I wake to the sound of a radio playing in another room. Who did that song? Three Dog Night? I sit on the side of my bed, wiping the sleep from my eyes, wondering why that song would wake me up. One is the loneliest number is my life. How many years has it been without someone good in my life. Too long. I'm so lonely, I even asked Cosmichail liked candy, for goodness sakes.
The pain is driving me crazy. How lonely can a man feel? I hate those happy couples I see, holding hands. They don't know what loneliness is. I hear voices. They tell me to hate them. I hate them all. I'm glad I decided to make them feel my pain. I can't take it anymore. I'll fix them. Yes, they'll know what loneliness feels like. I'll teach them.
So I throw on a clean tunic, pause for a moment in the toilet, and walk across the courtyard to my command center. It's time to make more detailed plans to implement my decision. Details like who will be the first couple to learn about loneliness?
Alexander and Wang Kon are very happy together, although they hardly seem compatible. Alex's capital city shares a border with my empire. Yes, he'll do fine. Wang Kon will know my pain. He'll be one and alone.
Inherited turn (865 BC): Our next important step is to establish another city. A site south of Cumae looks very promising. We will complete the training of a settler in our capitol next turn. We'll need an escort and garrison for him but I'm not sure where that will come from just yet. Our forces are quite tied up with a barbarian axeman just north of Rome. We'll have to resolve that difficulty before hoping to get our settler safe on his journey. Time will tell.
IBT: Whoa! Asoka did us a huge favor. His warrior killed the barbarian Axeman. The road is clear for our settler. At least the early portion of the road. And there really isn't a road there, I just used that phrase ... er ... you know.
Turn 1 (850 BC): We finished researching Iron WOrking and started on Iron Working ... PRAETORIANS! That's what our plan requires. Praetorians and Chariots will teach Wang about loneliness!
Note to self: Pray for Iron. (do we know how to pray yet?)
Our settler is completely trained now. Work begins on a Chariot(3). He'll try to catch up with the settler and garrison the new city for now.
IBT: Look what the cat dragged in:
I'd like to wipe that haughty sneer off her face. Or maybe we'll just kill her partner, Hannibal. Then he'd let her down. That's the ticket. The voices agree.
Turn 2 (835 BC): Antium trains a Worker and I direct the builders there to start work on a Library. We have excellent plans for libraries that permit us to build them cheaply. Now that our people can write, let's construct buildings filled with books! The worker moves directly to the gold deposits on the Greek border in order to dig a mine.
IBT: The cat has returned:
A silly smile that will eventually turn to sorrow like mine.
Turn 3 (820 BC): Rome trains a Chariot and starts another(2).
. . .
Turn 6 (790 BC): Rome trains a Chariot and starts on a Trireme(9). We'll not be needing galleys until after we finish off Alex. But Triremes can help preserve seafood from pillaging.
Turn 7 (775 BC): Ooops, I've let Rome grow unhappy. I whip the Trireme there, but it'll be 24 turns before the citizens forget about it. So I shut off population growth and add 2 more hammers to production.
I have moved our fogbusting warrior to a more northern hill. He takes up fortification there where he can see to the northern coast. Our settler has almost reached his destination and there are no Greek settlers in site. This might work after all.
Turn 8 (760 BC): Rome trained the Trireme and began work on a Library(5).
Turn 9 (745 BC): Our Settler arrives at the new city site selected by our planners, but he reports back that there is perhaps a better site just a little further:
(This is embarrassing -- I just noticed the score table shows the couples. I've been jumping back to Post #1 to look them up)
I tend to agree. It will avoid any overlap with Cumae and it may have access to an additional sea resource hidden in the fog. The downside is that the new city will not have a hill defensive bonus. Another tough decision to be made all on my own. So I consult with my consorts for several hours. They cannot ease my pain, but help me decide to direct the settler onward to found Neapolis on the plains tile:
YES! We got whale! Uhh ... is that good?
Meanwhile, I direct one of our workers at Rome to begin a road to our western cities.
IBT: Hatty is led into my command center:
His Holiness? Are you here just to rub it in, lady? Oh, I'll show you lonely. You'll learn very soon. I ask that she be escorted out of the building.
. . .
Turn 12 (715 BC): One of our chariots kills a barbarian warrior west of Rome, earning a Combat I promotion. He'll move on to Cumae to heal and bolster the defenses there.
. . .
Turn 14 (685 BC): Rome constructs their Library, begins work on a Granary(9) to aid the future whippings. I start population growth again there; it has one extra happiness now. Cumae constructs a Monument, starts work on a Barracks(17).
Turn 15 (670 BC): It was a good day at the office. We built some military and some infrastructure. Our scientists will discover Iron Working in two more turns. I think we need to learn Archery soon -- our cities are not defended. I marked some potential city sites on our northern coast. That gives us 3 excellent city sites and our economy is still in good shape. Perhaps more settlers?
It's late. Too late for any more decisions. It's time for me to try to sleep again. I remember to turn off the radio on my way to my bedchambers as I summon my consorts.
Here's
The Save. Have fun.
it for 2pop. Iron Working really comes in this time, and we have some near Frank's Town:
I think get a 1/2-dozen Praets and start whuppin' ass.
ALEX !
