The Imperial Bow

[aloft007]

Hello all,
New to the entire song and dance of the stories, although, I have browsed anonymously, especially Sisitul's masterpiece on the Civ IV Forums. I had been playing Civ V one night, when I had a stroke of inspiration, and decided to hammer one out, so without further ado, here is the beginning of my story: one of an Imperial Japan on the brink of war, and of a threatening military on the rise in the sunset. Thank you.

Specs:
Huge map
Archipelagos
Japan
Marathon speed

Japan circa 980

 

[aloft007]

It was beginning to turn nightfall rather fast, when the Captain Hiroshi Makumi decided to turn in for the night. He strode aboard the deck, passing by the saluting officers of the boat, and walked toward the trireme's staircase. Behind him, he heard the lapping of waves pressing against the wood of the ship, and the chattering of the crew members there.
Approaching the bottom of the stairs and the captains quarters, he discovered, through his sleep-filled eyes that a man was already there waiting for him. He saw the shadow first; the outline of black upon the wooden floor was easily distinguishable in the lantern's glow, and as he approached, Hiroshi felt words forming in his mouth. He stopped mid-sentence when he realized who it was, the expat.
Ensign John Lowes had been brought from the court of the English queen to serve aboard the Lion, as part of some diplomatic gesture brought forth by the Emperor himself. It was an attempt to foster relations with the Englishwoman, everyone knew it. At the last port of call, in Satsuma, an intoxicated man spoke of a grand conspiracy involving the Emperor being subservient to the English Queen and Turkish Sultan. His arguments were flawed in any case, but Makumi felt himself drawn to the man's drunken discourse. The Britons called nonsense "poppycock", and Hiroshi felt that way, initially. The Ottomans and English had no enemy except the barbarians, so what would they require the Emperor for? But, then why was John Lowes aboard his ship?
The man inside the captains quarters looked up as Makumi entered, giving a wry smile which served his face no pleasure. A book closed as he lifted his fingers from atop it. The captain dismissed this as part of his mission. "Good evening, Captain," Ensign Lowes said curtly, his eyes looking deep into Makumi. "I trust you are well?"
"Well enough," The Captain grumbled, taking a seat his desk's chair. He pressed a tightly wound fist against his eye, in an attempt to rub sleep out. Little crusts of dust fell out and landed on the floor, the Ensign did not notice. "Is there something you require?" Makumi asked.
"I had a question regarding the course of our mission." The Englishman cleared his throat and opened up the book he had been paging through in, before. "We are currently east of Satsuma, around here." He opened the book to reveal a map of the burgeoning Japanese Empire, circa 1020 BC. Satsuma had been a small colony back then, and some in Kyoto were talking of abandoning the pet project of the Emperors. The Englishman's thumb stabbed a point closer to the Banjin Continent then the civilized Island of Japan. "We are bound for Tokyo, and eventually Kyoto, eh?" He looked up at Makumi expectantly, but the captain gave an exasperated nod. "If Tokyo is our eventual destination, then why in God's name are we heading to the Turkish island?
Makumi looked up, and returned Lowes' wry smile. "Which God, Ensign? Mine, or yours? To answer your question, no, we are most definitely heading towards Tokyo, and not your "civilized" island. We have enough civilization in Japan, anyways."
The Englishman looked up, a look of shock upon his face. "You are lying straight at me, are you not, Captain? I will have you brought before your paltry Emperor, and he will have you executed. Your duty is to inform me of any naval movements you make, against Barbarian, Turk or English. This is your duty Captain."
Makumi shut his eyes. "I shall talk to you tomorrow morning Ensign Lowes. For now, remember you are aboard my ship. I could have you thrown off this rig anytime I would like to. This is my boat Ensign. You are dismissed. I shall see you tomorrow." The Englishman stormed off onto the boat proper. Makumi smiled, and strode off in the direction of his bed..
Outside, the waves lapped against the bow of the boat.

 

[JFM2796]

I like this. If you can post a few screenshots that would be nice.

 

[Homusubi]

Please, continue this and post screenshots! Japan is my favourite civ and also, with the possible exception of Britain, the only country whose history I know enough about so as not to embarrass myself in front of the average CivFanatic.

P.S. "Satsuma" was a province. The city is "Kagoshima". If they were sailing east from Kagoshima/Satsuma, then they would be heading for Tokyo, past Kyoto which is inland anyway, and away from the Banjin Continent which I assume is Europe.

Sorry for being pedantic, that's just me.

 

[aloft007]

Hello,
Haven't been back to CivFanatics since Friday. Anyway, thank you for all the kind words, and I shall include screenshots to clarify a few ideas. I'll post the latest update this Friday, and shall continue to do so, unless impeded. Thank you.

 

[aloft007]

The emperor's palace was not as grandiose as one would think. Rather, to the contrary, his house was a meager one, and could have doubled for a peasant's if not for it's prime location. Situated five miles outside the city of Kyoto, it was positioned upon a cliff overlooking the city proper. The morning of March 8th, the sun was beginning to rise across the sky, and a horse neighed outside the gates of the halls of the emperor. A lone rider, his cloak trailing behind him watched as the soldiers guarding the doors of the hall parted and allowed him to give way.
The man nodded his thanks, and dismounted the horse. He passed the reins onto a guards outstretched hand, and walked into the emperor's home. His feet echoed upon the wooden deck, and he turned and looked at the magnificent vista awaiting his view. He sighed to himself, and muttered "Japan." He strode inside.
The emperor's room was on the second floor, and even from the ground floor, the man could hear his snoring. Smiling to himself, he allowed the door to shut as he approached the staircase. The walls next to the set of stairs were painted bare, and as the man approached, he heard the guards shuffle awkwardly, unsure of the being approaching. They released the tension off their spears, as they noticed who it was. The man smiled. "Is he in there?"
One guard, a burly looking fellow nodded, and the man nodded back. He pressed upon the doors, and immediatly the weary-looking emperor stirred from the bed. He sat up, and only a tunic covered his body. He wiped his eyes groggily, and then squinted. The man noticed the woman sleeping soundly beside the emperor. The emperor was not married. Bemused, he waited in the doorway as the head of Japan approached him.
"Good morning emperor, how did you sleep?" The man asked, a wry smirk on his face as the man approached him.
"Well enough." He said, tiredly. He held his head suddenly. "Jesus Christ does my head hurt."
The man kept his smirk and bowed before the leader. "No sir, the English worship Christ."
The emperor looked irate at that comment, and walked out of the bedroom. "We are not going anywhere, are we?" He asked, holding his head.
His visitor shook his head. "No, I doubt the other ministers are even up, they are probably with their wives or...consorts." He looked behind the emperor at the sleeping woman.
"Yes, well...Do you have any news?" The head of state asked "Anything from England, Turkey or our navy?"
"Only from her majesty, Elizabeth. As you know, the time there is much different there from here, and she sent a letter via the RMS Victory regarding our investment in the Lion. As you know, she threatened war, should her man die aboard the ship."
"Yes, yes, get on with it." The emperor said. He raised his hand to dismiss the guards, and they fled upon the landing, feet scurrying. The soldier outside opened the door as well, and they filed suit.
"Well...The Captain Makumi dispatched a runner from his position outside Satsuma. The runner sent a message from here to Tokyo, which in turn made its way to Osaka, and then the Directory last night. My servant informed me of the dire news, and I raced back here as soon as possible." The Secretary of Foreign Relations shifted in his feet.
"Get on with it, man. What's the problem?" The emperor asked.
"Elizabeth's man was found drowned the night of March 8th. We believe that either Makumi or the crew are provoking war among the Japanese government, treason. This is a punishment which can only be rectified through death. Makumi must be reeled in and brought before a court in Kyoto. Here, he must be executed."
The emperor stood stone-faced for a minute, and then spoke in a quiet voice. "From here to Satsuma, I want a ship that will overtake Makumi's. I will put Secretary Akumi on it at once. Your mission is to travel to London, and you should be there within the month. You, and only you must assuage Queen Elizabeth, and ensure that if she does indeed find out about the murder, that she will have to go. Use any means at your disposal. With luck, her successor, Elizabeth II should be much more open-minded towards us. If all else fails, the military shall have to be mobilized, and if it comes to war then..."
"...Then we all will be worshiping Christ." The Secretary of Foreign Relations said with a smirk.