Salish Sea Accords

Smoke still billowed from the smoldering ruins of Vancouver and Seattle for a week after the heinous aerial assault by the Russian Empire. America had remained a partisan, but noncombative party in the Great War thus far, but that option was taken from them. As the British Government makes it clear that their hostilities with the French are to only intensify with the New Year, the United States’ government is faced with the inevitability that they will also have to fight the forces of the Pact. But what does this mean for the British civilians who practically live on America’s doorstep?

The Show Must Go On

The British Protectorate, like many others in the aftermath of December 28th, offered their condolences for the tragedy in Seattle, yet they notably avoided any recognition of what happened across the water in Canada. Vancouver, as the primary target, had suffered an even greater degree of destruction, but as the British already saw France and the Internationale as enemies in the conflict, little official sympathy was allowed. On a more local scale however, the people of Victoria and Vancouver Island were far more conciliatory, regardless of the Union Jack waving overhead. As a Protectorate treaty port, and the furthest reach of the British Far West, Victoria had many privately owned and operated resources that were lent to recovery efforts on the mainland, both officially in Seattle, and secretly in Vancouver. While technically at war with Canada, dealings between private citizens were easily lost in the chaos of that ashen winter, permitting good will even in the least likely of scenarios.

Fighting between the French and British proxies in North Africa only intensified as the world ushered in 1940, with January denoting a particularly bloody moment in the ongoing struggles between Montgomery and De Gaulle in the sands of Libya. On the 5th, British Royal Marines engaged in an open firefight onboard a suspicious civilian vessel in the Channel near Jersey, which was under the command of plain clothes Commissariat agents. An ongoing investigation in G.R.A.I.L., which was later corroborated by evidence onboard, indicated that the French combatants were part of a secret operation to abduct Napoleon VI from British protective custody. After the plot was foiled, Prime Minister Chamberlain made an address which was broadcast worldwide, announcing that in response to the plot British armed forces would be scaling up operations in Europe, starting with an increased role in the Dutch conflict. Military High Command simultaneously put the order out to all Commonwealth garrisons; a total mobilization against forces allied with the Communist International was to occur over the next few weeks.

Randolph’s Bargain

This particular order was not well received by Brigadier Clancy Randolph, commander of Vancouver Island’s 88th Brigade. His island was well fortified, a by-product of the complicated history Victoria had with the nearby Americans and French Canadians. Some minor skirmishes had broken out in the past year with Canadian forces gathering along Johnstone Strait, but due to a series of smaller fortress islands in the north, the treaty port was for all intents and purposes an easily defended position. The issue was that this mobilization order was tantamount to suicide for his three small battalions, who were fusiliers, coastal artillerymen, and a general support staff respectively. His men were by now well versed in fighting on the back foot, but would not stand a chance if they were expected to invade the mainland. If he was ordered to go on the offensive, his men would certainly be wiped out. Randolph was also by no means a fine soldier, rather a desk jockey who simply wished to protect his home. He had been granted a great deal of autonomy in his service on the island, but feared that a direct refusal of orders would only see him replaced by the more hawkish officers out of Signal Hill. If he wanted to protect the homes of his comrades, he would somehow need to avoid an offensive while remaining in command.

As he had allowed the local governor to send supplies to the Americans, he felt his best bet to avoid a massacre was to request 3rd party arbitration from them. After all, an open war with Canada would likely result in conflict with the Americans as well, and for the people of Seattle that would mean no more food shipments to the refugees. Randolph personally contacted Washington’s Governor Martin, who put him through on a private line with an aide to Secretary of War Henry Stimson. Randolph made it clear that he had no interest in a war with either Canada or the US, especially as all it would bring his island was misery and destruction. Rather than follow his orders literally, he suggested an informal treaty between the US, Canada, and the port’s Governor, Augustine Church. Church would then in turn use his own private holdings firm to move the supplies to Seattle, ensuring the status quo even in a potential conflict. After a few days of arbitration, Stimson agreed, only leaving the acceptance of the Canadians as an obstacle.

Two Shots at Ripple Rock

When Stimson’s plan was passed along to Canadian Military Command on January 12th, the room was filled with a mix of confusion and indignation. The men sitting in a bunker outside of Quebec could not possibly understand the struggles in Colombie, even as many had family in Vancouver. They saw little difference between the garrison at Vancouver Island and the British Regulars out of Newfoundland, who had been harassing them for months. As they were ready to flatly refuse the deal, a cold voice transmitted by radio cut them dead in their tracks.

The remote speaker was Général D'armée Achille Fortin, Commander of the Russian Front. Fortin had been at the Edmonton Headquarters at the time of the Russian raids, but immediately took a small contingent to investigate Vancouver in secret when the news broke. Fortin had spent most of his life in the western frontier, but the streets of Vancouver were his first home. The emotions swirling in his head as he and his men pulled victims from the rubble only fueled his anger; the Russians would pay for this.

“I know it’s easy to ignore the snakes lurching for your throat when your heads are so firmly up your asses. If you don’t mind, some of us here have actually seen what those bastards did to us. This wasn’t an act of war, not a skirmish on some empty field. Vancouver is a hole in the ground! A hole dug by cowards who struck unsuspecting families under the cover of night! And you want to waste more time by fighting for a useless rock in the sea? I will not waste my men nor my time fighting a war against bystanders, not while the men who killed our own run free. I suggest you accept the damn agreement, because I’m gonna go out to meet with them and would prefer not to do it under gunfire!”

Fortin promptly left the meeting afterwards, leaving one of his aides to finish the call in his stead. The top brass, thoroughly mummed by the General’s speech, agreed to go along with the plan, stating they would reevaluate the situation when Russian forces were forced off of the continent. The last step to the process required a little bit of theatrics from both agitated parties, so as to create just enough plausible deniability to ward off any casual inspection. Regardless of what Randolph desired, he did still have orders he was expected to keep…

On the 21st of January, the Brigadier with a small contingent of lightly armed fusiliers traveled by truck to the cliffs along the Seymour Narrows, where the waters between Vancouver Island and the Canadian mainland were at their narrowest. Across the 800 meter gap was a platoon of Canadian recon troops, accompanied by the roughly dressed General Fortin. A small radio setup allowed the men easy conversation, as the waters around Ripple Rock raged below. A small American coast guard vessel watched from below; a government photographer snapping photos to send back to DC. The two men, after ending their conversation, walked to the edge of each cliffside, drew their pistols, and fired once. The shots connected with the soil just below their opponents’ feet. Fortin’s voice croaked a single sentence over the radio before he quickly departed from the site: “Congratulations young man, you are now under siege.”

The Illegal Accords

Secretary of War Stimson had authorized a 5 year lease of Vancouver Island’s territorial waters into American authority the day before, effectively surrounding the treaty port in a blanket of American jurisdiction. The only place the agreement did not cover was the narrow and highly dangerous passage at Ripple Rock, a treacherous spot for a crossing in either direction. The document also gave special importation rights to the Governor’s company, allowing the local economy to crawl along through Seattle, rather than freeze altogether.

For the Canadians, neither they nor the Brigadier could arrange for actual peace, as their colonial overlords would likely cause issues with any sort of treaty. Instead, General Fortin would place a single platoon of trainees at the ravine, who would ceremonially trade a single volley of gunfire across the water every day with the British fusiliers. This officially was reported as a siege of the island, and the only remaining strip of their territorial waters was now “blockaded”. While any serious examination by British military intelligence would obviously unveil this ploy, the conflict was ultimately not significant enough to do something about, as sending a replacement commander now would require them to travel through enemy territory on any side. At the very least, Brigadier Randolph was holding the island, so his dereliction of command only went so far.

The reality of the Salish Sea Accords were hidden from public eye in the Protectorate, with only relevant military and intelligence officials knowing what scheme Randolph pulled off. When word reached the Lord Protector Baldwin, he apparently laughed in disbelief at the messenger that delivered it. “I guess when this war is over, I should discharge him and make him an MP, dirty dealing is clearly his strong suit.” While he ultimately was never directly punished for making the deal, Clancy Randolph was subjected to intense government surveillance, and would not know another moment of privacy for the rest of his life.