Seventh Dispatch - [voice]/[action]

[captainhornblower]

[Horatio Hornblower's voice is very calm, very quiet. It sounds... not even curious. He is almost stating a fact, rather than asking a question.]

Lieutenant Bush's things are gone.

Why? What is the meaning of this?

[His housemates... will find him in his own room now, seated at his desk, the journal lying open in front of him-- if they dare disturb.]

Comments

[simplestgift]

[When Archie swallows, relishing the burn of the brandy as it goes down, he pauses for a moment of contemplation.]

There's a book, Horatio, in the Welcome Center. It's for anyone who arrives to look at. People write to friends who've gone home in it so that if they ever return, they'll know who's waiting for them.

[captainhornblower]

Perhaps we'll hunt it up, then.

[He takes another drink of brandy. His mind has gone to the best consolation he has, other than Archie's presence.]

A twenty-two. [Large enough to warrant a post-captain's command, unlike his poor eighteen-gun Hotspur...

God, if he wasn't homesick. Not for England. Not for Maria. For a ship at sea.

He laughs.] Hopefully books will be helpful enough. I'm no carpenter, that's certain.

[simplestgift]

And where will we find the lumber, I wonder? [Archie swirls his brandy a bit before taking another drink.]

[captainhornblower]

If we must, we can always haul from the forest.

[A long haul, yes, but if it was necessary to build a ship...]

[simplestgift]

Two days' haul, through the tunnel. Not to mention we've never built a ship before, Horatio. This could take years.

[The kitten's squeak is heard in front of the couch. Thoughtlessly, Archie leans forward, picks him up, and places him on the couch, where he promptly begins to purr and rub.]

[captainhornblower]

[Absently, Horatio reached over, his long fingers arching to stroke at the kitten's head, tucking under to rub at the throat... just generally doting on the small creature he had yet to be seen to really even touch at all.]

It could.

[simplestgift]

We could ask for help from the town. Tell them it would be best to have it in case of an attack by sea from the Third Party. We might find a crew that way, as well. An actual man of war.

[captainhornblower]

There's an idea. [Horatio nodded, scratching under the cat's chin absently.] And if we were done... There's a smithy here...

If we could get just one cannon. And somehow get powder and shot. It wouldn't be proper training, not with being able to do a full broadside, but we could at least train gun crews. Just so we could be ready.

[A proper fighting ship with a proper fighting crew.]

[simplestgift]

The Malnosso might give us guns if there is need for fighting. They did in the last battle.

[captainhornblower]

If we could get just one, though, before a need arose, we could at least teach them the motions and try to work on speed. It wouldn't be the same as when you've got ten guns loading and firing at once, but it also wouldn't be having to train them on the eve of battle.

[He knew he was getting ahead of himself. They had to build the thing before they thought about fighting with her. But it was a strangely pleasant thought-- having a sloop-of-war, having a crew, training a crew, being ready to put up a fight if there was ever a sea battle.

It was an ideal. A sort of dream. And right now, that was just what he needed.]

[simplestgift]

Don't put the cart before the horse, Horatio. We need a ship first.

[captainhornblower]

Hopefully this place's library will have books on constructing ships of war.

[He almost laughs... half out of worry that they won't.]

[simplestgift]

Surely they will have one. You've seen the size, haven't you? Though we might want to begin with something smaller. A small boat, perhaps, till we know what we're doing.

[captainhornblower]

That might do us good.

And models. Practice on scale-models, too, perhaps.

[simplestgift]

[Archie starts rummaging around for paper and pencil now. He finds a scrap of paper and starts doodling.]

Twenty-two guns, yes? Three masts, I suppose, and with enough sail to cover England. [Sketching out a sail plan now.] Of course, the more sail we have, the more crew we'll need.

[captainhornblower]

[And Horatio will just be watching Archie sketch over his shoulder.]

Crew we can find, I'm sure.

[Then the thought strikes him, and he looks at the sketch.]

Do we want her like a frigate? Or a sloop?

[A small frigate-style ship was more suited to a post-captain, and what a twenty-two gun ship would usually warrant, he knew, but his lovely Hotspur was still burned into his mind. Its fight against the Liore...]

[simplestgift]

We won't be able to build anything terribly strong, so we must aim for fast. [He's sketching some more, rigging it more like a sloop, albeit a large one, and adding stern and bow chasers.] Remember the Droits de l'Homme. How to take on a much larger ship.

[captainhornblower]

[Horatio has to smile.]

If she can't hit you, you don't have to worry about damage.

[simplestgift]

Precisely! [He adds length to the masts and now each has three sails. Then a jib, and a forestaysail on the bowsprit.] Of course, we can't go into every battle hoping for a storm.

[captainhornblower]

No, certainly not. [He's still smiling.] But it doesn't take a storm to out-manoeuvre a larger ship. Pull them into a chase, feign going in one direction to force them to follow, then change your movement. If their ship can't keep up...

[simplestgift]

That's to escape, not to fight, Horatio. [He pauses, tapping the pencil against the paper thoughtfully, trying to think what else needs to be added or changed.]

[captainhornblower]

You'd be surprised.

[Horatio chuckled faintly and flashed Archie a smile. One that usually preceded a brush with near-disaster.

His eyes focused on the paper, and he cocked his head, admiring the sketch.

A fine ship, certainly, once she was built. And with the man who should have always been his lieutenant. He couldn't ask for much more, not here.]