would stimulate the field.
(Note: As a HR i only change field for scientists under 10%, to simulate up and coming graduates that still have to pick their path. Two 0% scientists have been switched to DS and PP respectively, and have been assigned 1 lab to work on secondary tasks).
June 1923:CSA - With TN Technology done, the Confederates immediately start programs to make their weak industrial base more efficient. There is a lot of catching up to do, but the Confederate Bureau of Military Research houses a lot of C/P Experts, aiding them in their effort.
October 1923:CoF - France finally begins conversion, as the party leadership is disheartened by the snail's pace at which the academy is progressing. One lab is given to a young scientist to develop his skills and the research teams' productivity. The rest goes on to research entry level techs like PWR and Armor.
USA - The states begin development of a TN vehicle. The design is loosely based on the British Mark X tank, some of which have been captured from the CSA stockpile. As such, it is a primarily anti-infantry weapon.
A prototype is designed under the name of F/C T23 ACV.
November 1923:Italy - The Sudan-Deployed 3a Divisione di Fanteria is tasked with the reclamation of the old Sudanese borders, fighting the Dervish tribes in the desert.
Part show of force, part diplomatic move to gain the favor of the Sudanese inhabitants who are consistently raided, the campaign is also supported by new rifles and machine guns, equipped with coils to increase the projectile's muzzle velocity.
Other powers observe the campaign, as it is the first field usage of TN enhanced weaponry.
USA - Northrop-Grumman begins conversion to TN machinery. 5 Assembly lines will work to create the prototype Geological Survey Craft in secret.
January 1924:UK - The Ghana/Nigeria expedition is bearing fruits, managing to secure areas around the port cities. British insiders also believe the government is considering a potential charter in Sierra Leone for the Jewish people, with the holy land firmly in Ottoman hands.
March 1924:Germany - A design is finalized for the German survey vessel, named the Gauss class in honor of one of the most brilliant German minds to ever exist.
The Naval Shipyard is still under construction, with the Kaiser growing impatient by the day. The design suffers from overengineering and its composite armor made of Durasteel, significantly less advanced compared to the pure Duranium armor of american craft.
April 1924:UK - Production is redirected towards the civilian/financial sector due to the extreme imbalance in the economy. It is predicted that most other powers will have to take similar measures sooner or later.
USA - The Brahe design is finalized. Two Survey Crafts are ordered by the US government immediately, with an estimated delivery date in Q1 1925.
Brahe class Geological Survey Craft 495 tons 15 Crew 131.2 BP TCS 10 TH 4 EM 0
404 km/s Armour 1-5 Shields 0-0 HTK 4 Sensors 0/1/0/1 DCR 0 PPV 0
Maint Life 8.93 Years MSP 82 AFR 4% IFR 0.1% 1YR 2 5YR 28 Max Repair 100 MSP
Lieutenant Commander Control Rating 1
Intended Deployment Time: 20 months Morale Check Required
Duncan Drive Systems Modular TTND 2G (2) Power 4.0 Fuel Use 62.50% Signature 2.00 Explosion 5%
Fuel Capacity 20,000 Litres Range 11.6 billion km (333 days at full power)
Norris-Owens EMDAR Brahe (1) Sensitivity 1.0 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 7.9m km
Geological Survey Sensors (1) 1 Survey Points Per Hour
This design is classed as a Fighter for production, combat and planetary interaction
May 1924:A-H - The Ausgleich negotiations begin in an extremely tense political climate, with both sides firmly set on obtaining their goals.
Hungarian delegates staunchly oppose any thought of federation, presenting as a façade the threat of excessive autonomy leading to a breakup of the entire nation.
The federation is supported by most minorities, but the austrian delegates are torn. Ultimately, the idea of a danubian federation is scrapped for the simple status quo, much to the dismay of everybody not speaking german or hungarian.
July 1924:Italy - The Sudan campaign concludes. Equipped with thermal sensors, the Italians operate under a search and destroy protocol, annihilating every Dervish stronghold. Ottoman generals urge the government to increase spending in military research, to not fall behind their rival in the area.
Germany - Frankfurt shows signs of an economic slowdown, as the rapid technological surge creates a lot of strain on the economy. New financial HQs and institutions are to be estabilished. Additionally, German research will try to focus on economic efficiency as well, should the industrial effort not be enough.
USA - Production of the F/C T23 ACV begins in the US. It's the first TN armored vehicle to begin mass production.
October 1924:South-East Asia - After the Viet Minh achieved unification, two factions start to emerge in the coalition. The first is a leftist faction, aiming to take the nation in a direction similar to that of France or the USSR. As such, it's backed by these two powers. The second is a broad coalition of nationalists and conservatives, desiring political independence. It has the backing of Japan and the USA, trying to balance these powers' influence to prevent a new take-over of the country. The situation is rapidly devolving, with the threat of a civil war in the horizon.
January 1925:
A-H - Unrest keeps on growing in many minority areas of the monarchy, such as Galicia and Croatia. The Kaiser is furious at the results of the previous Ausgleich, mentioning how "it will lead to the disintegration of Austria as we know it".
For their part, the balkan states keep quiet. After the last war, where many lost territory in similar circumstances, every head of government is more cautious. Nevertheless, Romanians and Serbians alike are cautiously optimistic about their chances to be reunited with their fellow countrymen.
March 1925: USA - The Brahe GSC is launched from the Northrop factories. Its crew of 15, led by Lieutenant Commander David Nicholson, lands in Philadelphia after a test orbital insertion.
The American population is ecstatic at the news that american men will be the first to explore the stars. With this surprise event the crew takes part in a radio interview broadcast throughout the nation and even internationally. At the same time, a Maintenance Facility is being shipped from Anatolia to NY as part of an Ottoman-American deal to bolster Turkish industry.
(USA: +1 MF, -1 Factory: OTT: -1 MF, +1 Factory)
German and British engineers alike are baffled at the small size of the craft and its predicted range and life. The German Raumarine command is furious as the assumption was the necessity for a shipyard to release ships in upper orbit, but the americans have clearly demonstrated otherwise.
In London, the newly founded ROSEN (Royal Outer Space Exploration Navy) command requests the immediate conversion of factory lines for fighter production.
Tokyo opts to not share the news of their Fighter design until it will be ready, to obtain the maximum surprise effect and geopolitical advance in the moment.
South-East Asia - War erupts between the Socialist and Nationalist factions of the Viet Minh. International aid and volunteers are limited to prevent an escalation, as all the powers involved have other goals to focus on.
April 1925:USA - The Brahe finishes a survey of the Moon, finding 4 of the 11 minerals, at a global accessibility of 2.5. These minerals are, however, some of the most useful, including Duranium, Neutronium and Gallicite. The ship then heads to Mercury, to complete a survey of all the inner planets before returning to Earth.
Luna Survey Report:
Duranium: 73,015 0.9
Neutronium: 2,283,695 0.6
Tritanium: 2,336,496 0.5
Gallicite: 188,573 0.5
UK - Southern Nigeria and Ghana have been pacified and reintegrated in the Empire as protectorates. It will be some time before the regions can contribute to the Empire due to the lack of any developed support base in the area, as the previous administration had completely collapsed.
June 1925:Ottomans - The Ottomans become the latest power to transition in the TN era. Their development has been particularly slow due to extreme inefficiency and corruption in the nation.
Resources are immediately directed towards armor and weaponry to bolster their ground forces.
July 1925:Italy - The military undergoes a complete redesign under new TN principles. Infantry is trained with new equipment and two vehicles are under development, a Light Tank, suited to scouting, and a massive Heavy Tank built with a cannon capable of piercing similarly armored vehicles, as well as light autocannon to have more versatility against agile opponents.
All the vehicle projects are secret, unlike the american F/C tank. Field guns are also updated, adding magnetic sections to function in a cannon-railgun hybrid. This new artillery boasts greater range and destructive capability compared to the conventional field cannons.
October 1925:USA - The Brahe has surveyed the inner system and is currently operating on Jupiter's moons. So far 3 bodies have been recognized to house minerals, leading to optimism for the new TN economy. The US government considers releasing the planets' survey reports to the world, but stops shy of doing so to not trivialize the work of the Brahe's crew and all the effort invested in building mankind's first spaceship.
December 1925:A-H - Illyria explodes in open revolt after local demands for increased autonomy have been rejected by the Hungarian government.
Honvédség troops (Hungarian Army) are sent to the province to quell unrest after the local garrison is overran by the rebels, but are ordered to stand down by the Kaiser. The order is largely ignored as the commanders begin suppressing the rebellion, stating "we answer to the Hungarian parliament".
In Bosnia, the revolt causes extreme confusion as Hungarian forces and rebels begin fighting. Austrian troops are ordered to stop the fighting at any cost, as such they engage both sides.
The situation devolves in complete chaos after Sarajevo sees heavy fighting involving Austrian, Hungarian and Slavic troops fighting against each other. News of the fighting reaches both parliaments and all hell breaks loose.
Accusations are telegraphed between Budapest and Vienna, with both parties blaming each other for the first fire. Sarajevo, Zagreb and Lubljana become battlegrounds, with the city centers being fortified by the rebels. After Hungarian artillery fire on Sarajevo occurs, officially "to break the rebels' resolve", the Kaiser sends an ultimatum to the Hungarian parliament to withdraw the troops and stand down. This will become known as the "Christmas' day incident".
The response from the Hungarians is a declaration of independence from Austria, citing the order to relinquish the defense of Hungarian land as the reason.
Start of the Austro-Hungarian Civil War / War of Hungarian LiberationWorld Map: 24 December 1925 is available in Menu - Map Bureau
National Stability Changes:Commune of France: +2 -> +1
United States: 0 -> +1
German Empire: +1 -> 0
USSR: -3 -> -1
Austria-Hungary: -2 -> -3 (Civil War)
War has erupted once again on European soil. Will old alliances survive this new crisis, or will a new balance of power emerge? What side will these powers pick? What are the repercussions on the world?
The next chapter will cover the years of the Austro-Hungarian Civil War and the diplomatic consequences of the War.