Chapter 7
"Good evening." The Commerce Minister Indorin arrived fashionably late, as usual. "A special guest will be joining us tonight. Hes running a bit behind, but Ive been assured he will be here momentarily. He just needed to freshen up a bit after his long trip."
"A guest?" asked the Foreign Minister. "Nobody is even supposed to know were together. Why are you bringing in an outsider?!"
"Dont worry," replied Andu, "hes someone we all know. And believe me, he shares our feelings about the Premier. In fact hes going to help us get rid of Tim. While were waiting, lets deal with our first order of business: I got Tim to approve the rail extensions through Egypt and to the Zulu city of Zunguin. I told him we needed them for improved trade."
"Excellent!" The Defense Minister was clearly pleased. "We've lost a lot of time so we will need to move quickly on these bastards once the action starts. Were short on engineering corps, so the more we do now, the better off well be."
The Chinese Governor concurred. "Ill be happy to get those Zulus out of my lands. Id rather it be the Mongols, but anything would be an improvement."
"Dont get too happy," said the Foreign Minister, "Ive got bad news. The Egyptians have completed designs for their missile systems. They've already started production."
"Dammit!" Viking pounded the table in disgust.
"They think theyre our equals now." Golem turned toward the Commerce Minister "I cant stand talking to them. How do you deal with them every day?"
"They give me the money we need to do our work," replied Andu. "You think I like it? Theyre insufferable and it has gotten worse the last few weeks. At least now I know why. Is that strategic shield thing ready?"
"I know its not done in China," said the Chinese Governor, "some of my biggest cities are still exposed."
"It's not bad," Viking said, "we have coverage of every city in France south of Bourgogne. Beijing is covered, and the rest of Eastern china will be covered within the year. That should cover every major city within the reach of the Egyptians missile systems."
"Hopefully that wont be too late," OldnSlow added. "What about the colonies on Ningpo Island?"
"I'm sorry but they have to go it alone for a while," the defense minister replied. "Those cities are not connected to your mainland, so they cant be used as a beachhead for a major invasion. They are small and poorly developed. These systems cost a ton of money and some sacrifices needed to be made. Those cities are expendable."
"Tell that to the citizens on that island!" Governor OldnSlow was clearly upset. "Ive got an election coming up!"
"Dont worry," Andu told him, putting a comforting hand on the shoulder of the governor, "youll be a war hero before the next election."
"Speaking of war heroes," the Foreign Minister chuckled, "I thought Kevpolean was coming this time. Has he been relegated to being our Guest now? "
"Oh bloody hell, I hope he's not your esteemed guest!" exclaimed the British Governor. "Last time he came through London he nearly destroyed the Governors mansion. He was already pissed when he got there, then said something about checking the Juniper Berry, Chinona and Lime crops. Next thing I know, hes in my lounge knocking back gin and tonics all night. Later that night he started raving about outstanding tobacco crops and almost lit the place on fire with a cigar. Hes a menace!
"Speaking of menaces," the Commerce Minister said, "I believe I hear our guest arriving now."
"You say this man can help us get rid of Tim?" Jayne asked.
"Don't ask me," Andu replied, "ask him yourself." The door swung open as a swarthy old man walked in.
"Ahoy, mateys!" he exclaimed.
Admiral Stegyre!!
1814 - Turn 4
New Stuff
Aqueduct: Marseilles, Brest, Bayonne
Market: Bordeaux, Strasbourg, Norwich
SDI: Paoting, Rouen, Beijing
Harbor: Leeds
Superhighways: Amiens
Barracks: Stegyre Town, Coventry
Factory: Peugeot, Canton
Bank: Cheese Valley
Sewer: Fayette
Pollution: Warwick, Bourgogne, Coventry, Canterbury, Tsingtao, Nanking, Rome, London
Freight: Zulu Gateway Coal, Toulouse Gems, Cherbourg Beads, Dijon Oil, Kaifeng Gold, Oxford Hides, Avignon Dye, Warwick Uranium, Pisae Beads, St. Emilion Hides, Chengdu Hides, Tsingtao Spice, Hastings Uranium, York Hides, London Hides
2 Spy, 3 Mechs, 7 Howies, 2 Transports
Discover Plastics, Start Recycling
Do Stuff
Pollution cleaned up in Warwick, Coventry, Canterbury, London, Nanking, bourgogne
Can't get to Tsingtao (unroaded hill), or Rome (Mongol Units) pollution this turn
ShanCanXinSDI Founded
Warwick Uranium to Gaulish Village (D-1552g)
Hastings Uranium to Peugeot (D-943)
Peugeot trade minimized
St. Emilion Hides to Hastings (nd-234) Hastings Uranium Supply restored
GV Trade minimized
St Emilion Hides to Warwick (nd-360g) Warwick Uranium Supply Restored
Pisae Beads to Carcasonne (D-448g) Hides available in Carcasonne
Tsingtao Spice to Cheese valley (D-1192)
Kaifeng Oil to Giza (D-903)
Mongols 75g gift
Egypt - words backed with Nuclear weapons, war with zulus? No. Demand Space flight? No. Gift? Don't press luck
Oxford Hides to Giza (nd-780)
Nottingham Oil to Giza (d-1043)
Cumae oil to Giza (d-1134g)
Egypt has shifted to war preparations - many cruise missles, nukes, spies and military units being produced now.
Many spies captured sabotaging units.
InterTurn
Egypt develops space flight
Egypt starts Apollo
Mongols have a bazillion tanks and other units in Roman lands. May want/need to nuke their nearest city once alliance broken to deal with that many units in one place.
Egypt signs peace treaty with Zulus
Chapter 8
"I'm telling you," said the Foreign Minister, "for as uncivilized as they are, these Mongols know they've got a good thing with our alliance. They refuse to give in. I nearly doubled the payment demands from them and they still paid. I think they're close to breaking it off, but they're not going to budge before the end of this year at least."
"Damn." The commerce minister did not like what he was hearing. "What about Egypt?"
"Egypt is even farther off," Golem replied, "and it's looking ugly there. Spy reports say they've started a space program. We need to pressure them fast."
The defense minister had heard enough. "I think the best thing to do is to take what's available now, so we can devote all of our energies to our alleged allies later. Maybe if they see we mean business, especially with Tim out of the picture, they'll break off the alliance sooner. What can we do with the Zulus?"
"Trust me. The Zulus are ready to burst," Admiral Stegyre spoke with the authority of someone who had lived on the border with the Zulus for the past 10 years. "They've had several divisions on the outskirts of Stegyre Town for a while now. They're just begging for a reason to declare war. If we hit them hard and fast, we can probably make a serious dent in their military capabilities."
"Ok then," Andu knew it was time for action. "We'll take out the Zulus first."
"Will I have some guns ready in time," asked Viking, "or do I have to ship them all the way from Egypt?"
"I've got all my barracks training men as fast as possible," Governor OldnSlow replied. "They'll be ready."
The British Governor added, "I'll even have a few units trained by then, if that helps at all."
"Even if we don't use them all right away," the Commerce Minister said, "we'll need all of them and more before too long. Viking, is that going to be enough for you?"
"Sure, if you guys can pull this off," said the Defense Minister, "I'll have enough to get started. I won't be able to take the whole country in one shot, but it should be enough to make a serious dent. Now how do you plan to deal with our old buddy Tim?"
Andu Indorin looked to the end of the table where the old man sat quietly. "That's where our friend the Admiral comes in."
Chapter 9
"Timmy boy!!!" The Admiral didn't recognize the Premier at first, but knew by the cadre of thugs in black suits and sunglasses around him, that this was the man. "Stegyre Town is quite a long trip from the hallowed halls of Gaulish Village! I'm so glad you could make it!"
"Admiral, I wouldn't miss this for the world!" said Tim L'Enchanter. "I heard so many stories about you from my father and grandfather. How could I pass up an opportunity to go out to sea with a living legend?"
Hook, line, and sinker. This one sure swallowed the bait, thought the admiral. "Come on aboard."
As the president boarded the small vessel, one of his bodyguards said "Sir, I still don't think..."
"It's OK!," interrupted the Premier, "I'll be with the most decorated sailor in the history of France. I think I'll be in good hands. I need some peace and quiet."
The boat pulled away from the dock and headed out through the harbor. Within a few minutes they reached the ocean and the Admiral opened the throttle. "Quite a boat you've got here!" Tim shouted over the roar of the engine and rush of the ocean breeze.
As if you'd know... you little punk, the Admiral thought. "She's my baby!"
"Where are we going today?" asked the Premier.
"I thought we'd head way up along the Zulu coast." The admiral waved his arm toward the North. "I hear the fish are really biting up there."
Later, Admiral Stegyre brought the boat to a halt and dropped anchor. "We're here."
"When I was a kid," said Tim excitedly, "I went out fishing with all my brothers, and my father, and everybody. And I was... I was the only one who caught a fish. Nobody else could catch one except me. You know how I did it? Every time I put the line in the water I said a Hail Mary...and every time I said a Hail Mary I caught a fish. You believe that? It's true -- that's the secret."*
The Admiral hardly even heard him while he prepared the equipment. "That's swell kid."
Suddenly Tim turned his head and looked off in the distance. "Did you hear that?"
"Hear what?" replied the Admiral, knowing damn well what he had heard. He looked at his watch to see that it was time for the offensive against the Zulus to start.
Damn, I'm late. Gotta hurry.
"It was a loud booming noise," replied Tim. "Hey, there's another."
"Uh...There was supposed to be a line of storms passing through to the East of here." Stegyre knew it was a horrible lie, but he went with it anyway. "Must be thunder."
"Thunder?" Tim laughed. "The sky's clear for as far as the eye can see. It almost sounds like..."
"Here's your rod, kid." Stegyre was eager to change the subject. "I've already let the line out to the right length. As soon as you feel a bite, start reeling, and call me."
The admiral reached into his tackle box as Tim watched his line disappear into the water behind the boat. The premier started mumbling, "Hail Mary, full of grace, the lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb..."
Tim stopped as a bright flash filled the eastern sky. Just then a gunshot rang out.
"...Jesus!" gasped Stegyre. Just as he pulled the trigger he saw the flash. He'd seen it once before at Rome, but it wasn't something he could ever get used to. For several minutes he just stared at the horizon as a mushroom shaped cloud rose to the sky in the direction of Umtata.
-----
Quietly, methodically, Admiral Stegyre tied weights to the limp body of Premier Tim L'Enchanter and pushed him over the boat railing. He watched the body quickly disappear into the murky darkness below.
He raised anchor, started the motor to his boat and headed out into the open sea.
*Apologies to Mario Puzo and Francis Ford Coppola for stealing their material.
1816 Turn 5
New Stuff
SDI: ShanCanXinSDI
Market: Marseilles, Fayette, Random Settled
Superhighways: Cremona, Dijon, Rouen
Airport: Amiens
Offshore Platform: Peugeot
Sewer: Tientsin
Stock Exchange: Cheese valley
Pollution: Avignon, Peugeot, Bourgogne, Coventry, Canterbury, Tsingtao, Hastings, Nanking
Freight: Zulu Gateway Copper, Ningpo Copper, Carcasonne Hides, Oxford Hides, Avignon Hides, Warwick Uranium, Pisae Silk, St. Emilion Hides, Hastings Uranium, York Hides, London Hides
Spies 8, Mechs 2, Howies 20, Aegis 1
Discover Recycling, Start Superconductor
Do Stuff
Pollution cleaned up in Nanking, Tsingtao (x2), coventry, Hastings, Canterbury, bourgogne, peugeot
Pollution could not be cleared in Avignon (engineers in position for next turn) and Rome (still covered by mongol horde)
RR completed to Buto (egypt) and Zunguin (Zulu) - road complete to Asyut (last mainland egypt city)
Standard Uranium Dance:
Maximize trade in Warwick
Warwick Uranium to Gaulish Village (d-1552g)
Hastings Uranium to Peugeot (D-971g)
Peugeot trade minimized by pulling all workers off land
Avignon dye to Hastings (nd-228g) Uranium supply restored
Put Peugeot workers back to normal
Gaulish Village trade minimized by pulling all workers off land
St. Emilion hides to Warwick (nd-360g) Uranium supply restored
Put GV workers back to normal
Talk to Egypt ask for gift - denied as expeted.
Mongols: Nuclear tests alarming, war with Zulus? No. (not yet), advanced flight? No. Gift? 125g Down to receptive.
Talk to Zulus. Nuclear tests alarming...etc. Insist they withdraw troops: WAR!
Capture 6 Zulu cities (Zunquin, Cremona, Umtata, Mpondo, Ngome, Amatikulu) Umtata was hit with a suitcase nuke because it had something like 15 defenders. It seemed the most expedient way to get rid of them all at once. (At least I started to clean up the pollution). Total plunder 2086g. Majority of partisan uprisings eliminated.
All cities were captured by a Partisan to prevent immediate diplomatic contact with Zulu forces (Thank you, DoM!!!). This allowed use of Emissary's ploy to avoid peace treaty after each city capture.
Zimbabwe, Ulundi, and Bapedi are all relatively lightly defended (3-4 defenders), should be ripe for picking next turn.
Redundant police stations sold in Ngome, Mpondo
More trade to pay for rushbuys...
Dijon Dye to Memphis (D-344g) Trade route allows Dijon elvis to be fired.
York hides to Giza (nd-440)
Oxford Hides to Giza (nd-780)
Coventry Wine to Hieraconpolis (D-890g)
London Hides to Giza (nd-740)
York Copper to Giza (D-907g)
Rushbuy stuff in almost every city. Because so many things were rushed last turn, most had to be done from an empty production box, but we have enough trade and plunder money to afford this. Another round of vet howitzers coming on line next turn.
Turn is almost completely played out, although several units (mostly engineers and spies) have not completed their turns yet.
!!!
I am playing my turns to begin with, but along with other RL intrusions, I've spent a week and a half trying to fight off a series of spyware/trojan attacks on my computers at home. I've cleaned off one machine so far (actually i've had to clean it twice), so I've got a few turns in the bag. Now I'm using Firefox instead of IE, so hopefully I won't be as likely to get slammed again. 
