Jack of Harts

The Juneau Panhandle was home to Alaska’s largest cities and warmest climate when the Second Great Depression began, and the capital city was a favored stop on Alaskan ocean tours. Most of the settlements all over the small islands filling the area had no road access to the rest of the continent despite decades of promises. The Second Great Depression dried up the tourism industry and left the government without access to the outside resources they needed to survive. The government fell into complete and utter chaos and effectively ceased to exist.

The Kingdom of Hawaii sailed into the new world after the Second Great Depression ended with a confidence few others matched. They built new islands, founded new colonies in space, and ultimately colonized the stars. They finally named themselves the Star Kingdom of Hawaii and have made a reputation for themselves in the centuries that have followed. Hawaiian merchant ships follow the trade lanes throughout Western Alliance space, and while their navy is small, it is capable. Hawaiian sailors are born to leave the land and are some of the best to make their way in the black. They are taught as children that the ocean can kill them at any time. They learn that there are very few old, bold sailors when they are young, and they take that bone deep knowledge into space with them. They learn to be cautious and observant, and that is often the difference between life and death in the unforgiving vastness of space. Hawaiian shipmasters are in high demand throughout the Alliance, and the best of them can demand salaries only the richest of families can match. I grew up with an Hawaiian shipmaster in charge of my personal spacecraft, and she never failed to live up to every bit of their reputation.

One of the more interesting events to happen in Hawaii during the Second Great Depression was the arrival of the last free fleet to escape Fallen Asia. The new Empress of Japan had been evacuated during the Fall of Japan and her ragtag fleet, composed of ships from most of the Asian nations now under Chinese control, stopped off in Hawaii on their way to the Los Angeles. They performed repairs and refueling, and many came ashore to visit the island paradise. The Hawaiians were ready and willing to give the survivors a few days to relax, and both Governor Mahana and Admiral Nakamura presented themselves when the Empress stepped off her transport to “get leid in Hawaii” as the old saying goes. They walked the beaches with her and her retinue, and spoke for many hours as the refugee fleet streamed into the harbor. What exactly they said has never been made public, even after all these years, but I have seen the transcripts. The public synopsis is accurate. The Empress truly did tell them that the time for her people to stand alone was gone. That they all had to stand together in the face of Chinese expansionism, and that anyone who attempted to stand on their own would fall in time. And yes. Governor Mahana and Admiral Nakamura were in full agreement with the Empress.