THE MIRACLE OF VERA CRUZ In one incident, a band of
prospectors finds themselves lost in the desert without food or water. As the last man
lies dying, an Aboriginal boy approaches. This boy understands Portuguese and assists
Jorges Vicente to his tribe, where he is nursed back to health. When he is better, the
elders take him aside and show him <a crystal which takes the natural form of a
cross>. Speaking a garbled Portuguese, they tell him about the mountain nearby where it
had been found, and how the cross is a sacred symbol of the fishermen
(Christians). When taken to the site, Jorges finds lumps of silver lying on the ground.
When Jorges returns with a contingent of excited fanatics and prospectors, they can find
no sign of the tribe, but they immediately build a makeshift church in which to house the
crystal.
<At the beginning of the eighteenth-century, the Portuguese empire suffers an
additional blow with Omani victories in the east coast of Africa.> Additional weight is
placed on the inviolable colony of Lusitania, the one as yet uncontested Portuguese claim
on the Indian Ocean. Settlement in Mistorak flourishes as trepang and pearls provide a
flourishing export commodity. Colonists develop a taste for turtle and crocodile. There
are occasional incursions by Dutch and Indonesian vessels, but these are forcefully
repelled. In general, a lawlessness prevails and slaves are imported from India as sexual
concubines.
KINGDOM COME
By the second half of the eighteenth-century, however, Lusitania undergoes a radical
change. Its impetus occurs in <1759, when Jesuits are expelled from Portugal and
Brazil.> There is sufficient distance from Lisbon for Lusitania to provide sanctuary
for exiled Jesuits, who re-establish their missions with much greater determination. They
immediately enforce a strict moral code in Mistorak. Aboriginal tribes welcome relief from
the belligerent style of settlement and provide a new generation of converts to Jesus.
Jesuit missions are established throughout the continent. In the north, the Jesuits run
lucrative cattle stations using Aboriginal labour. In 1782, the first Aboriginal priest is
ordained.
Meanwhile, prospectors have finally hit upon the rich goldfields of the south. Though
Jesuits follow new centres of activity, the delirium of gold fever proves difficult to
contain.
During this period, <the English Prime Minister Pitt decides to sent convicts to>
West Africa and <Brazil becomes a kingdom in its own right.>
The Jesuit office of Father General is granted executive powers in control of
Lusitania, which is now proclaimed a divine kingdom as prophesised under Prester John. A
religious inspired navy attacks Muslim ports in East Indies, attempting to win over the
Chinese diaspora in revolt against their hosts. This only inspires Islamic fundamentalism
in the area, and a Jihad is proclaimed on Lusitania. Supported by Lusitania, the Fretilin
resistance to Arabic culture continues throughout the modern era.
LEAGUE OF ROSES
The Portuguese empire now is scattered across the globe. <In 1886,
Rose-coloured empire is recognised by France and Germany.> A League
of Roses is established with its headquarters in Lisbon. This commonwealth embraces
Brazil, Lusitania, middle Africa, Colombo, East Timor and Macau. The motto is The
sun rises in the East. Endemic conflicts between the League of Roses and
their Islamic neighbours distract from competition from the other colonial powers. The
English convict settlement in West Africa founders on a disastrous drought, though it
manages to hold onto its colonies in North America.
The advent of revolutionary movements in Western Europe puts the mother country at odds
with its more conservative offspring. The League of Roses disintegrates on the
eve of the First World War. During the 1930s, the Jesuit rulers of Lusitania become
indistinguishable from military leaders. Medals from battles on the Banda Sea adorn their
black cassocks. Jesuits are drawn into the Second World War when the Japanese navy attacks
Macau. Though often outmanoeuvred by an agile Japanese navy, the Lusitanians win many
battles by brute force. The Japanese eventually invade the mainland, but their vehicles
run out of petrol deep in the interior and are brutally cut down by Jesuit cowboys.
COMING OF THE ESPINHO (THORN)
The Theo-Military dictatorship falters during the student riots of 1969. Among the
students is a Jesuit novitiate who claims to be descendent of the lost convict abandoned
by Mendonca. This Father Ricardo accuses the Jesuit establishment of self-interest. With
great conviction, he promotes an international platform for the defence against
imperialists around the world. The incumbent Father General is assassinated and guerilla
supporters of Ricardo storm the main offices to instate their leader.
Once in power, Father Ricardo establishes a Crown of Thorns composed mainly
of isolated small nations. Eventually even Portugal joins and is accorded ceremonial
status. As well as nations previously gathered as League of Roses, the
Espinho (Thorn) adds Greenland, Guinea, Taiwan, Okinawa, Hokkaido, Albania and
Ireland. During the growth of the Indonesian empire, Espinho provides diplomatic muscle to
protect rights of Catholics and Buddhists in south-east Asia.
Finally, in 2001, the aging Cardinal Ricardo is elected as the first Aboriginal Pope,
heralding a renewal of the Roman Catholic church in its mission to defend the poor and
helpless.
However, during the height of its religious patriotism, the Lusitanian economy
collapses and is forced to beg assistance from the IMF. |