Duquesne

Republic of Duquesne République de Duquesne
Flag National Emblem
Motto: "Paix et Pain"
Anthem: Hymne à la Liberté
Map of Duquesne
Capital and largest city	Marquette
Official languages	Auvernian, Native Duquesnian
Recognized languages	Auvernian, Native Duquesnian, Anglo-English, Other Indigenous Languages
Ethnic groups	Auvernian (81%) Native Duquesnian (10%) Indigenous (6%) Constantinian(2.4%) Other (0.6%)
Demonym(s)	Auvernian
Government	Unitary Parliamentary Republic
• President	Marques Swen
• Vice President	Arthur Macron
• Chair of the House of Delegates	Charles Douchel
Legislature	Duquesne National Assembly
History
• The Free State of Duquesne	1847
• The Revolution	1853-55
• Civil War	1920-1926
• Great War and Mariranan Occupation	1926-1933
• Functionalist Regime	1933-Present
Population
• 2020 estimate	223,000,000
GDP (nominal)	estimate
• Total	9 Trillion USD
Currency	WIP (WIP)
Driving side	right
Calling code	WIP
Internet TLD	WIP

Duquense, officially the Republic of Duquesne or République de Duquesne in Gallo-Cosmopolitan, is a sovereign country in central Hibernia.

Etymology

WIP. Named after Duquesne flower found shortly after landing at point Marquette.

The Duquesne Flower

History

Discovery

The beginning of the history of The Republic of Duquesne starts on January 1st, 1535. The Auvernian monarch, King Alain IV ordered the renowned Admiral Georges-Vincent Florent to lead an expedition to chart the southern coast of Hibernia in order to establish a settlement, and a trading harbor to connect the Auvernian Empire to the new world. The Eastern coast had been ruled out of the question due to previous expeditions by neighboring countries that were plagued by disease carrying mosquitoes and aggressive native peoples. 3 days later, on January 4th, 3 Auvernian Royal Navy ships, the La Patrie, St. Augustine and La Marquette, were set aside to be used for the expedition. The Royal Navy dedicated several months to ensure that the ships were in pristine condition, which required several repairs and additions to the weapons capabilities of the ships, before supplies were loaded. This process took 5 months before supplies and troops were assigned to the ships on May 4th, with a departure date set for May 16th. On May 16th, with La Marquette taking the lead, La Patrie in the middle and the St. Augustine at the rear, the small crew of adventurers began their travel across the ocean making way for the New World. During their journey, they were met with treacherous weather conditions including treacherous winds, and many storms. In July, the St. Augustine nearly struck a reef, and several sailors were injured in the evasive maneuvers to avoid the reef. In late August, the ships landed at a group of islands off of the southern coast of Hibernia in which they established a post, and made contact with natives. After spending some time on these islands, the ships began to move toward the coast of Hibernia. On September 18th, while mapping the coastline, the La Marquette struck a sandbar at the end of a river. They were forced to live on the coast for 2 weeks, in which they named the spot “Pointe Marquette”, and the nearby river the “Marquette River”. The crew constructed a small pier and a couple of stone buildings, and finally planted a royal banner. After 2 weeks, Admiral Florent and the other two ships returned to find La Marquette righted and docked in the newly constructed harbor off the coast of Hibernia. For two more weeks, the 3 ships and their crews expanded the docks at Marquette Point, and began to take trips up the Marquette river to chart it on maps. Contact with native tribes took place, and the Auvernian men were gifted several animal skins and furs that they had never before seen. During these river expeditions, Admiral Florent issued a royal decree, which called for the construction of a series of huts, and began preparation for a trading post with the native peoples. After a voyage home, leaving one ship and crew behind, Admiral Florent arrived in mainland Auvernia on October 21st, bringing with him many native animals, furs, and some native peoples, as well as news that a port was constructed and land was laid claim in the new world. King Alain IV was pleased with the news, and the prospects of having access to native goods and services, so he allowed the planning of another ship to join the La Patrie back to the New World in March of 1536. The La Clermont, along with the La Patrie, were prepared for the voyage back to the New World, which included adding room for 6 horses and extra armaments. On March 14th, the crew set sail for the New World with the definitive target of Marquette point in mind. When they reached Marquette Point, on May 14th, they found only 14 surviving members of the crew including Captain LaGrange. A hostile native group had attacked the encampment which killed about 20 people, and the rest of the fatalities were due to disease. However, having the full strength of the colonizing force, the group fared better, and was better equipped to fend off native attacks. For the next month, wooden walls and defenses were built around the settlement, and the first stone buildings were constructed. However, a new location further upstream was discovered, and it was determined that this new location would be the final settlement. Supplies and wooden defenses were moved to the new location, and construction of basic stone houses and roads began. During the first 2 years of settlement, King Alain IV sent additional military ships and crewmen to man and expand the new world settlement. Tasked with trading with native for rare goods, and setting up farms to produce crops, the troops moved inland to find more open fields suitable for farming. On January 1st, 1538, in a royal proclamation, King Alain IV issued a royal decree in which he created a land grant program in the new world. Plots of land would be given to citizens who paid the government a fee, as well as for their passage to the new world, in an effort to raise money to increase the presence of an army in the new world. Many citizens began to see the opportunity of starting over in this new world, and began putting payments down for land claims in the new world. The first civilian carrying ships would depart at the end of January, and would be escorted by 3 new military ships to the new world. 3,000 people put down land claim deposits almost immediately, and over the next several months, this number doubled. This gave the Auvernian monarchy lots of money to invest into its navy, as well as into stationed troops in the new world colonies. At the end of January, a collection of 10 passenger ships escorted by the 3 military ships sailed across the ocean to the new world. The journey was met with little trouble, and on February 25th, 1538, the first civilians landed at port Marquette. The first few weeks the civilians remained living on the ships to give the men an opportunity to meet with government officials, determine the plot of land they were allotted, and begin construction of their first homes. The first homes were completed in Marquette in late May, and by the end of June, Marquette began to take shape as a city, a center of commerce and the hub of society in the new world.

The Lawrence C. Perrier Administration and the Duquesne Civil War (1904-1924)

President Lawrence C. Perrier was inaugurated on June 5th, 1904, in Marquette. In his inaugural speech, he called for expansion of Duquesne’s involvement in the global scene, whether participating in a alliance, or building trade deals with Duquesne’s neighbors: Roeselle, Marirana, and the Federation. The administration built their cabinet with the intent to execute these tasks, and they succeeded. Trade networks were established bringing coal and iron into the Federation, bringing agricultural products with more coal into Roeselle, and bringing “Verte Railway Company” lines into Northern Marirana. This was a time of great economic prosperity for the people of Duquesne. President Perrier was re-elected 4 times by the year 1924, and he was beloved by the Duquesne people. However, he was assassinated in the Summer of 1924 by a group of Distributist attackers, opposing his administration, and wanting to get a Distributist in the Presidential Mansion. Their fear tactic worked, as Vice President Jean Francois-Jacobieu called for a new Presidential election, and resigned, due to his fear of being killed. The race came down to a Distributist, Jacques Dufour, and a Populist candidate, Christopher A-La-Guarde. The election was heated, and came down to a 7-7 tie, with a Labor candidate the only remaining undecided elector. However, like Vice President Francois-Jacobiue, he was driven by fear, and voted for the Distributist, Jacques Dufour. The Populists, largely made up of Perrier’s supporters, were outraged by the results of the election, because the felt cheated by the assassination of their President, and the fear it drove into all who oppose the assassins beliefs. Bands of populists began to riot and protest in the streets of Marquette, as well as in many major cities throughout Duquesne, in response to the election. They also began to vandalize, harass, and attack homes of prominent Distributists, as well as many Distributist businesses, and gathering places, particularly in communities surrounding Lac Transversale. President Jacques Dufour placed many of the nation’s “Populist Hubs” under martial law, in hopes of quickly suppressing the new “Revolution”. Populists saw this as an invasion of their rights and freedoms, which increased participation in the Anti-Administration riots, and increased attacks on Distributist households. Enrollment in Populist Militias skyrocketed, as well as the mass purchase of guns and ammunition. The Dufour administration saw this as a danger to the public, so they put a temporary ban on the sale of guns and ammunition on January 1st, 1925. Even members of the Distributist party were opposed to the ban, because it would only further enrage the Populists on the brink of war in the country. The Militias began attacking police stations and Military outposts in order to raid guns, vehicles, and ammunition, and they began planning for “Operation Gerard” On Duquesne Independence day, January 24th, dozens of Populist Militias convened on the city of Marquette. The Provincial Guard, along with members of the Duquesne Special Forces, battled the citizen Militias in what became known as the Battle of Marquette. Militias surrounded the city, and began making their way into the city, using old mortars and small cannons as their artillery, which they obtained in raids on Government Weapons Caches. The Elite Troops made fortified positions, while the National Guardsmen maintained a constant artillery barrage on the Militias that were quickly advancing through the city. Citizens ran for their lives, and estimated hundreds, if not thousands, were killed by stray bullets or artillery fire. The Militias did considerable damage, setting fire to many government buildings, and attacking police stations and the military defenses. However, what they did not expect, was civilian retaliation. Civilians took up their own arms, and began shooting at the Militiamen from their apartment buildings and from alleyways. The Militias were forced to retreat, many of them dying in the retreat because of Citizen Retaliations. Casualties for the Duquesne Military numbered 500 dead, with 2,000 wounded. Militia casualties numbered 2,000 dead, and 4,000 wounded, with 300 captured. Civilian casualties numbered roughly 1,200 dead, and 5,000 wounded. The Militias were devastated by the attacks. They succeeded in dealing a blow to the Military, and in damaging government buildings, but they lost more men than they killed. News of the attack spread like a wildfire throughout the Country, and Distributionist Militias began to take up arms against the Populist Militias. At this point the Populists were dealing with two war fronts: Their fellow citizen Militias and the National Guard. The Populists were desperate for recruiting, and they began a massive recruitment effort throughout the Agrarian communities and Middle-Class Townships. It was not at all successful. They were laughed at, and called suicidal for trying to fight a war against the opposition Militias, as well as the government. The Populist Militias decided to retreat into the mountains, where they would try to regroup and assess their supply situations. However, several of the Populist supply convoys were attacked by the Distributionist Militias, so the men in the mountains were left with barely any guns and ammunition. The leaders of the Militias came together, at what is known as the infamous Council at Sahos, where they decided to surrender to the government on June 2nd, 1924. The Civil War had ended, the Republic safe from the Populist Uprising, yet left devastated by the loss of life and the damage done to Marquette, and other Military and Police Outposts. However, President Jacques Dufuor lifted the ban of the sales of firearms, and the other freedoms that the Populists abused during the Civil War, citing the protection of the God-Given rights of the citizens. The war crippled the military and morale of Duquesne’s people, and it caused the country to attempt to isolate and rebuild. However, the people of Duquesne could not dream of what would happen to the country, and to the world, in the coming years.

The Duquesne War of Independence (1925)

See main page Duquesne War of Independence

The Auvernian Federation chose to stay out of the internal conflicts in Duquesne during the Civil War. However, relations with the home country became tense during the 1925 New Year’s address from President Jacques Dufour. President Dufour called for the people to remain as one, and put behind their differences. He called for this unity to announce his plans for a final exit of the Auvernian Federation’s control. When he first announced this, there were gasps in the full chamber of the Duquesne Legislature, but it was quickly met with a standing ovation. President Dufour began to list the demands of the people of Duquesne.

“First, The Republic of Duquesne will become its own entity, autonomous and fully independent from the Auvernian Federation. The Auvernian Federation will cease to control the courts of Duquesne, and a new constitution will be drafted by the legislature of Duquesne proclaiming the rights of the people of Duquesne. Second, The Auvernian Military Forces, both on land and those who patrol our seas, will depart immediately to avoid conflict with the brave patriots of Duquesne, and the great force from the Duquesne armed services. Finally, the Republic of Duquesne will be removed from all economic relationships and tariffs imposed upon it by the Auvernian Federation, and it will develop new economic relationships with foreign nations”

-President Jacques Dufour, New Year’s Address 1925

Following the New Year’s Address, the people of Duquesne became energized with the idea of independence. Within days, there were lines building for miles outside Duquesne Military recruiting stations with men eager to fight for their independence. When the news reached Auvernia, however, the response was not friendly. The Auvernian Federation ordered the Republic of Duquesne to stand down any revolutionary behavior, further adding that any act of violence against members of the Auvernian military would be met with grave consequence. The Auvernian Congress began slapping new tariffs and economic restrictions on Duquesnian goods in an effort to cripple the economy of Duquesne. This included banning the import of Duquesne agricultural products and Duquesne resources such as coal and lumber. However, this plan backfired, and it led many more Duquesnians to take up arms and enlist in the Duquesne armed services. President Dufour sent the existing Duquesne military, including the Provincial Guard, the Duquesne National Army, and the Duquesne National Marines, to military installations in northern Envale to begin mass training and organization of forces. This move was a secret endeavor in order to prepare forces without the knowledge of the Auvernian forces. Finally, on March 5th, 1925, General Thomas Dubois ordered the attack of an Auvernian military battery in southern Envale. This military battery was on the coast of southern Envale, and it was a major hub for Auvernian military ships, and the transport of weapons and additional troops from the mainland. This became known as the Battle of the Battery, being the first attack of Auvernian interests in the Duquesne War of Independence.

The attack caught the Auvernian troops completely by surprise, and after just 6 hours of battle, the Auvernians were forced into a retreat into western Envale. This allowed the Duquesne military to take over the barracks and armories at this military battery, giving them large amounts of guns, ammunition, medical supplies, cannons, and fuel for military vehicles. When the Auvernian mainland learned of the attack and defeat, the 4th Army corp, numbering 60,000 troops were immediately sent by ship to launch a counter attack. It took 4 days for the ships to arrive on the East coast of Hibernia, and soon, the ships began to arrive and set up at the Isle de Auguste. The troops arrived under the command of Auvernian General Henrique Shasuel and they quickly set up the troops. The island was quickly taken over with little resistance, and the Auvernian armada was positioned to defend all sides of the island by Admiral David Aquesta. On March 13th, the Auvernian army boarded ships and were sent right to Marquette Harbor. The Auvernian armada began bombarding Marquette with heavy cannonfire, striking several civilian buildings, as well as the Duquesne Department of Defense building, killing 240 civilians and 135 government workers and soldiers, while injuring over 500 other people. The Marquette military batteries responded with cannonfire that sunk 3 Auvernian ships and damaged nearly a dozen others, yet the long range gunfire allowed for ships to arrive in the harbor, giving way for thousands of troops to arrive in the harbor and begin taking control of the outskirts of Marquette. The President, his cabinet, and members of the Duquesne National Assembly were evacuated from the city escorted by the district’s Provincial Guard, as well as several civilian militias that had joined the cause. Within a week, after fighting several resistance groups and small parties of soldiers, the Auvernian flag was raised above the Duquesne National Assembly building. The Auvernian military was able to take the city with such ease due to the absence of the Duquesne Revolutionary Forces, however, their control did not last long.

The Revolutionary forces mobilized quickly, and moved to regain control of Marquette. The operation became known as Operation Marquette Freedom. The Chief Duquesne Naval officer, Admiral Johannes Christopsen, ordered the Duquesne Navy, numbering about 50 ships, to attack the rear of the Auvernian armada. In addition, Duquesne Provincial Guard members from Envale, Aureliana, and Terrebonne would fire artillery from the coastline just outside of Marquette in order to distract and weaken their weapons capabilities. Finally, the Duquesne National Marines, the Duquesne National Army, and several citizen militias, would make a frontal assault on all ends of Marquette. The plan was to take effect on March 28th, 1925. However, it became more difficult for the Duquesne resistance, as the Auvernian Navy was able to transport in about 10,000 more troops into the ports of Marquette before the artillery positions were made. This pinned about 25,000 Auvernian troops guarding the outskirts of the city, against about 100,000 Duquesne ground troops. In the early hours of the morning of March 28th, the Duquesne Provincial Guard began firing artillery at the Auvernian Armada positioned in Marquette Harbor. This caught the armada by complete surprise, and it resulted in the sinking of several ships. Then, the surprise attack came from the Duquesne Navy and, despite the small number of the Duquesne National Navy ships, they were able to catch these ships already pinned in a fight against the mainland artillery, which led to many of the ships surrendering, or being sunk. The Duquesne ground troops began their ground assault over the hills surrounding Marquette, again surprising the ground troops in Marquette. The Auvernian Army began firing at the Duquesne ground troops, and successfully took out large numbers of troops in the first wave of attack running at the center of Marquette. However, the defenses were much lighter along the sides of the city, which allowed about 30,000 Duquesne National Armymen to break into Marquette, and hit the central defenses from the back, which caused about 6,000 Auvernians to surrender at the central defenses. The citizen militias then were able to enter Marquette, and quickly swept the neighborhoods along the outside, giving the Duquesne ground forces control over half of Marquette by mid-day. The remaining 14,000 troops were pinned down in the remaining government district of Marquette, as well as the docks and trade district. The Duquesne National Marines were sent in by Brigadier General Marques Nelson, and they began to engage the remaining forces of the Auvernian Army. Setting up on the tops of buildings, as well as in alleyways, the Special Forces moved block by block engaging the Auvernian troops, followed by support and cover fire from members of the Duquesne National Army. The Auvernian troops continued to retreat, and many were killed running through the streets attempting to find cover. Finally, at 4pm, the remaining 45,000 Auvernian Army Men surrendered and were taken prisoner. Meanwhile, the Auvernian government at home fell apart, and was flung into crisis. The new government ordered the military stationed at Isle d’Auguste to immediately cease all military action against Duquesne. This led many of the soldiers from the 4th Army corps, about 35,000, to defect to Duquesne instead of traveling home to their broken nation. However, the forces occupying the island, led by Commander Marc Oliver defied the orders, and began to set up a military junta over the island. However, this was met with much disagreement from Admiral Ernest LaRoche, commander of the combined Auvernian fleet stationed at Isle d’Auguste. After completing a full sweep of the city, on March 31st, President Jacques Dufour was escorted by the Duquesne Provincial Guard and led a group of heroes from Operation Marquette Freedom to fly the Flag of Duquesne again above the National Assembly building, and the Presidential Mansion. With the government in place in Marquette again, a mass cleanup and rebuilding effort began. The Duquesne National Army began working to treat the wounded and to bury the dead in a military cemetery outside Marquette. The Duquesne Provincial Guard began working with local construction companies to begin repair to the residential districts that were left with extreme damage from the warfare that had taken place. Many civilians were taken to Duquesne Red Cross camps to live in security while Marquette was rebuilt. The Duquesne National Assembly began meeting to draft an official declaration of independence. The Declaration took several weeks to write, but it was finally signed amidst nationwide patriotic celebrations on May 21st, 1925.

The Blockade of the Isle d'Auguste (1925-1928)

See main page Blockade of Isle d'Auguste

During the drafting of the Duquesne Declaration of Independence, Admiral Ernest LaRoche finally decided to abandon the Isle d’Auguste, and taking his combined fleet, along with 15,000 soldiers from the 98th led by Commander Vincent Masson, he surrendered to The Republic of Duquesne, and defected into service of the Duquesne National Navy. This immediately quadrupled the size of the Duquesne National Navy, which sent its own ships along with the newly defected Auvernian ships to the Envale Naval Battery to be evaluated by officials from the Duquesne National Navy, and to begin restocking the ships with supplies, ammunition, and the Duquesne Flag. Two days later, Admiral Johannes Christopsen and Admiral Ernest LaRoche ordered the newly organized Duquesne National Navy to form a blockade around the Isle d’Auguste in order to cut off supply lines to force the Auvernian holdouts into a quick surrender. However, this did not come to fruition. The blockade stayed in effect successfully until October 10th, yet during that time, Commander Marc Oliver finished forming a military government, proclaiming himself the President-Commander of Augustinia.

On October 10th, a group of repaired patrol boats and a decommissioned submarine were used by the Augustinians to begin harassing ships in the blockade, and to smuggle supplies in from WIP, who began to sympathize with the Augustinian cause. However, due to the exhaustive use of these ships, and the submarine, a mission went wrong, resulting in the capture of the 200 sailors and the patrol vessels and submarine, which allowed the Duquesne National Navy to solidify its blockade around the island. During this time, Marquette was slowly moving back to life, as the Port of Marquette was finally reopened for trade, and as neighborhoods were slowly repaired and rebuilt. Through continued meetings and plannings at the Envale Naval Battery, Admiral Johannes Christopsen and Admiral Ernest LaRoche planned for an April invasion of the island. The Duquesne National Army continued to conduct training exercises in Pontiac along with the Duquesne National Marines in order to prepare for battle on the Isle d’Auguste. However, these plans became complicated as the neighboring WIP began sympathetically dropping supplies including medical aide, rations, and weapons and ammo to the Augustinians surrounded in the blockade.

The Duquesne National Navy shot at these planes and damaged one of them, but none were succeessfully shot down. Rear Admiral Adam Dakinsun, the present commanding officer aboard the command ship in the blockade, ordered the ships to begin to take shots at some of the coastal defenses. In addition, he had pilots drop leaflets in the big cities of Port Blanc and Augustaville sending the message that long-term resistance would not be a successful option for the rebellious, illegitimate “Augustania”. However, the supporters of the President-Commander Marc Oliver continued to follow his “cult of personality”, driven by Oliver’s promises of the restoration of a Auvernian monarchy pending independence from The Republic of Duquense. In response to these messages from Commander Oliver, President Jacques Dufour pledged the full strength of the Duquesne Armed Services, saying that “It is my highest priority to ensure the quick liberation of the people of the Isle d’Auguste from this tyrannical military state. Our resources are in place to quickly crush this illegitimate state that occupies a sovereign territory of Duquesne”. However, these in place resources were soon displaced as a hurricane struck the Isle d’Auguste. This caused much of the blockade to retreat to much calmer waters on the coast of mainland Duquesne, assuming that the Augustinians would not try to make any moves in such stormy waters. Despite the tremendous storm surge and tremendous rainfall and winds, the actions of brave Augustinian sailors delivered fresh supplies to the island, at the cost of the lives of 40 sailors who undertook the treacherous mission.

The Duquesne National Navy’s blockade was planned to resume on the first of May per the orders of Admiral Ernest LaRoche. During their time back on mainland Duquesne, the sailors were able to visit with families, and the ships were able to be cleaned and restocked with supplies and ammunition. The Augustinian supply runners, however, did not take advantage of the longer period in the absence of the blockade, for they assumed the blockade would resume much sooner than it did. As a result, when the blockade resumed on May 1st, the Augustinians were already depleting the supplies that they were able to restock during the storms. Once the blockade was in place again, Admiral Ernest LaRoche and Admiral Johannes Christopsen resumed plans for an invasion, this time slating it for August. The blockade kept up their periodic bombardment of the coastal defenses and the dropping of pamphlets encouraging the immediate surrender of the Augustinian resistance.

Eventually, President-Commander Oliver began to reach out to the Duquesne blockade, requesting diplomatic talks between the two parties. Via telegram, Oliver and his diplomatic team began communications with the Duquesne Department of International Affairs to potentially reach a peaceful solution. The talks began on July 9th, beginning with Augustinian requests for the allowance of food and medical aide for civilians on the island, and Duquesne negotiators reluctantly agreed. Duquesne began sending passenger ships with food and medical aide to Port Blanc, and the naval blockade began a ceasefire on the Augustinian defenses. However, President-Commander Oliver became greedy, and attempted to seize the opportunity of the Duquesne National Navy being off-guard, and he began sending out small boats in the middle of the night to smuggle weapons and ammunition from WIP. This went on for almost a month, but after a Duquesne patrol boat caught a group of smugglers in the act, the blockade around the island resumed, and the Duquesne Department of International Affairs cut off all diplomatic ties with the rogue Augustinian regime.

On August 5th, the naval blockade resumed bombardment of the coastal defenses around Isle d’Auguste. In addition, it began shooting down boats suspected to be weapon smugglers sent by the Augustinian resistance fighters. This continued throughout the month of August, and it peaked with the sinking of a large fishing vessel that was controversially attacked by the Duquesne National Navy. The Augustinian regime blasted Duquesne’s assault on “innocent fishermen”, yet Rear Admiral Adam Dakinsun maintained that the decision was made because the fishermen were “Augustinian sympathizers engaged in a weapons smuggling operation”. The diplomatic issues were complicated when WIP started positioning troops on it’s border with Duquesne, forcing Duquesne to begin redistributing members of the Duquesne Provincial Guard, as well as potential reinforcements to the blockade from the Duquesne National Army. President Jacques Dufour also removed portions of the blockade to position along the Duquense coast to prepare for a possible land invasion. This allowed the Augustinians to bring in supplies in these breached zones, resulting in more skirmishes at sea between the Duquesne National Navy and supply smugglers. In addition, the Duquesne Provincial Guard began skirmishing with provocative WIP along the Duquesne border, almost escalating into all out war.

President Jacques Dufour addressed the nation on January 25th, 1927 telling the Duquesne citizenry to prepare for an invasion, and assuring the people that “all resources” would be on hand to ensure the safety of the people of Duquesne. However, following emergency diplomatic meetings involving the Duquesne Department of International Affairs, the WIP backed off the Duquesne border, and cut off aide to the Augustinians. The Augustinian regime made one final attempt to establish a diplomatic relationship with the Presidential Mansion on March 10th, and President Jacques Dufour responded demanding the unconditional surrender of the Augustinian state by April 1st. No response was given to the President, and he took it as a final straw. The Duquesne Naval Air Corps began immediately bombing coastal defenses using old planes, and new planes seized from the Auvernian airfields and ships, and successfully emerged without losing any planes while doing immense damage to the coastal batteries. The bombardments from the ships resumed, and the final invasion is planned by Admiral Ernest LaRoche and General Thomas Dubois to land a 30,000 man detachment of the Duquesne National Army in mid-September.

A second aerial bombing mission was launched on April 21st, this time successfully wiping out a supply battery containing the majority of military vehicles and fuel remaining on the island. With the threats averted along the Duquesne coast, the remainder of the blockade returned to its positions around the Isle d’Auguste, and another bombing was planned for May 20th. The bombing mission was a success, and it successfully destroyed the remainder of the patrol boats that the Augustinians used for smuggling. In response to this, the Augustinians packed sailboats filled with explosives, and set them off in the middle of the night towards the Duquesne blockade. The explosives detonated on a ship, causing several injuries yet no fatalities, and the ship was forced to return to Marquette for repairs. Following the strike on the battleship, the blockade resumed, and increased its artillery barrages on the coastal defenses, and more airstrikes were planned to attack the major roadways and rail lines going outside Port Blanc and Augustaville. Admiral Johannes Christopsen famously said that “if we can’t force them out, we won’t let them escape”, while he planned for more bombing runs, and the final invasion. Over the next three months, targeted bombing runs took out the remaining coastal defenses, and struck the military headquarters of President-Commander Oliver. This forced the Augustinians to retreat to the inland jungle, and prepare for the final invasion.

During these three months there were several attempted assassinations on President-Commander Oliver, all of which were thwarted and the perpetrators executed by firing squad. In late August, Admiral Ernest LaRoche and Admiral Johannes Christopsen arrived on board the command ship in the blockade to assist Rear Admiral Adam Dakinsun in commanding the fleet. The Duquesne National Army, commanded by General Thomas Dubois, began to board trains in Pontiac headed to the ports in Marquette, where they would prepare to leave to begin the invasion of Isle d’Auguste. In the remaining weeks leading up to the invasion, bombing runs by the Duquesne Naval Air Corps lessened in number, as not many targets remained that could be destroyed beyond repair. On September 7th, 1927, the Duquesne National Army troops boarded passenger liners to join up with the blockade, and to prepare for a September 9th invasion of the island. A final bombing run hit inland defenses on September 8th doing more damage to the moral of the Augustinians than the actual defenses. Finally, on September 9th, the Duquesne National Army, numbering about 45,000, landed in Port Blanc.

The troops faced little partisan resistance, and quickly realized that the Augustinians had abandoned the major cities for inland defenses in the jungle. General Thomas Dubois met with a former leader of Isle d’Auguste’s Provincial Guard to learn more about the geography of the territory, while members of the Duquesne Red Cross began to provide necessary food and medical supplies to the citizens of Port Blanc. General Thomas Dubois determined that capturing Augustaville would be the next objective, so he dispatched 30,000 troops under the command of Commander Vincent Masson, another defected Auvernian military leader, to take the city. The group faced significant partisan resistance, but little to no military retaliation, and so Augustaville was taken on September 20th. The forces in Augustaville skirmishes on and off with Augustinian troops in the outskirts of the city for several weeks, which lowered morale of the troops present. Several bombing runs were attempted to push back the harassing Augustinian troops, but they all proved to be unsuccessful. On October 4th, a hurricane moved in and it ravaged forces on both sides. Several hundred Duquesnians, Augustinians, and civilians were killed, injured, and ended up missing due to the Category 5 storm. More aide from the Duquesne Red Cross was sent to help the civilians, and struggling Duquesne National Army recover from the hurricane. During the period of recovery, the Augustinians seized the opportunity to strike the Duquesnians while they were weak, and they launched a guerilla warfare campaign on the 29,500 that remained in Augustaville. This ten day offensive resulted in several hundred Duquesnians killed with only a couple dozen Augustinian casualties. However, the attacks severely depleted the ammunition of the Augustinians, and they were forced to retreat back into the jungle.

Seeing little progress in the invasion, President Jacques Dufour met with General Marques Nelson of the Duquesne National Marines, and deployed 10,000 of the elite Marine Corps’ troops to assist the struggling Duquesne National Army. After reorganizing supplies and troops, as well as adding the 10,000 elite troops from the Duquesne National Marines, General Thomas Dubois began planning the final inland offensive. On October 29th, the combined Duquesne ground forces began pushing inland, however were met with tough terrain, making the use of vehicles virtually impossible. Civilian partisans that supported the Augustinians began to attempt to smuggle supplies to the struggling forces in the middle of the jungle. However, these partisans were largely rounded up and detained by the Duquesne National Army, and the Augustinians went on without the supplies. By November 14th, many of the Augustinians were starving, and President-Commander Oliver allowed 4,000 wounded and starving troops to surrender to the Duquesne National Marines. However, the remaining Augustinians pledged to fight to the death for their leader. For the next week, the Augustinians entrenched around the centuries old Duquesne fortifications, and managed to fend off attacks, yet ran desparately low on ammunition. This left every other man without a firearm. Another 4,000 men were permitted by President-Commander Oliver to surrender to the Duquesne National Marines. This left around 3,000 Augustinian troops in the defense, many of them incapable of fighting. The Duquesne National Marines reached the Augustinian stronghold on November 23rd, 1927 and successfully killed President-Commander Oliver. His top aides briefly met before committing suicide, and the majority of the remaining Augustinian troops held a fixed bayonet charge shouting their alliegance to President-Commander Oliver as they ran at the Duquesne National Army.

For the next 3 weeks, the Duquesne National Army swept over the island acting as a “police force” arresting and fighting off the last remaining detachments of partisan fighters and Augustinians. The majority of the policing took place in Augustaville, where most of the partisan resistance was found. However, the last Augustinian detachment unconditionally surrendered to the Duquesne National Marines on December 10th, 1927. Victory was proclaimed by General Thomas Dubois, and the streets of Marquette filled with citizens cheering and waving Duquesne flags as the last tie to the Duquesne War of Independence was over, and the Isle d’Auguste was liberated. Within a week, former provincial governor Marques d’Este was implemented as interim governor pending elections, and 5,000 members of the Duquesne National Army were left on the island to remain as a federal police force, and to re-establish and train the Provincial Guard of Isle d’Auguste. By December 17th, the 11,000 captured Augustinian troops were back on the mainland, where they were put on trains to Pontiac to be treated for their wounds and conscripted for military service before being reassigned to the Concordia Military Battery. Finally, on January 1st, 1928, Isle d’Auguste was once again ratified as a Province of The Republic of Duquesne. This ended the 3 year campaign for independence, and left Duquesne a totally independent nation without any immediate conflicts, allowing for a new era of Duquesne industrialization and discovery.

The Jacques Dufuour Administration and the First Years of an Independent Duquesne (1925-1931)

Following the signing of the Duquesne Declaration of Independence, President Jacques Dufour began a rebuild Marquette initiative, as he called on national charities to fundraise across Duquesne for money to support citizens displaced by the Battle of Marquette, and by Operation Marquette Freedom. The project took many months, and Marquette was completely restored on August 15th, 1927. In addition to starting the initiative, President Jacques Dufour began working with the Duquesne National Assembly to implement a national judiciary. While some autonomy was granted to the government of Duquesne following the People’s Revolution of 1856, the judiciary had remained controlled by the Auvernian Federation. President Dufour, along with his newly appointed minister of the new Duquesne Department of Justice to propose a judiciary consisting of local, provincial, and federal courts, in addition to a supreme court to act as the highest body in the judiciary. The proposition proposed that each voting district would have a district judge to handle local affairs, each province would have a supreme court, each region would have a federal court, and the nation would have the Duquesne Supreme Court to complete the judiciary. The measure was passed by the Duquesne National Assembly by a vote of 18-1. Local judiciaries were elected in special elections having 1 judge per local electoral district, provincial supreme courts were appointed by the provincial governor, and federal circuit and Duquesne Supreme Court judges were nominated by the president, and confirmed by the Duquesne National Assembly. By the fall of 1925, the entire Duquesne judiciary was established following the establishment of each judiciary and the implementation of judges.

In addition to the establishment of the Duquesne Department of Justice and the Duquesne judiciary, the Duquesne Department of International Affairs was established to begin setting up diplomatic ties with foreign allies of Duquesne. Duquesne’s previous international relations and dealings were completely done through the Auvernian Federation, meaning that Duquesne was not able to have diplomacy separate of the Auvernian Federation. This also gave the Auvernian Federation complete control over the international trade of Duquesne’s goods, as all goods were sent first to the Auvernian mainland to be processed, before being sent through Auvernian trade deals that Duquesne had no ability to negotiate in. With this new diplomatic freedom, the minister of the Duquesne Department of International Affairs would be able to establish working relationships with foreign nations and assign an ambassador to serve as a direct connection with those nations.

This trade freedom allowed Duquesne industry to thrive, which led to a boom in Duquesne’s agriculture, mining, and manufacturing industries, since all of the profit was now controlled by corporations in Duquesne. Also, the Verte Railroad Company continued to see booms in the service it provided in the transport of grain, coal, and various other resources to port cities, which further extended the national rail network, and gave way for new innovations in railway and locomotive technology. By 1928, the entirety of Duquesne was connected to electricity by the Duquesne Power and Media Company which saw the amount of electrical appliances and other goods sold skyrocket. This even further boosted Duquesne’s manufacturing industry, and it began the transformation of the Duquesne household into an electrical dependent, model for the future.

By the end of the Blockade of Isle d’Auguste, Duquesne saw the integration of about 45,000 troops into society, many of whom were veterans of the Duquesne Civil War, the Duquesne War of Independence, and the Blockade of Isle d’Auguste. With their military service complete, and with a larger amount of men re-integrating due to many consecutive years with conflict, unemployment began to rise. However, this was quickly resolved, as President Jacques Dufour began to offer federal tax incentives to companies that hired more military veterans. This was a widely popular move by supporters of the Distributist Party of Duquesne, and by military veterans, which led to many military veterans beginning to vote Distributist. This solidified Distributist control in local elections, which underlined the popularity of President Jacques Dufour as the decade began to close.

In his New Years’ Address, on January 1st, 1930, President Jacques Dufour announced to the nation that he would not be seeking re-election in the upcoming Presidential Election of 1931. In his speech, he expressed his love for Duquesne, and how proud he was to have seen Duquesne through its independence. Despite his long list of accomplishments, President Dufour spoke of the physical and mental toll that the stress of the Duquesne Civil War, the Duquesne War of Independence, and the Blockade of Isle d’Auguste had taken on him. He added that in his old age, having just turned 75, he believed it was time to “pass the torch” to a new generation of leaders for Duquesne. During his final year in office, President Dufour worked to develop the Duquesne Veterans Administration, a government agency to provide assistance ranging from medical to financial for those who had fought for their country during such turbulent times. At the end of his term, the city of Marquette held a farewell parade for the President, and presented him with an honorary key to the city in gratitude for his advocacy of the quick rebuilding of Duquense’s city. On President Dufour’s last day in office, he gave a speech thanking the people of Duquesne for their unwavering support, and offered his complete support for the President Elect, Jean Francois-Jacobieu. On January 21st, 1931, Jean Francois-Jacobieu was inaugurated as President of The Republic of Duquesne, ending an era that saw the independence of Duquesne, and beginning an era of Duquesne’s worldwide economic success.

The Downfall of the Distributist Party and the Rise of the PCS (1931-1933)

see main article Downfall of the Distributist Party

President Jean Francois-Jacobieu was sworn in as President of Duquesne on January 21st, 1931. Having ridden on the back of widespread distributist success in local and provincial elections, President Francois-Jacobieu did not have many individual policies for himself to run on. For much of his non-political career, President Francois-Jacobieu was the President of the Bank of Marquette, a several hundred million dollar banking institution that held the money of the majority of Duquesne’s wealthiest. Entering the presidency, he maintained many of the connections that he had to the banking industry. In addition, President Francois-Jacobieu was a man of great wealth, having several estates across Duquesne, as well as vast holdings in the Verte Railroad Company, none of which were made known to the public. The President began taking action to deregulate the banking industry, and charging the Duquesne National Assembly to pass legislation cutting taxes for banks in order to “incentivize higher interest rates” thus encouraging Duquesnians to put their money into the Duquesne banking system. On July 2nd, 1931, President Francois-Jacobieu gave a speech announcing the expanding of the initiative to support the veterans of the nation’s latest conflicts. This initiative included expanding veteran’s healthcare rights, providing the ability to Duquesne’s veterans to go use both private and government healthcare services, lifting the restriction to a handful of military healthcare facilities around the country. This boosted his approval rating amongst veterans, and amongst regular citizens who saw his efforts to help veterans as an extension of President Jacques Dufour’s policy. However, President Francois-Jacobieu was not able to ride this success for very long, as an internal crisis began in Passe Sud. The Republic of Duquesne never passed labor protection laws or defined the rights of the worker. As a result, many corporations were beginning to pay less and less in wages while demanding it’s workers work more hours. This reached the tipping point at the Gremmings Firearm Company’s factory on July 10th, 1931. Employees at the facility were often working 12 hour shifts, having to work with dangerous materials manufacturing guns and ammunition. On July 10th, an employee, who had been working for 14 straight hours, was killed when he knocked over a box of highly explosive artillery rounds, which killed him and 12 others in a massive explosion, and injured over 30 others. The story caught national attention when survivors of the blast, and other employees who were not working at the time, launched a labor strike demanding higher wages and an 8 hour work day for the dangerous work they were doing. The company responded publicly saying that they would do no such thing, adding that the workers had no right to organize and demand things from their employer. This caught national attention, and eventually a bill was proposed by the Duquesne National Assemblyman from Passe Sud to allow workers to unionize, and establishing a Duquesne Department of Labor, which would implement policies for the protection of the Duquesne worker. The bill was unanimously passed by the National Assembly, and begrudgingly signed by President Francois-Jacobieu on July 29th, 1931. The conflict was resolved, and it became known as the Gremmings Strike of 1931, the turning point in the establishment of rights for the Duquesne worker. Signing the labor protections bill made President Francois-Jacobieu even more popular, yet it also began his demise. Seeing his immense popularity, President Francois-Jacobieu began to take his support for granted. He began meeting in secret with executives from the Verte Railroad Company, and was secretly paid several hundred million dollars in cash in exchange for a multi-billon dollar government contract for the Verte Railroad Company to extend lines to cover all of Duquesne, as well as to begin research on new types of more efficient locomotives. Taking this bribe was not only dirty dealing, it was also against the law for a president to be bribed under the table to contract a third party with government funds. President Francois-Jacobieu accepted the money, and announced the government contract with his Department of Transportation secretary on September 14th, 1931. At the same time, the Vice President, Samuel Le-Pen-Dune began meeting with billionaires, and began plotting a massive tax cut for the wealthy in exchange for several vacation homes, and millions of dollars, again illegal and under the table. Samuel Le-Pen Dune began working with the Chair of the National Assembly, who was not aware of the motives of the tax cuts, to begin writing a tax cut bill. Once the bill was written, Vice President Le-Pen-Dune called the 14 Distributist members of the National Assembly, and swore them to secrecy before sharing the tax cut plan, and promising a million dollars in total salary increase over the span of their term for each member who would vote for the deal. 13 of the members immediately agreed to the deal, but the member for Pontiac, Assemblyman Franc Swen was appalled at the action, and was ashamed of his colleagues in the National Assembly for their corruption. He quickly left the meeting, making an excuse to leave the room, carrying his unsigned secrecy document and a copy of the bill, and went straight to the Societe Radiodiffusion Gallois. Having given them the resources, he retired to his home where he began to write a speech to the nation. On September 30th, 1931, the SRG reported it’s bombshell report that had damning evidence of rampant corruption between the Vice President, the leadership of the National Assembly, and an overwhelming majority of the Distributist voting bloc in the National Assembly. The Vice President and the Chairman of the National Assembly, in response, held an emergency press conference on October 1st in which they blasted the accusations leveled by Assemblyman Swen, adding that the documents provided to the SRG were completely forged. Public opinion on the matter decreased following the press conference, as the labeling of Assemblyman Swen as someone seeking national attention stuck with many who listened to the press conference. During the initial reporting of the matter the Presidential Mansion Chief of Staff, James Macron, felt deeply betrayed, but also somewhat compelled to add to the reporting the corrupt deals that the President had made with executives at the Verte Railroad Company. However, instead of taking immediate action, he decided to see how things played out. On October 5th, Assemblyman Swen gave a nationally broadcasted speech in order to defend his name and the allegations that he leveled against the Vice President and other members of the national assembly. He spoke of the secretive tone in the meeting with the Vice President and Chairman of the Assembly, and he swore by his accusations against the two. Assemblyman Swen’s final message was that these corrupt actions by members of the distributist party were a disgrace not only to the party, but to the years of good work done during the Jacques Dufour administration. The President remained relatively quiet on the issue as reports continued to be released on the matter before giving an address to the nation on October 20th. He called the allegations against the Vice President and members of the National Assembly completely “corrupt and indefensible”, before announcing that he had directed the Duquesne Department of Justice, in cooperation with the Attorney General, to open a criminal investigation into the allegations made by Assemblyman Swen. In addition, he announced that he would be using executive privilege to call emergency elections to remove any potential conflicts of interest, or corrupt persons, from the National Assembly in order that proper investigations, as well as necessary legislative work, could be completed properly. Many smaller political parties viewed this as an opportunity to capture a solid majority in the National Assembly, so many began giving policy speeches across the country. The only elected member of the Parti Crédit Social (PCS), Jacques Dubois, gave a passionate policy speech in LaSalle in which he pledged that if re-nominated to the National Assembly, he would work to bring the corrupt members of government to justice. This speech began to gain ground throughout rural areas, as well as in city centers, which led to a large rise of the PCS’s popularity in national polling. The party headquarters in Marquette began receiving an overwhelming amount of campaign contributions and letters from candidates seeking endorsements in countless local elections. On October 26th, President Francois-Jacobieu set an official election date for December 13th. He encouraged the nation, in a specially broadcasted message, to vote their conscience, and to vote for those trustworthy to protect the legitimacy of the Duquesne government. Jacques Dubois became a nationally recognized political figure, and toured throughout the country giving political speeches supporting local candidates running for provincial government. The National Assembly, and the corrupt members facing corruption and obstruction charges, felt compelled to protect themselves by any means necessary. Several bills of legislation were put forward dismissing officials within the Duquesne Department of Justice that were working on their criminal investigation. These actions were viewed as outrageous by the people, and were subsequently vetoed on Constitutional grounds by the Duquesne Supreme Court. As campaigning continued in the days leading up to December 13th, the National Assembly, in an effort led by Assemblymen Franc Swen and Jacques Dubois, held a vote of no confidence in the leadership of Chairman David Capprette. Following this vote, the sergeant at arms assumed control over the Duquesne National Assembly. Continued votes to protect the embattled Assemblymen led the SRG to file a federal suit accusing the Duquesne National Assembly. The election day of December 13th saw major gains for the PCS in the local elections, as 14 provinces saw PCS majorities elected in their provincial legislatures. This led to the nomination of 14 allies of Jacques Dubois, who was now a favorite to be elected Chairman of the National Assembly, who immediately promised thorough investigations and charges to be brought against the former Vice President and the accused Assemblymen. Following the major PCS victory in provincial elections, the National Assembly devolved into chaos. Members began putting forth bills that called for their pardon for their offenses. On December 31st, members went so far as to vote to remove the Attorney General in order to protect themselves from federal investigation. This sent the chamber into chaos, as members of the PCS and other third parties were filled with outrage, and nearly turned to violence with members from the Distributist Party. Hearing this, the Duquesne Supreme Court dispatched the Duquesne National Marines to take control over the house following a unanimous vote of no confidence in the “legislative capability of the National Assembly”, a power vested in the Supreme Court in the constitution. The seizing of the National Assembly marked the end of the Distributist dynasty in Duquesne government, as the National Marines locked down the area until the next morning, where the new Duquesne National Assembly was sworn in on January 1st, 1932. On the first day in session, January 2nd, the National Assembly elected Jacques Dubois to be Chairman of the National Assembly. His first action, using leadership privileges, was to appoint Assemblyman Franc Swen, the whistleblower of the corruption involving the old Distributists and Vice President, as the co-director of the investigation into the accused. For the next 5 months, witnesses were routinely called in to testify in front of the Duquesne National Assembly. The Vice President, former chairman David Capprette, and the remaining 13 assemblymen were called in to testify, through which, the names of billionaires behind the initial bribery were uncovered. In addition, during this time, The Duquesne Department of Justice began preparing charges for the National Assembly to bring forth in their criminal investigations. According to the Duquesne Constitution, a removed member of political office that is found guilty by the National Assembly must remain under the watch of the Duquesne Provincial Guard pending trial in the Duquesne Supreme Court, but is not officially “guilty”. Rather, the removed politician would have been “moved to the next stage” of criminal trial. From May 5th through August 9th, 1932, the National Assembly formally presented charges to be voted on in a vote on August 10th. On August 10th, the Duquesne National Assembly found 13 former assemblymen, the former chairman, and the embattled Vice President guilty of taking political bribes, obstruction of justice, and making false statements. Immediately, court dates with the Duquesne Supreme Court were set to begin on September 30th. In the time in between, the National Assembly began an impeachment trial for Vice President Le-Pen-Dune. Between September 2nd and September 28th, investigators from the Duquesne Department of Justice presented evidence to the National Assembly, and Vice President Le-Pen-Dune was brought in one last time to testify. In an emotional testimony, the Vice President begged for mercy on the part of the court, using his old age as an excuse for little to no prison time. However, due to the severity of the crimes committed, the Duquesne National Assembly impeached Vice President Le-Pen-Dune, and officially set court dates for the beginning of the next week. Shortly after the impeachment, President Francois-Jacobieu nominated Assemblyman Franc Swen to be his new Vice President, and he was confirmed unanimously by the Duquesne National Assembly. His replacement in the National Assembly, a PCS party member nominated by the governor of Pontiac, gave the PCS an even bigger voting bloc in the National Assembly. From September 30th-November 1st, members of the National Assembly brought forth their evidence of impeachable offenses to the Duquesne Supreme Court. After only a short 2 days of deliberation, the Duquesne Supreme Court found former Vice President Samuel Le-Pen-Dune guilty on charges of money laundering, accepting political bribes, giving political bribes, and obstruction of justice, and sentenced him to 20 years in federal prison. The quieter trials in terms of public coverage took place between August 30th and September 30th, in which 13 former members of the Duquesne National Assembly were found guilty of accepting political bribes and obstruction of justice, and were sentenced to 10 years in federal prison. The former Chairman of the National Assembly, David Capprette was not only sentenced for taking political bribes and obstruction of justice, but also for disorderly conduct on the National Assembly floor. This, combined with his critical role in setting up the bribery ring, handed him a 20 year sentence in federal prison. Following the completion of trials and impeachment proceedings, President Francois-Jacobieu gave a nationally broadcast speech in front of the Duquesne National Assembly in which he praised them for their work in rooting out corruption in the government. He doubled down on this praise, promising to the nation to root out any other corrupt officials or policies from the Duquesne government. This message enraged the Presidential Chief of Staff, James Macron, who had been holding onto the information that could implicate the President due to his corrupt actions appointing family members of Verte Railway Company executives to government positions in exchange for cheap government contracts to construct massive railway projects costing tens of millions of dollars. Hearing the President say that “all corruption would be rooted out of the Duquesne government” seemed so hypocritical to Macron, so he was able to make an excuse to walk out of the address, and he went straight to the Presidential Mansion. He worked through the night to collect documents and other evidence, and on November 7th, 1932, Macron brought his massive, corroborating evidence to support corruption allegations against President Francois-Jacobieu to the SRG. Meeting with editors in secret, Macron shared letters and telegrams between the President and executives at the Verte Railroad Company, as well as official government directives in correspondence with the Duquesne Department of Transportation to pay large sums of money to the Verte Railroad Company for track building projects worth tens of millions of dollars. The SRG headlined this major breaking news story in their nightly radio report, which drove the country into complete disarray. People protested in the streets calling for the removal of the President for directly lying to the people of Duquesne in his pledges to root out corruption. On November 8th, the National Assembly convened to begin an emergency investigation into President Francois-Jacobieu. At the beginning of the legislative day, the National Assembly, for the first time in the history of the government of Duquesne, froze the executive power of the President to prevent him from pardoning himself or firing investigators, and the Vice President, Franc Swen, assumed all of the “executive duties and privileges” vested in the President while remaining Vice President. From November 8th through December 23rd, the National Assembly called officials from the Duquesne Department of Transportation, the Duquesne Department of Justice, and the President, as well as from the Verte Railroad Company. Early investigations took place from November 8th until December 23rd which included having witnesses and accused persons testify before the National Assembly. The public was given a briefing on December 24th, in which Chairman of the National Assembly, Jacques Dubois, announced there was evidence of clear corruption on the part of President Francois-Jacobieu and Secretary of Transportation Fowler. Chairman Dubois formally announced that an impeachment trial for President Francois-Jacobieu would be scheduled for after the Christmas recess. On January 1st, 1933, in his New Year’s Address, President Francois-Jacobieu talked about the need for solutions to real problems like forming additional trade deals with foreign nations, and constructing necessary transportation infrastructure instead of spending legislative time investigating baseless accusations. The speech was met with very bad reaction from the public, who saw it as another attempt to obstruct justice within the legislature. A Presidential approval poll showed a sharp decline in approval following the speech, as on 25% of respondents still supported President Francois-Jacobieu. On January 2nd, in response to the poorly received New Year’s Address, Chairman Dubois gave a televised address in which he announced a formal date for an impeachment vote in the National Assembly, being January 10th. On January 10th, the National Assembly impeached President Francois-Jacobieu, immediately removing him from office, and sending him to trial in the Duquesne Supreme Court. On the same day, Vice President Franc Swen was sworn in officially as President of the Republic of Duquesne, with the temporary Vice President being the Chairman of the National Assembly, Jacques Dubois, until a new Vice President could be nominated. From January 11th through January 25th, the Supreme Court held nationally broadcasted questioning of President Francois-Jacobieu as well as the chief of staff, James Macron, and other witnesses in the case. The final verdict was set to be delivered on January 26th. On January 26th, the Duquesne Supreme Court found former President Francois-Jacobieu guilty on all counts of money laundering, accepting bribes, and obstruction of justice and sentenced him to 35 years in Prison. The next day, new President Franc Swen called for a restoration of peace, unity, and trust in the government of Duquesne in a nationally broadcast address. In addition, he announced that he would be resigning from the presidency at the end of March, citing his old age and the physical and mental toll that the investigations and scandals have put on him. On January 27th, politicians officially began opening their campaigns for President. Chairman of the National Assembly, Jacques Dubois, was nominated by the PCS with Assemblyman Charles Clement from Passe Sud. The PCS was the overwhelming favorite to win the Presidency. This caused most of the minority parties to not even nominate a candidate for President, and it grew the movement behind the PCS. During the last month of his Presidency, President Franc Swen worked with Chairman Dubois and the PCS majority to implement judicial watchdogs in each of the government agencies with power to use budget, or in control of law enforcement or surveillance programs. In the last week of his presidency, before the National Assembly met to deliberate the Presidential Election, Chairman Jacques Dubois and members of the PCS presented Assemblyman Franc Swen with a lifetime achievement award in recognition to his service to exposing corruption, and restoring trust in the government of Duquesne, in addition to his service in writing the constitution, and serving since the late 1800s. On March 20th, the Presidential Election was held, which was presided over by interim chairman James Franquette to avoid any potential conflict of interest accusations. On March 21st, 1933, Interim chairman Franquette, along with members of the Duquesne National Assembly, announced the election of President Jacques Dubois and Vice President Charles Clement, thus ending the Distributist era and the years long scandals and investigations plaguing the Duquesne government.

The Picardian Distributionist Era (1933-1938)

The Duquesne National Assembly held emergency elections in October of 1933, due to the assassination of the entire Presidential cabinet by Mariranan forces, and Jean Francois-Jacobieu, a Picardian Distributist, was elected President of The Republic of Duquesne. President Francois-Jacobieu was left with the daunting task of rebuilding a broken nation. The people of Duquesne had no time to heal or rebuild from the catastrophic civil war before they were thrust into the Great War. In an effort to avoid yet another conflict, whether internal or external, the government began to implement isolationist policies, with the ultimate goal of complete isolation. Trade restrictions were lifted, with the removal of the occupying Mariranans, but President Francois-Jacobieu chose to keep the economics isolated from the outside of the world. Hundreds of thousands of new construction and military jobs were created in the first five months of the Francois-Jacobieu administration, as the government needed to repair sewage systems, power lines, water systems, roads, bridges, railway tracks, government buildings, and the newly commissioned Duquesne Border wall, which would stretch along all of Duquesne’s borders except that of the border wall with the Federation, Duquesne’s closest ally. The rebuilding process lasted until 1937, during the Samuel Le-Pen-Dune administration. During these years, the economy was stagnant, as most of Duquesne industry, other than construction and mining, had been decimated. Millions of acres of farmland had been destroyed by the prescence of heavy military vehicles, frequent bombings, and the mass carnage left behind in the fields. In January of 1934, in his yearly address, President Francois-Jacobieu announced the creation of the veterans protection agency, in order to properly bury the fallen soldiers still scattered on many of the battlefields and mountains, as well as to care for permanently injured veterans. The public put major support behind the industry, until the tax increases were announced. The government's budget was already almost depleted due to the mass reconstruction efforts that had begun immediately after President Francois-Jacobieu took office. President Samuel Le-Pen-Dune, also a Picardian Distributist, was elected in the fall of 1934. His previous experience in public service included serving as the interim chairman of the National Assembly during the Francois-Jacobieu administration. He continued the mass reconstruction campaign, and also oversaw the opening of several new veterans cemeteries and memorials to commemorate the work of Duquesne troops during the Civil War and the Great War. In The border wall was completed on February 16th, 1937, and was opened with a special ceremony to honor the work of the construction teams, and of the soldiers who died defending and re-taking Duquesne. Due to new policies passed by the Duquesne National Assembly, Presidential Terms were shortened to 3 years due to a power struggle within the committee. Total isolation was ordered in 1937 by President Jacques Dubois, the last of Duquesne’s presidents in the Picardian Distributist Era. The only ties that Duquesne had to the outside world were with the Federation, and the Vatican. With the sudden death of President Dubois in 1938, Duquesne was once again left without a leader. The committee began appointing military leaders to the presidency, the first being General George Bucard. This presidency began the Burmeoisian Distributionist Era, ending the period of rebuilding, and moving into a new era of Duquesne isolated from the world.

The Burmeoisian Distributionist Era (1938-1959)

The Burmeoisian Distributionist era began with the appointment of General George Bucard to the Presidency in July of 1938 following the death of President Jacques Dubois. General Bucard was a veteran of the Great war, as he helped coordinate the efforts with Federation forces during the beginning of “Operation Duquesne Freedom”. During his one year in office he worked closely with his ally in the Assembly, Chairman Marcel Crecy, to continue implementing total isolation policies, and constructing impenetrable defenses around the country. General Bucard knew full well the damage that the great war caused, being one of the only surviving administration officials able to see the carnage and destruction left on the people of the Vallee de Cuivre. He also managed to cut completely the foreign aid budget, and he used the funds to complete and toughen the Duquesne border wall, and its surrounding defenses. The economy was still churning compared to the depression in the late 20s, but compared to economies throughout the rest of the world, it was dismal, due to the economic isolation and lack of foreign trade. General Bucard served as President from July 3rd to May 3rd 1938-1939. On May 3rd, Chairman Marcel Crecy was elected President of the Republic of Duquesne. The election was controversial, because it was thought to have been rigged, but no one dared challenge the results, for the civil war remained close in the memories of many of Duquesne’s citizens. Marcel Crecy also made several controversial moves as President, beginning with his unprecedented appointment of the Chairman of the National Assembly. He appointed a political ally, Etienne Floren, to lead the passing of legislation that pushed Crecy’s agenda forward. However, it was discovered that Floren, along with a slieu of staff members, violently threatened opposite party’s Assemblymen, which convinced them to always vote aligned with the wishes of the President. This led to the resignation, and imprisonment of both Crecy and Floren, charged with making violent threats to Assemblymen, and dozens of ethics violations. They were both sentenced to 20 years in prison. An emergency election was called in the summer of 1941 in order to fill the Presidency and the Chairmanship of the National Assembly. However, military leaders did not trust a tattered National Assembly to begin and regulate a new election process. As a result, the military seized control of the Duquesne government on September 1st. The Field Marshal of the Duquesne Army, Marques Swanson, assumed power, and successfully led a new election cycle, organizing and managing the Provincial Elections, and the final election in the National Assembly. He also amended the constitution, so that the winner of the Presidential Election would serve without a term limit, in order to restore public civility and trust in the government. Germain F. Chevalier was elected President of Duquesne in the Spring of 1942, becoming the President that would serve without a term limit. He began his administration by holding meetings with members of the Federation Government in order to ask for money to expedite the rebuilding process from the Great War. Much of the National Infrastructure, as well as millions of acres of farmland, and the city of Marquette, were still damaged from the Civil War in the 20s, and the Great War, which had ravaged much of Duquesne. The Federation began making investments in rebuilding Duquesne, which involved the development of new buildings in Marquette, as well as the repair of rail lines, and the restoration of tens of thousands of acres of farmland. This investment was able to give a boost to the economy, unseen since the administrations in the beginning of the Picardian Distributionist Era. As 1944 approached, the city of Marquette had been completely fixed of all damages left by the wars of the 20s and 30s. In addition, the economy was churning back to that of the Perrier administration, as the farmlands began producing product again, and the fixed rail lines began distributing products throughout Duquesne again. President Chevalier became extremely popular among the people of Duquesne. In 1947, as he turned 70, he began the restructuring of the Duquesne government, preparing for the next administration to take power. He dismissed all members of the Duquesne government, other than his essential cabinet, military leaders, and government agency staffers. This led to the dismissing of all Provincial Representatives, Provincial Governors, and National Assemblymen. He began the new election process in 1948, which saw a surge in isolationists taking power throughout the country. President Chevalier did not want to return to the unsuccessful isolationism that had ruled Duquesne since the end of the Great War, so he began to appeal to Federation companies to make more investments in Duquesne industry, in order to make isolationism less appealing. Yet, 8 of the 15 provinces elected Isolationist governors, which led to the appointment of a pro-isolationism majority National Assembly. This greatly troubled President Chevalier, yet he worked to continue bipartisan cooperation with the isolationists in the National Assembly. The 1948 elections gave the Duquesne people even more confidence in President Chevalier, since he did not attempt to alter the election results, or scare the Assemblymen into voting (like Presidents before him). In the beginning of 1949, President Chevalier signed new bills of legislation to begin construction of interstate highways, in order to provide paved roads to both transport Duquesnians across the country by car, but also to create thousands of jobs in both the automotive and construction industries. It worked. Tens of thousands of Duquesnians began taking jobs as construction workers, surveyors, and car and truck manufacturers, which eliminated Duquesne unemployment, and even caused the government to begin accepting immigration from the surrounding countries of Marirana, Roeselle, and the Federation. This saw a wave of investment by the Duquesne Trucking Company, founded by the Goldman Mining Corporation in 1949, and the Duquesne Automotive Company, founded by the Bank of Marquette in 1953. While Duquesne did not allow foreign cars and trucks to be imported, the government allowed countries like the Federation to invest in the industries, in order to boost their economic success and importance in Duquesne. This new Interstate Act successfully boomed the economy for the next 6 years, as thousands of miles of new roads were constructed, and as hundreds of thousands of new cars and trucks began using these new roads. However, the happiness in the country came to a grinding halt in January of 1959, when President Chevalier was diagnosed with terminal lung cancer. He gave a speech to the nation on January 17th, 1959, asking for the prayers of the Duquesne people as he battled his illness. He served out 4 more months to the best of his ability, highlighting the period with the Veteran Care Act, which provided free healthcare to all Duquesne military veterans who had served in combat during the Civil War and during the Great War. However, he succumbed to his illness on May 8th, 1959. The Chairman of the House of Delegates, David Green, declared 17 days of National Mourning, since President Chevalier had served as President for 17 years. A holiday was quickly established by the Duquesne National Assembly, naming January 17th as Chevalier Day, to remember the life of President Chevalier. This ended the Burmeoisian Distributionist Era, and began the period of Picardian Restoration.

Geography

Map of Duquesne with major cities labeled

Provinces and Territories of Duquesne

Hautes Terres de Cuivre

The Northern Haute territory is named after the Hautes Mountains. The economy of the territory has been centered around the mining industry since before the founding of Duquesne, and in the past 50 years, tourism with the establishment of several national parks . The most common mines are for coal and copper. While not having an organized provincial government, or a seat on the national Delegation, it maintains major significance in the national economy.

Vallee de Cuivre

Vallee de Cuivre is the province to the west of Hautes Terres de Cuivre. It is full of valleys, as it sits next to the Hautes Mountain range. The province is not highly populated, but it is filled with large farms, critical to Duquesne’s farming industry. Tourism of battlefields along the Federation border is also a growing industry, since the Vallee was bridge of both Marirana and the Federation in and out of Duquesne. It also is very important to the Duquesne Trucking Industry, due to its many warehouses along the open highway roads.

Sud-Centralia

Sud-Centralia is the province to the North of Hautes Terres de Cuivre. It has some valleys, but mostly rolling hills and plains. It is critical to the Duquesne Military and government, as it borders Asteria. In recent years, the border with Asteria has urbanized, and cities are extending further and further into the ancient farmland. With the recent joining of the JDF, plans to bring in many Asterian military vehicles and equipment, along with Asterian Vehicles. Many vehicle factories and transport facilities are also being constructed, due to the new influx of imported Asterian and Valentir vehicles.

Pays Compache

Pays Compache is the province to the East of Sud-Centralia. The province is filled with rocky, rolling hills, which are home to a major portion of Duquesne’s mining industry. Many types of rocks used in home construction are mined and collected here, and they are distributed by train and by Tractor-Trailer all across Duquesne. It is also rumored that the Duquesne government has been digging tunnels in that land for centuries for use in smuggling of goods, and spying on neighboring countries.

Vallee Verte

Vallee Verte is the province that holds the largest open farmland in all of Duquesne. Other than the few rocky hills to its northern border with Pays Compache, the province is filled with open farmland, and small Agrarian communities. The province also pioneered Duquesne’s railroad industry, particularly the cargo industry, and it is home to the largest railroad company, The Verte Railroad Company. (see Verte Railroad Company) The Verte Railroad company maintains the position of the largest amount of agricultural products transported per year, as the vast farming communities produce considerable amounts of grain and other vegetables. A separate government railroad line also goes through the province, which leads to a series of government food storage facilities, to supply the people with food in case of drought.

Vallee de Ste. Marc

Vallee de Ste. Marc lies to the south of Vallee Verte. It lies as the Easternmost Province in the “Indigenous Secture” of Duquesne. It is in the valley of the Sahos Mountains, named after an indigenous tribe found in Northern Mariana, and the surrounding valleys of the Sahos bordering Mariana. The valleys are a rich, rainforest like area, where Duquesne’s coffee industry thrives. The jungle itself is part of the Greater Rossean Rainforest/Jungle, and is home to many secret military outposts.

Vallee Catacosse

Vallee Catacosse borders Vallee de Ste. Marc to the west. It is still a major factor within Duquesne’s coffee industry, however, it is home to Duquesne’s southern military base network. Special Forces are trained in the Rainforests, and soldiers constantly patrol the border both on foot, and in the air.

Grande Marecage

Grande Marecage is the province to the west of Vallee Catacosse. It is similar to the neighboring valleys in that it is filled with rich rainforests and a thriving coffee industry, but it is also a major part of the copper mining industry, as its companies control mines throughout the Sahos.

Sahos

The Sahos territory contains the Sahos mountain range, and the majority of the indigenous population of Duquesne. While not playing much of a political or economic relevance, its economy is still important for the mining industry.

Alpena

Alpena is the province to the North of Grande Marecage. It plays a significant role in the copper mining industry alongside Grande Marecage. It is most famous for its agriculture in the valleys, with major crops of wheat and cotton. It contains a major hub for the Marquette Trucking Company.

Passerelle de Sud

Passerelle de Sud is the southeasternmost province in Duquesne. It has a very small population, as it is a swampy wasteland, and the smallest province in population. The economy is practically irrelevant, other than its fishing industry.

Envale

Envale is the province to the direct north of Passerelle de Sud. It is a higher population area filled with factories for metals and metal-related goods. It is also a major railroad hub for the Verte Railroad Company, as it maintains direct lines from the copper and iron mines to the factories. The Duquesne military also manufactures ammunition, and military vehicles in Envale.

Nouvel Cuvimont

Nouvel Cuvimont is the province to the north of Envale. It has a large population, and its entire economy is based on agriculture growth, particularly wheat, cotton, and corn. The Verte railroad company also has hubs here, which go straight to the agricultural storage warehouses, where Tractor Trailers distribute the products around Duquesne.

Tuscinaw

Tuscinaw is the biggest province in terms of land, and comes close to highest population. With many cities, it is one of the most urban of the provinces, with manufacturing and work in the highrises for major corporations dominates the economy. Cost of living is extremely high, only lower than Hautesaeux.

Terre-Moyenne

Terre Moyenne is the province to the southwestern side of Hautesaeux. It holds major significance to the Duquesne military, as many military barracks and Air Force bases dwell in this province, due to its close proximity to the Capital City. The non-military population works in factories producing many goods for the military, such as uniforms and ammunition. There is no major farming industry in Terre-Moyenne, yet, the Railroad and Trucking industries remain vital to the nationwide distribution of uniforms and ammunition, among other vital military goods.

Hautesaeux

Hautesaeux is the most vital province to all of Duquesne. Being towards the center of the country, and home to Marquette, the nationwide Capital, it holds vital importance to the government of Duquesne, as all major Federal Government buildings are in the province. The Marquette river runs into the Great Lake, Lac Transversae, home to Duquesne’s Navy and various cargo and fishing industries. The beach along Lac Transversale is also a major tourist attraction for the country, and has several docks for private boating companies to take passengers across the lake and view the various wildlife and natural wonders. The most urban of the provinces, and the province with the highest cost of living, Hautesaeux represents the innovation of the people of Duquesne, and shows a bright future.

Charbonne

Charbonne is the province to the direct East of Hautesaeux. It is a very urban province, and holds the majority of the water-trade with Hautesaeux through the country’s “Great Lake”, Lac Transversale, and the many other rivers such as the Marquette River, and the River of Greater Charbonne. These rivers, along with the Great Lake and other bodies of water, make up the majority of the fishing industry in Duquesne.

Politics

Government

Infographic of Duquesne Government Structure

Number of local districts in each province, 2018

Political Majorities and Maps in Duquesne, 2018

Current House of Delegates by political majority, 2018

Current Political layout based on party, 2018

Political Parties in the Republic of Duquesne, 2018

Party	Position	Idealogy	Leader	Seats in the Duquesne House of Delegates	Bloc
Christian Democratic Party	Center-Right	Pro-JDF, Christian Democracy, Conservatism	Marques Swen	4 / 15	Liberal-Conservative
Agrarian Coalition	Center	Agrarianism, Centrism, Environmentalism	Arthur Macron	8 / 15	Liberal-Conservative
Working Families’ Front	Left	Socialist, Distributionist, Isolationist, Nationalist	Maria Le-Pen-Dune	2 / 15	Equalists-Distributionists
Reform Party	Center	Liberalism, Constitutional Republicanism	Emmanuel Tibhirino	0 / 15	Reform
Populist Party	Center-Right	Populism	Samuel Jacobieu IV	1 / 15	Liberal-Conservative
Cooperativist Party	Far-Left	Cooperativism, Internationalism, Postmodernism	Benedict Triganuo	0 / 15	Equalists-Distributionists
Conservative Party	Center-Right	Classical Liberalism, Constitutional Republicanism, Social Conservatism	Therese Meurka	0 / 15	Liberal-Conservative

Duquesne's Foreign Relations

Duquesne has isolated itself from the outside world for almost 100 years. However, the current administration led by the Christian Democrats and President Marques Swen are attempting to de-isolate, and move into the realm of international politics, trade, and overall relations. President Marques Swen announced in March of 2018 his decision to send a delegation to the JDF, in hopes of establishing new relations and eventually joining the pact. This resulted in Duquesne being unanimously voted into the JDF, which will be critical in Duquesne's continued de-isolating.

Duquesne Military

A Duquesne Military Jeep

Army

The Duquesne National Army consists of 200,000 active duty men, and 500,000 men in reserves. All men are required to serve in some capacity of the Duquesne Military for 3 years, beginning at age 21. However, benefits are extended to those who choose to remain in service, and move through the ranks of the military. No females are allowed in combat in the Duquesne National military, except as combat nurses and doctors. The army uses helicopters and cargo planes to transport its troops, and uses Jeeps, Tanks, and Turreted HUM-Vs. The military is often used as border protection, and as guard for important government buildings and officials.

A Duquesne Navy Patrol Ship in Lac Transversale

Navy

A Duquesne Air Force Bomber Landing at Dufour Air Force Base

The Duquesne Navy is comprised of only smaller, yet quick boats, used to patrol Lac Transversale, and the other big lakes found in Duquense. It is made up of only 5,000 active duty sailors, with 2,000 in reserve. The boats used are Cyclone-Class patrol ships, which station roughly 50 sailors per ship.

Air Force

A border patrol vehicle patrols the border with Mariana

The Duquesne Air Force is a larger operation, patrolling the airspace in Duquesne, and managing a surveillance operation in nations surrounding Duquesne, as well as in international waters. It also manages and monitors the new Duquesne Missile Defense System, gifted to Duquesne by the Federation of Asteria in August. The Air Force uses spy planes, cargo planes, fighter jets, and bombers. It has 20,000 active duty members with 10,000 in reserve. It also manages and operates the Presidential planes, and ensures that the presidential plane is always guarded when in flight. Fighter jets patrol the skies of Duquesne, and are always on standby if unidentified objects enter Duquesne Air Space. The fighter jet of choice of the Duquesne Air Force is the f-35 Lightning ii, useful for ground assault and mid-air combat. The bomber of choice is the B-52 Stratofortress, although not used often, remains the pinnacle of Duquesne’s bombing fleet.

Border Patrol

The Duquesne Border Patrol is made up of 300,000 active duty soldiers, with 50,000 in reserve. They use equipment similar to that of the army, yet they also maintain the various walls and customs entry points on the Duquesne border. They follow the strict immigration laws, and prevent mass-immigrations of refugees, or illegal immigrants.

Demographics

Healthcare

Healthcare in the Republic of Duquesne is completely private sector. The Duquesne government since the Chevalier administration has not acted to publicize healthcare, as the general consensus has been that a private healthcare system will ensure quality in care and in pricing, as companies will be forced to compete with each other. The first private health insurance firm in Duquesne, Quorexta, was founded in 1950 by a shareholding group that owned major stock in the Verte Railroad Company, and in several paving companies who had been contracted by the government of Duquesne to work on the Interstate Highway legislation. The company initially provided basic health insurance but quickly spread to the opening and management of hospitals and clinics throughout Duquesne to provide healthcare for the people. The industry is number 3 in the highest percent of Duquesne’s GDP in the private sector, only to Agriculture and Mining. Today, more than 20 insurance companies exist throughout Duquesne, both on the national and local levels, and roughly 78% of all Duquesnians have some form of health insurance.

Economy

The Economy of the Republic of Duquesne consists of several main fields: Agriculture, Manufacturing, Mining and Energy, International Shipping, and Technology Innovation. Since its founding, the Duquesne economy has largely consisted of agriculture by way of farming crops, harvesting natural resources like trees and animal furs, and farming tropical crops on the Isle d’Auguste. The agriculture industry produces lots of wheat, corn, and soy, all of which are traded globally. Corn is also used for producing ethanol, which the energy industry benefits from as well. In the manufacturing industries, products like vehicles, weapons, and other industrial products are produced in many factories spread throughout the middle of the country. The manufacturing industry employs millions of Duquesnians, and provides more goods to be traded on an international scale. The mining industry is supported in the mountain ranges of Duquesne, Hautes Terres de Cuivre and the Sahos mountain ranges. These mountains produce stable livings for communities mining coal and other stones for construction purposes. This industry is supported heavily by the Verte Railroad Company which has been an essential consumer and transporter of mined products since the 1800s. The west coast of Duquesne contains many shipyards for international trade, but the majority of industry is filled with the Duquesne economic sector and technology companies. The Duquesne Stock Exchange is located in LaSalle and it is the center of corporate Duquesne. Many banks and stock trading firms are located in LaSalle City, making it one of the wealthiest regions in Duquesne. Further north in Concordia, many technology companies research and develop, manufacture, and distrubute electronic goods and services in the new age of the internet. Big tech behemoths have been born in the dawn of the internet and have thrived in the strong economy that Duquesne has seen since the beginning of the Marques Swen administration.

Energy

One of Duquesne's Nuclear Power plants located in the Sahos mountains

Energy in Duquesne comes from a wide variety of sectors. The second biggest part of Duquesne’s economy is the coal mining industry, which is present in both of the mountain ranges of Duquesne. Coal is used for trains, as well as for heating in poorer agricultural sectors of the country. Solar power is uncommon, but is present in small quantity in the wealthy neighborhoods surrounding Marquette. Oil and gasoline is imported from the Federation of Asteria, and is used for Airplanes, and Automobiles. The government and the military uses mostly oil and gas, but has been working on Nuclear plants in the Sahos mountain range since the mid 1990s. Old coal mines are also being built up and used as facilities for containing and managing Nuclear Waste.

Nuclear Power

Nuclear Power was only introduced to Duquesne in the mid-1990s. It has never been available for commercial use, but has been used only by the government and the military. The Duquesne National Assembly would have to authorize the start of commercial nuclear Power, but there is virtually no support, and no legislation has made it passed the provincial bodies.

Solar Power

A typical house with solar panels

Current president Marques Swen started the Solar Power initiative in 2014 with hopes of the people of Duquesne switching to cleaner energy solutions. The initiative controls the sale of the panels, which are marketed to residential districts in and around the city of Marquette, and other major cities. Currently, there is no private sector, but when the practice becomes more common and affordable, a private market is expected to thrive in the open rolling hills and fields.

Oil and Gasoline

A train carrying oil and gasoline throughout Duquesne

Most of Duquesne’s oil and gasoline is imported from other countries, but a small amount of heating oil is produced by Standard Oil, the company with complete control over Duquesne’s oil wells and infrastructure. Gasoline companies are numerous, but the most popular companies are the Duquesne Gas company, Marquette Gasoline, and Gallois Fuel Services. These 3 companies dominate the industry with gas stations all across the country. They employ hundreds to thousands of people because federal law in Duquesne requires gas to be pumped into vehicles by a gas station attendant, a policy established in the 1930s after the civil war in an effort to create jobs.

A train transports coal from the Sahos Mountains

Coal

The coal industry makes up the second largest sector of Duquesne’s economy behind agriculture. Both the mining and transport industries combine to employ tens of thousands of workers, across many different companies. The Duquesne Government controls coal mining, but sells it to the distribution companies, and in the near future, plans to open the doors to international trade. The two distributors of coal are Cuivre Coal, and Sahos Coal Distributors. Both companies have monopolies on their respective regions, but are the middleman to many other energy companies, and foreign entities. The most common form of transporting coal is by way of train, but since the mid-1980s, transport of coal has started to happen via tractor trailers. The trucking industry in Duquesne employs thousands of workers, 30 percent of those being coal drivers. The majority of coal transport remains on railways, which are also powered by coal. The Verte Railroad Company has contracts with both distributing companies, and it transports their product, along with tractor trailers all across Duquesne. From the distributors, the local energy companies send coal to power furnaces, factories, and poorer residential districts.

Transport

Railroad

The Entirety of Duquesne's Railroading industry is the Verte Railroad Company

The Verte Railroad Company

A coal train moves through Vallee Verte

The Verte Railroad Company has been filled with controversy and public scandal since the dawn of the Duquesne Railroad industry. Not only did it pioneer the industry, but it monopolized control over all of the Major Commuter and Cargo railways, with the exception to city and suburban subway lines. The company was founded by Donald Gerard, Brother to the Founding leader turned dictator, General Arthur Gerard. He made millions of dollars in nationwide illegal tax collections, with which he founded the Verte Railroad Company. Due to the unregulated free-market policies, The company was able to monopolize the rail industry, and laid thousands of miles of track all across the country. The company continued to embed itself in controversy during the Duquesne Civil War. The company indirectly aligned itself with the Populist rebels in public, but actively supported rebels in secret. The company transported rebels free of charge around the country, as well as donated funds and hauled weapons around the country. It came under major scrutiny once this was revealed 5 years after the Civil War ended, but quickly paid itself out of trouble. It began to receive government funding in the 1970s, and was purchased by the Bank of Duquesne in 1988. The Bank’s funding was able to renovate the entire railway system as well as purchase and research new trains and other equipment. As a result, the Bank rose to become the most powerful corporation in Duquesne, and now, as a result of its immense commercial power, is facing government intervention. The infrastructure of the company is throughout all of Duquesne. In Marquette, and its suburbs, subways and newer train equipment is used throughout the lines. Throughout most of Duquesne, however, most of the trains are still coal powered, and are centerpieces of society.

Air Travel

Airports

Marquette International Airport

The major airport in Duquesne is Marquette International Airport. It is located just outside Marquette, Duquesne’s capital, alongside the Marquette River, which feeds into lac transversale. It has six terminals, as it is Duquesne’s only international airport, and it is the most modern and high tech airport in the country. The air industry was founded in the late 1960s with the introduction of several airline companies, as well as deals made with other international companies selling space in the international terminals. There are many other regional airports within Duquesne, but none comparable to Marquette International Airport

Airlines

Name	Area of Service	Popularity
Duquesne Airlines	Nationwide and International Service	The Nation’s Luxury Airline with the most airplanes and overall flights in the country. It has a very high popularity and Customer ratings. It pioneered Duquesne’s air industry, as early investments on its part established it as the most powerful and well-known airline within the country.
Agrarian Airways	Nationwide Service	Agrarian Airways is made up of all propeller planes made for use in the farm valleys only. The business also has a sector for crop-dusting, however, which makes up about a quarter of their yearly revenue.
Budget Air	Service from the Southwest and West to Marquette and between	Budget Air is a popular airline for their reliable service, quality airplanes, and inexpensive price. The business is also a major player in the cargo industry, and is chartered by the Duquesne National Post Service.
Sahos Airlines	Service to the jungle valleys of the Sahos, and its northeastern territory	Sahos Airlines is a small airline, using old jets, and providing cheap regional service.
Southeastern Air	Service to the Southeast, but also the Northernmost provinces	One of the biggest Nation-wide presences in the industry. Big aircraft for passenger and cargo service.
Marquette Airlines	Service to the high populated provinces around Marquette	Marquette Airlines prides itself on its brand new, top-of-the-line aircraft and equipment. High customer ratings, and high price tags appeal to the wealthiest of Duquesne
Transversale Air Travel	Service to the high populated provinces around Marquette	Transversale Air Travel is a biplane company specializing in small aircraft and helicopters for tourism around Marquette and Lac Transversale, as well as advertising with sky banners along the beaches.

Duquesne Automotive Industry

The original Duque Car

The Duquesne Automotive Company

A Duquesne Automotive Company Pickup

The Duquesne Automotive industry became relevant in the 1950s, while still fighting off the fierce competition of the horse and buggy. Duquesne Automotive LLC was founded by the Bank of Marquette, which was the only company willing to risk an investment in an infant industry. They developed the “Duque” as the first automobile model in the company’s history. It became extremely popular in the city, which caused the company to file a patent both in manufacturing, and in the “4-wheeled civilian vehicle”. For decades, many potential companies attempted to take the ruling to court, which failed, resulting The Duquesne Automotive Company purchasing a large number of these companies. It maintains its monopoly today, and no company has challenged the patent ruling since 2003. Since then, the government has invested billions of dollars establishing a national highway system, which created jobs for thousands of Duquesians. Trucking companies carrying manufactured cargo, agricultural products, or coal and iron from the mines pack the highways, making the upkeep of highways essential to the Duquesne economy. Since its founding, The Duquesne Automotive Company has expanded into the pick-up truck market, mimicking several models from The Federation of Asteria. It has become wildly successful in Duquesne, and has been the most sold vehicle since 1987. The Company attempted to enter the luxury and sports car industry, but failed miserably, so the wealthiest Duquesians have resorted to importing foreign cars for decades.

Duquesne Trucking Industry

A Current-Day Velo Truck

Marquette Trucking Company

An original Velo Truck

The Marquette Trucking Company was founded in 1949 by the Goldman Mining Corporation. The Goldman Mining Corporation, which was founded in 1848, is the country’s largest, oldest, and most successful mining corporation. It owns mines in both the Hautes and Sahos mountain ranges, and for the first 125 years, relied on railroads only to transport their products throughout Duquesne, and to their factories and warehouses. However, seeing the rise in popularity of the Automobile, and seeing other countries’ continued use of “Tractor Trailers”, the company secretly sent a team of engineers to the Federation of Asteria to purchase an Asterian truck, and reverse engineer a new truck, taking blueprints and each part associated with the truck back to Duquesne, where they created the new truck, dubbed the “Velostar”, or the “Velo” for short. The Company built hundreds of these trucks, and immediately deployed them into service. The company now always had trucks on standby, and was able to transport its mined products much more efficiently. Today, the Marquette Trucking Company remains Duquesne’s only Tractor-Trailer vendor, and continues to serve the Goldman Mining Corporation, and other manufacturing organizations throughout Duquesne.

Culture

Dress

A wealthy Duquesne Couple

A female Duquense Farmer

Men and women wear clothing specific to their gender and profession. Cross dressing is extremely frowned upon, and in certain cases, is against the law in Duquesne.

Men

Traditional men’s dress is overalls with a straw hat, suitable for working long hours in the fields, or in the mines. Only the hat changes for formal events, switching to a cap. Affluent farmers or men in the cities wear business suits or other formal clothes. The way one dresses is a symbol of not only wealth or social status, but a symbol of your profession and professionalism.

Women

Traditional women wear a dress suitable for work, and for management of the household. Women in the cities wear a business suit, or dresses more opulent and better for city life. Women in the cities do not typically wear hats, but some women in the countryside wear straw hats, similar to those that men wear, but typically with a colorful ribbon wrapped around.

Literature

Most of the Duquesne population is literate, due to the high presence of schools, both Solarian Catholic, Private, and Vocational. Most of the books and pamphlets published in the Republic of Duquesne are either Religious, Political, or Historical books. One of the most famous historical books was written by President Jacques Dufour following the civil war, in which he wrote about his struggles and decisions during the civil war, and why the people of Duquesne must never fight each other in the capacity of civil war ever again. Reflections of a Conflict among Brothers remains the most sold book in Duquesne, only behind the Bible. In the past 20 years, bookstores have begun importing historical, political, and religious books and pamphlets from other neighboring countries, and even countries across the sea. Other types of literature, such as romance and other forms of extreme fiction, are highly frowned upon, and publishers are banned from publishing them.

Media

Television

Logo for the SRG

Duquesne has 3 major News Channels, the SRG, which is a government funded news organization, IDN, a pro-Isolationist, hardcore conservative news network, and the CDPN, the news source of the Christian Democratic Party. These Three National News sources each have local branches across certain provinces, and regions of smaller provinces. FS1 is the main sports telecasting channel, providing sports analysis, and individual sports coverage on each of its local broadcasters. The DEC, Duquesne Entertainment Company, and the HTV, History Television Network, control the most popular channels regarding “drama TV” and Historical Documentaries and Television Programs.

Radio

The SRG controls the only major national radio network, while local stations carry topics such as Music, News, Sports, and Politics.

Movies

The Duquesne Entertainment Company controls the majority of the films produced in Duquesne, and specializes in action films, and historical documentaries. Romance movies and other unethical dramas are against the law in Duquesne, for they violate the morals and principles of Solarian Catholic Doctrine, which is critical to the stability of Duquesne’s society. In recent years, films that correspond with the law have been imported from other countries, such as the Federation, and have caught major popularity in the country.

Music

Director Marques Benedicti of the Duquesne National Symphony Orchestra

The most common genres of music in Duquesne are Classical, Military Marches, Folk/Bluegrass, and Country. Each province has its own music stations that cater to the population, and in recent years, consumption of digital music has surpassed that of radio by almost 3 times as much. One of the most popular Orchestras in The Republic of Duquesne is the Duquesne National Symphony Orchestra, which is based in Marquette, but travels around the country and the world performing native songs, and international classics. In 1971, they also signed a multi-billion dollar contract to play soundtracks for movies produced by the Duquesne Entertainment Company, which gained the group even more popularity, and the funds to massively expand, and create music education programs throughout The Republic of Duquesne.