captainhornblower | First Dispatch

[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

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Far too long. [With another sip, he raises the glass again.] To the health of the Malnosso: may it suffer forever.

[He takes another sip, chuckling under his breath.

They can't do too much damage, splitting a single bottle of brandy between them... And he can admit, they'll probably end up drinking the whole thing.

He refrains from another toast right away, instead taking a few more bites of stew and smiling over at Archie.]

I expect you to tell me everything you've gotten up to here.

[If he didn't sleep tonight? He didn't sleep tonight.

...Honestly, he was a bit wary about the idea of sleep. What if he woke up back in Portsmouth? Or even in his cabin of the Hotspur? It would be too painful to discover this was only a dream.]

I shall expect the same from you. You'd better be prepared to recall every detail of the last three years.

[For a moment, Horatio considers protesting, but he has no right to ask Archie to tell him about his time here if he will not talk about home.

He hesitates, but then nods, a smile reappearing.]

We'd have done well to have gotten more to drink.

[Not that he's prone to drinking much, but...

A lot of alcohol would certainly make it easier to tell Archie about Maria.]

[In response, Kennedy pours more brandy into Horatio's cup.] Very well. We'll take turns, then, and I'll go first.

[He leans back with his glass of cognac and thinks for a bit, swirling the liquor in the snifter and holding it near his face to capture a bit of the aroma.] Shortly after I arrived here, I drank enough to fell a small ox and proposed marriage to Dawn without even knowing what she looked like.

She planning to hold you to that? [He's teasing, and his smile says that clearly.

Still, it makes him feel a bit better. About his marriage and his conversation with Dawn. Especially the latter-- if she could be get past that, she could forgive him some shortness.]

When the Peace came, my promotion to commander was disallowed... And I had to pay back the three months' salary I drew on the post.

[He actually chuckled then, taking a sip of the brandy.]

I made my living playing whist.

You would. [Though his heart breaks when Horatio mentions having to pay back his wages. It's good not to have money in a place where people are generally fine with only taking what they need. He takes a drink.] When the Malnosso pressed us to fight against the Third Party--surely you read something about them--I wound up reacting badly to the shifts in the area and falling asleep unpredictably. Fell of a horse, in fact. I fear I badly represented an officer of His Majesty's navy until the effects wore off. [Another drink, and the liquor burns down his throat before settling with a sweet aftertaste.]

First Dispatch - [written]

[action]

[action]

[action]

[action]

[action]

[action]

[action]