Furby Island
Morning, 1/8/1869
The port city of Kanton was originally a small village inhabited by the native Polynesians. Victoresian explorers have colonized the land in 1488, and massacred the population and brought diseases. The survivors have fled to the nearby dense jungle. The area was resettled when the Victoresians left in 1579, and it soon grew to be larger than it was at first. Several hundred years later, when Furby Island was settled by the Dutch, and later British, the islands surrounding the main one were left alone, and the natives have worked peacefully. When Furby Island became independent in 1805, the village was left alone. But soon, in the 1820s and '30s, the village's strategically important location made it a great stop for ships heading to and from the mainland. The village grew into a large city. In 1842, Furbish forces took over the city. It became the Kanton City-Province, which would last until getting absorbed by Zuidoostelijketerritoria in 1886.
The port of Kanton was busy as usual on the day of August first, 1869. The port was very large, with docks almost stretching as far as the coasts of the city. As ships left their piers, other ships would quickly replace them, unload their cargo, and leave to make room for more ships. The city was not very large compared the the size of the port, but its architecture showed how quickly the people adapt to new styles. All ships had one thing in common, they were all steamers, being propelled by burning coal boiling water, turning large wheels or propellers. They ranged in size from small ships which carried goods or messages to the mainland, to large ships which carried goods to and from Europe or North America. The ships carried anything from an assortment of cargo, including fish, coal, tea, or other goods, to passengers heading to and from the mainland or other continents, to news from other locations.
Deeper in the city, stood a garrison with several Fusilierbataljons, or fusilier battalions. They were stationed to prevent attacks from Polynesians living in the jungles of the island. Attacks are frequent, but most consist of small bands going on supply raids. However, there are sometimes larger uprisings, which happen every few years. To easily deal with them, the garrison is equipped with some of the most modern weaponry available, including the FG-R2 lever action rifle, Gatling guns, and more powerful cannons. The rest of the army is also being armed with these weapons, and are training on how to use them.
In the morning, ships were moving into and leaving the harbor. There was one ship that entered, that had the Furbish naval jack at half mast, which was relatively unusual. Judging by the ship's direction, it came from a far away location, not anywhere else from Furby Island. By it's size, it shouldn't have come from too far away. It would more likely have come from the Empire of Nevi Seleste, known by most as Victores. Victores was once a powerful empire, which even colonized the island where Kanton is. But it was on the brink of collapse, after many wars with European nations.
The ship docked to the harbor. The deck of the ship seemed crowded, with people trying to get off. A longshoreman walked by, about to ask how much tobacco they need, when many people rushed off the ship. Several asked for directions to Sagala, Uluto, and other Furbish cities, and he pointed them all to a train station. The train went straight to Sagala, where a ferry would take them to Uluto. One person then came, holding a letter, and asked for directions to the Kanton telegram office. He was shown the way, and left in a hurry.
After the people cleared, everything went back to normal.
Sagala, Zuidoostelijketerritoria
Furby Island
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -A telegram has just been sent to the telegram office in Sagala. The building was a small building near the Sagala harbor. It didn't need to be large, it really only received and sent telegrams to and from a few cities in Zuidoostelijketerritoria, and one city in the mainland. To the telegram operators, the morning of the first of August in 1869 seemed normal.
Kanton to Sagala
Send to Furby City
Urgent
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Until the telegram arrived. It was labelled urgent. Only the first part was supposed to be seen by the operators, saying where the telegram was supposed to go and the priority. But to Lewis Murphy, who saw the telegram, it was different. He was curious to see what was inside. He looked at the light flashes, copied the Morse code, and translated the whole telegram.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -At that point Murphy thought he knew what it was about. Recently, some Furbish citizens would buy tobacco, and sell it at inflated prices in the nearby nation of Victores. It was condemned by the government, and most people, but some, mostly the poor, did it to make some money quickly. It was a very lucrative business, but it seemed just as morally questionable as slavery. Also, other people went to Victoresian ports to sell things to the Furbish, and they too often did at inflated prices. The tobacco trading has made many people wealthy, but the poor would often gain little to no money due to the overpriced goods. Murphy knew the tobacco traders would get into some trouble eventually.
From Nevi Seleste, Victores
11 July 1869
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Governor Nuen of Nevi Seleste executed Furbish citizens.
There was no trial.
The names of executed citizens are below:
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