Playing the Game

[Prince Jason]

Finally, a moderate size update .

Liking it very much, and waiting for more (make it soon! )

Jason

[EQandCivfanatic]

Chapter 4: Politics

"...American men are dying daily! Thousands of our brave sailors lay at the bottom of the sea, while tens of thousands of soldiers die against Roman machine guns! We must stop this war!" Shouted Jefferson Davis, a Senator from the Atlanta province, also leading of the Anti-War Campaign in the Senate.

As Davis continued his ranting against the war, Abraham Lincoln looked on from a special section of the building he had built specially so he could watch the Senate during debating without being called on for his opinion on matters.

Jefferson Davis had just stepped down from the Speaker Platform, leading to applause and jeers. Fortunately more of the latter, thought Lincoln with a grin. Jefferson was heavily against the war and had a radical group of assoiciated mainly from the Atlanta and New York provinces where most resentment against the war took place, occasionally with riots or strikes. Most of the time his gang of Senators were satisfied with an increase of spending for luxuries, although Lincoln knew that Jefferson would settle for nothing less than the Presidency. Another thing that was keeping Jefferson's party small was rumors that he was a communist, which made many other Senators look down upon him or outright mock and ridicule him.

As Lincoln watched the following Senate debates and the passing of a new law to regulate working hours for coal miners, his aide entered the room and said, "Mr. President, the ambassadors of the other Allied nations have arrived. Your carridge is waiting for you outside." Nodding a dismissal, Lincoln turned and walked out the door.

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"The Romans are advancing in the colonies onto the Zulu city of Lutieta, here," said the ambassador from Korea, "They are also launching raids upon our colonies on the Central Isle between Zululand and the Colonial Coninent, here. We have beaten the Japaneese allies of Rome and have just recieved their terms of surrender."

"That was a damn quick war," said the Aztec ambassador. "Not surprising as the only resistence was some militia with spears and the occasional rifle," agreed the Zulu ambassador.

"This is interesting information, but all of minor importance compared to what our agents in Rome have discovered," said Lincoln grabbing attention to himself and preparing to make a point.

"As you all know, the recent American invention of the new Destroyer class steel ironclads has turned the tides at sea, sending literally hundreds of Roman Ironclads to the bottom of the sea. However, the Romans are near to discovering the technology for this as well," said Lincoln, gaining stunned looks from the gathered ambassadors. "If the Romans gain these new weapons, we are doomed, there is no way we could keep trade routes open if the Romans are sabotaging it all with a fleet of destroyers," said the Korean ambassador.

"That is exactly the point," replied Lincoln, "But we know the weakness in Rome. These new ships require a certian liquid called oil, as our Zulu friends know as they recently gained these technologies themselves. If we cut off the Roman oil sources, then we will never see anything worse than the becoming obsolete ironclads at sea, allowing us complete and total victory."

"But the Romans no doubt have a secure source on their continent like they have coal and iron, or at least multiple sources like their massive amounts of horses," protested the Korean. "Correct, they have two sources of oil, one on the island of Centralia, in the Roman city south of the American city they occupied at the start of the war, also they have another on a small ice covered island south of the Roman continent, which our spies tell us the Romans dont believe to be of any strategdic importance. Centralia is beseiged by the American and Zulu navies, so that source is eliminated, however the other island still remains."

"The island was taken from us after the start of the war," began the Carthaginian ambassador, "they used mainly obsolete regiments, even scraping up some old chariots.""Even then they badly defeated us," said the ambassador with a shamed look on his face, "I guess we shoul;d have put more than militia there."

"This means they will put up little resistence to our armies," said Lincoln, "Especially the particular American army of nearly 100,000 men we have sailing south as we speak."
"Gentlemen, we are about to strike a devasting blow to the Roman Empire, but not at Veii or Utica, but at some small ice covered rock with less than 200 people on it.

"Gentlemen, we are about to strike a devasting blow against the Roman Empire. Not in the colonies, not at Veii or Utica, but at some ice covered rock closer to the ice caps than Rome. After we take this island, nothing can prevent us from total victoy."

[ChrisiusMaximus]

A very good addition EQ and I'm really looking forward to some more.

[Paulypav]

Excellent stuff.

Access to vital strategic resources has always been a key component of warfare. World War II hinged largely on access to oil supplies. Germany and Russia fought over the Caucuses and Japan's lack of oil supplies led them to go after Indonesian supplies.

[EQandCivfanatic]

-Off the coast of the Roman colony-province, Brundism-

Admiral Shaka, now commander of the Allied war in the Western Isles strood across the deck of the American built ironclad which had been sold to Zululand with crew a month earlier and was now being used as Shaka's flagship. To his right was the peaceful blue-green ocean with little waves and very peaceful. To his left about 600 yards away was a raging battle between a horde of Aztec knights and Roman riflemen.

Continuous flashes came from the bunkers the Romans had erected causing streams of death amongst the charging Aztec forces. Occasionally artillery shells burst in the midst of the knights sending men and horses flying in all directions and causing other wounds and deaths as the knights' swords and armor went flying in all directions impaling nearby soldiers. Not having everythingin their favor, a Roman bunker blossomed into flame as an artillery shell from a Zulu ironclad hit the ammo storage.

The Romans were being hard pressed as some Aztec knights managed to comandeer a machine gun and turn heavy fire upon the Roman troops. Upon the Aztecs entering the line of bunkers the fighting became hand-to-hand and the Aztecs were slowly driving the Romans back into the walls of Brundism.

Watching this all take place, Shaka lowered his binoculars and turned to the nearby gunner by the only cannon out of 24 on the ship that was manned and ready to fire. "Fire the cannons, Mr. Azale," Shaka said. "Yessir," said the American, pulling the rope of the cannon, letting a burst of light and a shell screaming towards the city. Shaka paused to unwatch his plan unfold.

-Roman Colony Military Northern Headquaters, City Barracks, Brundism-

The Roman general looked over the latest reports from the battle as they came in. The Aztecs were being held at the walls by 2 machine guns in the towers near the Aztec beachhead. The bunker line of cavalry and infantry had been overrun by the Aztecs. Americans were nearby in force but had made no moves to assist the Aztec army. They had lost contact with the naval forces stationed near Brundism early on in the battle and scouts reported a large naval battle to the north. The constant shelling of Brundism by the Zulu navy accounted for who had won that battle.

WHOOMP. A shell brought dust upon the heads of the headquarters staff as yet another shell justg nearly missed them. Several of the staff did their best to hold a sigh of relief.

As suddenly as it began the barrage had stopped after the firing of a lone cannon. For a moment everything in the room went on pause as all listened for a shell or the barrage to start up once more. As they waited, none of them noticed a small green sphere roll into the room through the doorway.

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CRASH. The building in which the American marine through the grenade collapsed in on itself as the grenade exploded and the effect rebounded as flames struck nearby ammo boxes and rifles. Kicking open the all but destroyed door, the marine fire a long burst from his automatic rifle into the room to kill any survivors. Signally to his fellow marines the Americans moved forward through the city, removing the remaining Roman resistence.

-Central Brundism, 3 hours later-

Admiral Shaka strood through the marketplace of Brundism. The marketplace, and the rest of the city, had been all but destroyed by the combined effects of Zulu shells and the instreet fightign that had taken place when the Americans had entered the city from the rear. The only signs of life were from American and Aztecs scavanging for survivors and suvioneers from the rubble, turning to give Shaka the occasional salute.

An American marine had brought him telegrams from Zululand promoting him to General and suggesting a possible governorship after the war ended. Also a telegram from his wife said that all the talk in both America and Zululand was of Shaka and his great victory over the Romans. Shaka's future was bright.

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A battle had been won. The Allied populace were in celebration over the great victory. However it was only a movement of a pawn to allow the opening of a greater peice. The fighting in Brundism caused the destruction of the city, as a fient to allow for the main assault...

[TheGuitarist]

Sweeet!

Keep it up, man. This is awesome!

[ChrisiusMaximus]

Aye laddie its sweeet! like Guitar Man says