captainhornblower | First Dispatch

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First Dispatch - [written]

[The penmanship is formal, letters close together but not connected. Each letter is made of strokes, an almost calligraphy style-- which translates into broken letters with a modern pen.]

Thursday, 10th January, 1805

[A hastily scrawled question mark appears above the date a moment later.]

My precise location is unknown. [A long pause before more words are written.] My general location is unknown. My ship and men are missing. ~~God help me, what has happened?~~

[Notes appear in the margins, wind direction and estimations of its speed. The word 'drift?' and the beginnings of a mathematical formula are etched into a margin.]

I do not know how I came to be where I am. [Another margin note: 'wings???'] I cannot expect this to even be found, but I will record my observations. It is all I can do, and I must do something.

Currently on board vessel. [Another note in the margins:
'unoccupied
single mast
no flags
enemy?
ally?
neutral party?
abandoned?']

~~May the Lord have mercy on me.~~

[The signature is larger, even more carefully penned.]

Hornblower

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[Someday he'll be able to process all this.

Right now, he's focusing on something he can process.]

...Food sounds wonderful.

Excellent. You're hungry. I made a big pot of stew last night I can heat up for us.

[And they're off again, headed for the bridge.]

Stew. Oh God, stew sounds wonderful.

[He smiled, walking with Archie.]

...Simple, right? Nothing... spiced and fancy and... so on?

...Horatio, I died and reappeared in another world. I haven't turned into someone's steward. I'm still a bachelor living alone, and though I have been learning to cook, I'm certainly not ready for fancy.

Good.

That sounds perfect.

[They clamber across the bridge by house 35.] Be careful coming across here alone--Captain Jack is likely to waylay you over whatever you happen to have that he fancies. In my case, it was a muffin I'd picked up from the bakery. He's as petty a man as they make, but he won't hurt you.

That would be the pirate, I assume?

A marauding captain, Horatio. However did you guess?

I'll keep an eye out for him, then.

Oh, don't look like that, Horatio. He'd like to think he's wicked and terrifying, and I won't say he's a joke, but as canny as he is, he's not likely to harm anyone. The worst he'll do is break into the bakery and steal food that's free anyway.

[They're past the bridge at this point, and Archie points to a tall building ahead.] That's where we live. To be honest, I chose it because it was the first flat I came to that was empty.

[He will not say what he thinks of this pirate on sheer principle. He will not.

Instead, he stares a bit at the building then smiles.] Certainly impressive.

[A beat.]

...I know there's no rent... But... Is there a landlady? Or landlord?

No. Any damage done is repaired by the next day, somehow. [His face is split with another grin at how easy their conversation is again.] It'll be good. You'll see. Two brother bachelors the way it was, only this time with no fools ordering us about.

[He's referring to Buckland, not Sawyer.]

I am quite thankful to Pellew that I was able to wash my hands of that man. [He flashed Archie a smile. Despite what had happened, this much came easily.] Poor Mr. Bush had to serve with him again.

[...Granted, Pellew was probably concerned that if he put them on the same ship again, one or both would not return alive...]

Did he? The poor fellow, did he survive?

[...Archie is going to feel really bad if he didn't.]

Edited 2011-05-07 02:37 (UTC)

...Mr. Bush? Or Mr. Buckland? [It comes out easily, before he can stop himself.] The latter would certainly have been no great loss. [He catches himself, clears his throat, and looks properly ashamed of himself.]

But no, Mr. Bush was quite well. We met again in Portsmouth some time later.

Oh, good. I thought there was hope for the man. How was he, last you saw?

He was... well.

[A pause.]

He was with me on the Hotspur. And had orders to remain with it and its new commander.

[Horatio hasn't spoken of the Hotspur before, so he assumes this was a ship Horatio commanded.] He was your lieutenant?

[Archie has no poker face. He's clearly a tad saddened--not at the prospect of Bush being Horatio's lieutenant, but of the reminder that he never would be.]

[Horatio gripped Archie's shoulder a bit tighter, just to assure himself that the man was actually there.

He should never have had to serve on a ship without Archie Kennedy.]

He was.

[He didn't loosen his hold on Archie's shoulder.

It should have been you.]

[A flash of very, very intense emotion crosses Archie's face before he evens it out.]

He's a good man. I'm glad.

[But since it couldn't be, Bush was a good choice.]

[He just tightens his hold around Archie, nodding slightly.]

He is.

We lost touch. For about a year.

[...And he's just realized some of the politics Archie won't have known.]

There was a year of peace with France. England decommissioned a large amount of the Fleet.

I know.

...You do?

They have history books here, Horatio. To most of the people here who are from Earth, we are history, you know. Dawn is from the year two thousand and five, and American, no less.

Two thousand... [That will take a few moments to process.] My God.

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