Hey, that's pretty cool
REALLYLONGPOSTAHEAD
Over the past couple nights I've been pounding out some ideas, trying to flesh out a potential backstory a bit. My objectives are to create a scenario that:
1- Allows for air piracy in a setting where there is enough dynamically stability for us to also have functional air forces, there is the possibility of war around the corner but also a reason for those air forces not to have already annihilated each other, and where virtually any group can find a reason to fight with any other at any time
2- Has some of fun matching the setting to the swashbuckling style of the inspiration, taking elements from the byzantine political situation of the early 20th century, mixing in novel innovations and responses to later events and technologies, etc
3- Incorporates appropriate historical personalities into the new circumstances that bring some familiarity but also contrast their world with ours in an entertaining way. So basically I think you should be able to blow up Hitler in the first mission. I mean, after you do that everything is icing
I've gotten to the early 20s so far here, and it's already gonna need some srs editing if you (The E) are interested in using parts of it for tech room intel entries or whatever, particularly towards the end where I start enjoying the writing process a little too much. Anyway, I'm just posting it because I got tired of writing and figured I'd see what people thought.
World War:On the 28th of June, 1914, Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir apparent to the Austro-Hungarian throne, was severely injured in a bombing attack carried out by Bosnian Serb nationalists in Sarajevo. With the support of Germany's Kaiser Wilhelm II, Austria-Hungary invaded Serbia a month later, drawing the Central Powers into World War with the forces of the Triple Entente. Most of Europe expected a quick and limited war; when it became clear that the conflict could drag on indefinitely and at far greater cost than had been anticipated, all parties began to look for a way to end their involvement on favorable terms. The break came on the 2nd of August, 1915, when after a series of secret negotiations, the ailing Austro-Hungarian Emperor Franz Joseph agreed to a separate peace with the allied powers. Believing that his weakling nephew Franz Ferdinand would follow the Kaiser even to the destruction of both nations if he should become Emperor, Franz Joseph made symbolic territorial concessions to the Allies and moved to consolidate his power at home. Turkey soon followed suit, leaving an enraged Germany alone to face its enemies. The Germans had held in to the hope that the war would end in a stalemate if Russia continued on its course towards open rebellion against the Tzar, but now surrender was inevitable.
Aftermath:In addition to abolishing the monarchy and reforming the state as a parliamentary republic, the Treaty of Zurich demanded harsh reparations from Germany, particularly to the French. Unexpectedly, the story of how Wilhelm was betrayed and sent into exile (along with his dramatic airborne arrival at the peace talks following a soaring and melancholic final tour of the Swiss Alps) made him an international hero and symbol for Germany's plight virtually overnight--"Der Fliegende Kaiser" topped the charts even in Anglophone countries. This unexpected popularity contributed to a rise in pro-Imperial sentiment that would help bring an end to the Weimar Republic and reinstitute the aristocracy at the forefront of German politics less than a decade later.
Fate of the Alliance:Meanwhile, Franz Ferdinand became Emperor upon his uncle's death in 1916, proving to be an uncomfortable leader who lacked Franz Joseph's strength of will. In spite of their longstanding friendship and shared awkwardness in the political arena, the public widely blamed Ferdinand for the downfall of Wilhelm (and by extension all of Germany). At home, the new Emperor's policies actually did much to stabilize his fractious Empire--the granting of greater autonomy to the various ethnic groups appeased the politically disaffected, while investing heavily in new technologies and foreign markets (up to and including fully financing Germany's resurgent Zeppelin company as a potential source of sea power for the Austro-Hungarian Navy) brought economic prosperity. Though the German people felt intense resentment towards their two-timing neighbors, the influx of cash into the manufacturing centers in the Ruhr river valley sustained the Weimar Republic through its leanest years, and the two countries became economically interdependent. Through this relationship, Austria-Hungary became the first country to build up substantial fleets of commercial airships for travel and trade.
Entente-not-so-Cordiale:This move towards air travel proved prescient as relations between former allies soured throughout Europe following the war. Amongst the Entente nations, France and the United Kingdom were resentful towards America for not becoming directly involved in the war, a sentiment which grew into widespread anger when America began to put its weight behind policies designed to assist colonized regions in throwing off their mother countries worldwide. Franco-British relations also deteriorated after the Treaty of Zurich disproportionately favored the French reconstruction efforts--while France had indeed sustained greater damage during the war, a far greater proportion of the UK's territory was put at risk in the post-bellum period, contributing to the growth of enormous debt. Italy, having sabotaged its relations with the Triple Alliance by refusing to honor their mutual defense agreement with Germany and Austria-Hungary, only came in on the side of the Triple Entente at the very tail end of the war and achieved almost nothing against their Austro-Hungarian rivals. They were completely ignored at the Zurich peace talks, and the government's failure to increase the nation's sphere of influence in spite of their nominal victory ushered in a period of political turmoil. Russia would also become preoccupied with domestic troubles, but with the army returned home in victory, an attempted revolution in February of 1917 failed to depose Tsar Nicholas II, and many of the socialists leaders were rooted out. Though open support for the communist movement was effectively crushed, the message still carried a powerful appeal for Russia's working class--acts of sabotage would become commonplace, and the sense that an armed revolt could break out at any moment engendered an atmosphere of paranoia within the ranks of the establishment.
Espionage:This paranoia may well have been justified, as improved communications technology and increased economic freedom provided avenues of operation for highly effective spy networks. Open warfare with modern technology had proven to be a disaster for all participants, so the struggle for global dominance shifted focus to commerce and the control of information. With the well-paid agents of foreign nations operating in every village and factory, secrecy quickly became the most valuable of commodities, as any project or facility not completely secured and sealed off was both a potential leak and an easy target or staging platform for sabotage and guerilla attack. Nations often vied for exclusive contracts for their government-backed corporations, knowing that becoming deeply indebted to other powers (even current allies) would give the debt-holding nations leverage to economically strong-arm their way into a dominant position. With industrial power and economic efficiency the new measuring stick, asymmetrical proxy warfare against the logistical capabilities of rival countries became the norm. The first casualty of this new paradigm was the locomotive--with countless miles of functional track to cover, it was impossible for governments to prevent foreign agents from sabotaging the rail networks to the point where maintaining the system became uneconomical. With the traditional arteries cut and porous borders allowing more enemy operatives in by the day, lighter than air vehicles became an increasingly attractive option for moving critical supplies.
Europe takes to the air:By 1920, the airship was a common sight throughout the industrialized world--Franz Ferdinand's brush with death had convinced the monarchies that ground travel was a thing to be avoided if possible, and the romance of Wilhelm's flight into exile became something of an obsession for the wealthy. By 1920, luxurious helium airships from North America were the preferred method of travel for the elite, and despite a few well-publicized early disasters, a general consensus had been reached that Hydrogen vessels were a safe and cost-effective means of conveyance for passengers, mail, and other light cargo. As railroads became a drain on resources, the keeled airship was slowly accepted as the clear alternative for long distance heavy freight. With modern designs able to cary increasingly large payloads further every year over land and sea, airships came to be seen as the backbone of the future international economy. Neither foreign saboteurs nor local malcontents could interfere with the safe passage of a vessel 7,000 meters over their heads, and large cleared areas around secured loading fields kept the vessels safe from mobile anti-aircraft fire on takeoff and landing. These airfields could soon be seen outside of every major city, and the most important of them would grow to become industrial fortresses. With their enemies' supply lines slipping out of reach, governments turned to more a direct means of damaging their rival economies: the .50 caliber incendiary tracer.
Scourge of the Skies:Aeropiracy is not a career path for the feint of heart. For starters, there are several major barriers to entering the field, not least of which is the cost of acquiring and maintaining one or more combat-worthy aircraft. There is also the problem of finding an airfield that will look the other way when you come home with a stolen Goodyear Passenger Liner full of ransomable débutante booty. You may hope to join up with an independent group based on some disputed Mediterranean island, but the reality is that those gangs prefer robbing and killing outsiders to sharing their earnings. In order to overcome these obstacles, you and your organization will have to be engaged by a legitimate government, which will involve sacrificing the entire value of any prizes you may take in exchange for cash remuneration that would be on par with a low level government pencil pusher if not for the fact that your wages will only be delivered in the event of a successful mission outcome. The plane they give you to accomplish your mission will generally be at least a decade out of date, poorly maintained, and loaded down with extra fuel tanks to increase its range. The kill marking adorning its hull will indicate (somewhat perversely you may think) how many rookie pilots like yourself have been shot down in it.
Once you get that sorted out, there is the matter of merchant ships not actually wanting to become your plunder--valuable cargo will generally be shipped as part of a convoy if traveling through the sort of areas you will be able to operate in, and the most competitive transport services will hire private security forces to deploy in parasite fighters as soon as you are spotted. You will not be fighting the escorts on even footing because the merchant airships will also be firing on you; though they are not paid to fight, they will have signed a contract with the security service that obliges them to provide any assistance they can until all the escort fighters are down or driven off. You will not be allowed to just shoot the merchant vessels down either because the transport company would then bill your employers the cost of the lost merchandise and crew. Everyone will know what country hired you, but your employer will deny any knowledge of you and your mission because all nations officially condemn piracy while actively funding it. Even so, they would have to pay the company or their shipping prices would rise across the board. If you were to accidentally shoot down a ship of the merchant's guild, and assuming you were smart enough to get as far away as possible before ditching, your photograph would still show up with an international bounty. The merchant crews are drawn from all over the world, and there is a gentleman's agreement among the powers that they are not to be touched unless they refuse to alter course. Your employer will not care that your squadron is also drawn from all over the world because he will know from long experience that all foreigners are scum.
If you are lucky enough to take care of the escorts and convince the merchants to redirect to your preferred border, there is still the matter of assuming escort duty until the cargo makes it to its new destination. The merchants will have signaled their distress as soon as you were spotted, and even though your attack should have been planned well enough to allow for time to make your escape, there is still a strong chance that privateers could have been tailing the convoy or that a regular military patrol will be within range to intercept. The privateer will fly a superior aircraft, will have amassed an impressive record of victories over pilots like you before earning his letter of marque, and will coordinate his attack with other similarly talented and equipped pilots. For shooting you down, he will be rewarded with an embarrassingly small sum of money that is still likely more than you will earn in your entire career. If you run afoul of an actual air force patrol, you would be well advised to drop your fuel tanks and run. You will not be payed of course, but you will be alive and your employer will get their plane back to try their luck another day. If you are flying far from home, the nearest neutral country will be your best bet for avoiding a swift trip into the ground.
Ace of Aces:While many successful officers and privateers have been held up as national heroes, none have achieved the fame of Baron Manfred von Richthofen. Entering the Luftstreitkräfte at the very end of the war, Richthofen was frustrated by the circumstances of his nation's surrender and endeavored to continue the fight for Germany's honor by whatever means possible. By the terms of the Treaty of Zurich, Richthofen's homeland in Lower Silesia had been broken off and reformed (along with lands ceded by Austria-Hungary) as part of the new Second Polish Republic. Though an ethnic German, Richthofen was gladdened that the western powers had seen to it that these territorial concessions were not absorbed by the Russian Empire, and he joined the Polish Air Force in early 1916. The Russians for their part found the existence of the Polish state both a threat to their stability and an insult to Russia's contributions to the war.
With Germany's armed forces reduced to a fraction of their wartime strength, Russia signed an agreement with Austria-Hungary to divide the new Polish territory in exchange for the latter party's non-interference with the invasion. In the spring of 1918, Moscow produced a mandate to conduct a "police action" on Polish lands in order to hunt down forces that were aiding and abetting insurrectionists in Russian Imperial Warsaw. To their great surprise, the occupation army was repulsed and then routed by a well trained and better equipped force financed by American interests and flying German aircraft. It was in this initial push that Richthofen first earned his reputation as a superior pilot, accumulating as many air victories in a month as most World War aces had in that entire conflict. Singlehandedly downing three Nieuport 17 fighters at the Battle of Warsaw made him a household name throughout central Europe, and it was even reported that he forced Russia's greatest ace, Aleksander Kazakov, to ditch in an engagement behind Russian lines, though this has been repeatedly denied by Petrograd and Kazakov himself.
Into the summer, Russia's underprepared air force was defeated in engagement after engagement, with their armies on the ground losing ground at an alarming rate. It was not until the Austro-Hungarians intervened from the south that Russia gained enough of a reprieve to reorganize their ranks and stop the breakthroughs. All three sides were fully entrenched by the end of July, and Richthofen's legend only grew as his squadrons flew triumphant sorties against both armies. In an act of supreme confidence, he demanded that his fighter be painted red, an act which infuriated a Russian army that had almost half of its strength tied up in suppressing communists insurrection on the home front. In spite of these personal heroics, the crushing weight of having to defend a tremendously long border against two foes stretched the Polish army to the breaking point, and ultimate defeat seemed inevitable.
Oddly enough, Poland ended up being saved by a natural disaster--an influenza epidemic that had begun to spread earlier in the year reached the front lines, ravaging all armies (along with most of the rest of the world). Before the seriousness of the outbreak was understood, the war was allowed to continue by the great powers--all of them had an interest in seeing Russia and Austria-Hungary cut down to size, and supplying arms proved to be a highly profitable business, particularly for the Germans and Americans. With a global pandemic raging, however, there was a serious danger that entire markets could be destroyed, particularly with battlefield conditions spawning even deadlier strains of the virus. On the first of October, the League of Nations adopted a resolution that would enforce severe economic sanctions on the already fragile warring nations if hostilities were not ended by the fifteenth of the month--the last shot was fired on the third.
Following the war, Richthofen was paraded around Europe on a seemingly endless tour, encouraging the wealthy to invest in Polish enterprises (defended by the world's greatest pilot). He had little patience for this type of work and resigned his commission in 1920, accepting an offer from the Swiss Air Force to serve as a consultant for their modernization efforts. While living in Switzerland, he was often seen in the company of the exiled Emperor Wilhelm--Germany's greatest living heroes, not far from home. When asked by a reporter why he did not return to his country, he replied "How could I bear to see Germany as she is now? I will not stand on her sacred ground until she can stand on her own two feet". Following the Russo-Polish conflict, open warfare was strongly discouraged by increasingly powerful commercial interests, but small scale conflicts fought "under the table" with expensive equipment became commonplace. Switzerland needed to find its place in a world where war had been redefined, and Richthofen was the man to guide them through the transition.
The Swiss Watch:Amidst Europe's changing political landscape, Switzerland has remained a neutral observer in warfare for over one hundred years. In the decade following the World War, air travel made this area quickly reachable from almost anywhere in Europe for the first time, a shift that both encouraged greater economic engagement and removed one of the region's traditional layers of defense. By 1920, Switzerland found itself caught in between countries that were often conducting unofficial military operations in and around Swiss airspace. In order to remain neutral, the Swiss could not become involved in the machinations of neighboring nations, nor could they allow their territory to become a battleground over which foreign powers slugged it out.
The response to this dilemma was a twofold. Firstly, the Swiss Air Force became the primary focus of the nation's conscripted military service, with 24 hour patrols instituted in order to dissuade rival forces from engaging each other over the country. Any foreign craft observed firing within Swiss airspace (even those ostensibly trying to escape their attackers) was now forfeit to the Swiss people by law. While the threat of being impounded or destroyed by a neutral air force may have been scoffed at in early months, a string of brutally efficient engagements soon convinced the powers that the Swiss commitment to keeping the peace was to be taken seriously. Wealthy enough to always be supplied with the best aircraft and training, Switzerland's fighter corps is among the strongest in the world.
The second measure taken to avoid becoming entangled in foreign affairs was to provide airfields for pirates and privateers. When this plan was first proposed, there was an enormous uproar: not only would sheltering these brigands turn the country into a violent cesspit, the fact that most of the pirates were working for the very governments Switzerland was trying to avoid engagement with seemed to run counter to everything the Swiss stood for. In fact, it was a brilliant stroke; the most dangerous local shipping lanes were quickly abandoned, new sources of revenue were opened up, and shipping to and from Switzerland would almost never be a target again. Every power soon operated a small airfield in one of the Cantons in much the same way that they held shipping offices in other countries. These foreign bases, while kept small enough not to pose a threat to the Swiss Air Force, proved to be vital assets to their mother nations by providing staging areas in the heart of Europe which were essentially invulnerable due to the third-party protector. As a result of this policy, the skies surrounding Swiss airspace on all sides are among the most dangerous in all of Europe, but shots are almost never fired within her borders.
Taking advantage of this unique position, the Swiss became unofficial intermediaries in dealing with "hostile takeovers". When plundered cargo and captured military hardware is brought in by a "salvage company" as they are called, the Swiss offer to refurbish and sell unwanted items at auction on behalf of the group that brings the prize in (minus a small percentage for services rendered). Merchant vessels are relieved of their goods and immediately released, while military personnel are put on transports back to their countries. Resistance from crews is not a problem, as command is officially turned over to the Canton port authority before entering Swiss airspace, and risking both a crew and a souring of relations with the Swiss is not a good career move for the captains of captured vessels.
This arrangement is tolerated by the great powers primarily because the Swiss government does not back shipping companies in the way other nations do--in effect, the Swiss are non-players who happen to provide useful services. The fact that those services are provided to rival nations as well is immaterial when considering the amount of money saved by taking advantage of them. Without such intermediaries, crews of captured ships would be tempted to, among other things, continue fighting beyond the point were there could be any hope that it was economically viable to do so. The aim of commerce raiding is to turn a profit at the enemy's expense, not to destroy his nation, and the Swiss provide the services required to conduct this business in a gentlemanly, if not civilized, manner. With vast sums of almost every government's money held in Swiss banks, and the services of speedy Red Cross ambulance blimps saving lives in areas of conflict around the world, there are a plethora of reasons for the powers not to interfere with the status quo.
The Swiss also enjoy making cheese and delivering toys to underprivileged children.
Thoughts?
