Subject: That's what THEY want you to think.
Author:
Posted on: 2016-02-11 17:45:00 UTC
I mean, we all know the French government just won't admit it's been stolen, right?
(Just kidding. The Charles de Gaulle never existed in the first place. I mean, a nuclear-powered boat? Come on.)
This was something that was originally begun as a present for another boarder and written in short bits and pieces through email until I resigned myself to the realization that it was going to be way too long for that.
I hope everyone else is also able to enjoy it.
All I ask is that anyone trying to be clever and guess the ship itself not do so, considering that a) operational security is a thing and b) I like my privacy, thanks.
Without much further ado, I present:
Stormbreak
It's also very familiar. I mean, I wasn't in the navy, but it's very familiar nonetheless. It's got this army-ness going on in it.
Good job!
...having to do with 'military' instead, given that's the common link between both army and navy. ;)
Thanks!
-July
I think the reason I use 'army' and 'military' interchangeably is that is how it works in Hebrew, owing to the IDF's weird command structure; unless otherwise noted, צבא (military) usually means the green army, ie ground forces and other associated corps (intelligence, C4I, artillery, etc etc). The Air Force (חיל האוויר, Air Corps) and Navy (חיל הים, Sea Corps) have differently-coloured uniform (beige for enlisted in both, white for navy officers and blue for air force officers), and are therefore called blue corps and white corps respectively.
This is super-cool and clever! I love all the subtle little hints about the seaman! (Do they . . . is there really no seawoman or seaperson? Really?)
And the description of the ship, and the people, and the whole man overboard process . . . I'm pretty sure you need to become the new Tom Clancy! Like, start writing naval novels. Right now.
—doctorlit is much too amused by his creation of the term "naval novel" just now
Glad you enjoyed it! And yes, well, subtle is most definitely a word. Definitely. Yep. (As confirmed, it is indeed gender neutral. We have rates that are similar, such as yeoman and legalman, and I can't forget the other undesignated options in airman and fireman, of course.)
While naval novels are indeed a thing, I do not think I have it in me to be the next Tom Clancy, though I am really happy you enjoyed it that much to warrant a comparison.
-July
But a more modern Patrick O'Brien? I could see that happening. =]
But that only makes it better. Couldn't help but giggling when the question about Pokemon was brought up.
And hS, this is clearly the aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle. Why would the Americans would highjack a scrapped English aircraft carrier when there is a French one which can use their aircrafts to take?
As for Pokemon, deck seamen especially seem to be obsessed with it, and on my ship we have Pokemon tournaments on the messdecks.
The real person the big guy in there's based on is actually the whole department's pokemon champion. A true master.
As for the Charles de Gaulle, it might be a bit difficult to take, considering they're currently sailing around.
I mean, we all know the French government just won't admit it's been stolen, right?
(Just kidding. The Charles de Gaulle never existed in the first place. I mean, a nuclear-powered boat? Come on.)
It also means that US fed us lies for years, for obviously Nimitz class and its successor the Ford class cannot exist either.
I never considered the possibility that my Pokemon exposure would be beaten by people in the Navy, of all things.
I always figured that it'd be, I don't know, poker, or something.
That soldiers are people and were civvies before they were soldiers. It's even more prevalent here in Israel since basically everybody goes to be a soldier when they finish school. Except that, AFAIK, Pokemon isn't that popular here.
Everyone knows that working "people" aren't really people. That's why teachers get folded away in the stationary cupboard after work, call centres are made up of avatars of their company who you should abuse as you wish, women on television exist literally and solely to be sexualised, and - of course - soldiers are just murderbots with whatever's more hair-trigger than hair-triggers.
(As for industrial chemists? We're basically evil schemers plotting our next release of horrifyingly toxic gas. We maintain the whole 'making water treatment chemicals so you don't die of diptheric typhoid dystentry' charade just so's you don't get suspicious.)
hS
Robbers make it plain they're not real people. (Two cofeeepots for the one who will understand this.)
The implication of the joke isn't funny.
I think my favourite part is... pretty much from when we first jump away from the seaman's POV to the lookout. I kind of like everything after that - the rescue, the plan, and then the finale.
(Also the ship is clearly the old HMS Ark Royal, which was not scrapped in 2013 as Britain thinks, but stolen by the US navy and now equipped with alien stealth tech and used to spy on your allies. Oh yes, we're onto you!)
hS
And it turns out that the Royal Navy has 'Invincible-Class' ships. They are, also, light aircraft carriers.
If the light ones are invincible, I'd love to see the heavy ones.
Also, it's impressive how immediately likeable the rescue-boat people are.
Interesting, that, how differing speech-patterns and references to hobbies can give humanity to a character so quickly.
And that that part worked out for you; I did have concerns about the POV shift, but it was really the only way to continue the story and continue to show things.
(And ew, why would we steal your old smelly ships when we have plenty of our own smelly ships?)
-July, who has it on reliable word that the male deck and engineering berthing smells horrid