Previous – Book1 Page140 – Next
How she wishes that her mum and dad could have been here to see this. She cries a little. The ElderWolf holds her gently and consoles her, as AuntSylvie quickly makes her way onto the stage to comfort her.
The bathtub regatta has been a military tradition for as long as anybody can remember. The merchant navy does it too, but the flotation ceremonies for the new, big warships attract more attention and attract more bathtubs!
AuntSylvie stays with Hayley whilst a number of people seek to congratulate her on her professional conduct. Though right now she’s feeling quite emotional. Her father was a doctor, Commander Wilde, a member of the Garrison. However, as the ship’s surgeon on The Regal Shield he was not a combatant.
When The Regal Shield was lost at sea two years ago, none of the crew survived.
Although The Vorpal Sword can be launched today, there can be no replacement for Commander Wilde. AuntSylvie spirits Hayley away. When the need arises the Noble Coliseum can be a welcome place of sanctuary.
—o—
“You know, there was a time when all you needed was to be a strong man, on a strong horse, and have a strong sword,” says HayWire, “you know what happened to them?”
MaxChaos listens intently.
“Somebody invented gunpowder! And then cannons. It didn’t matter how strong you were. Or your sword, or your horse! You were no match for cannon balls. What we need now is another paradigm shift. Something as significant as gunpowder.”
“What I need now,” says MaxChaos, “is something like a long bow, but smaller, and well suited to use on a ship when I’m fighting pirates!”
“That’s easy,” says HayWire, “Genghis Khan solved that problem! What I’m interested in is building something so
Previous – Book1 Page140 – Next