Read Online Ark Royal 2: The Nelson Touch by Christopher Nuttal - Free Book Online
Authors: Christopher Nuttal
Tags: Science-Fiction
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there were other commanding officers for Ark Royal and her forthcoming sisters waiting in the wings. You’ll probably have quite a few other officers passing through your hands in the coming months, James. Try to make sure they know what they’re doing.”
He paused. “She is pretty and smart,” he added. “You could do worse.”
James glowered at him. “She's not a woman, damn it,” he snapped. “She’s my XO.”
“How true,” Winchester agreed. “But I was serious about urging you to consider marriage.”
“Oh,” James said.
His uncle switched subjects suddenly, in the manner that had always irked James’s mother whenever he came to tea. “I believe you have been told about your ... unexpected crewmember?”
“You mean the Prince,” James said, in no mood for games. He took a bite of his steak, then scowled at his uncle. “We were told today. I would have preferred more warning.”
“So would we,” Winchester said. “The whole affair is quite ill-timed, particularly with the legal issues over the succession.”
James sighed. In 2013, the succession laws had been rewritten to state that the firstborn child, male or female, would inherit the throne. But in 2030, during the troubles, the laws had been dismissed as the work of senseless liberals by the sitting Prime Minister and returned to the pre-2013 state, along with many others. James remembered history lessons where historians debated if the Prime Minister had been right or if he’d thrown out the baby along with the bathwater. It was hard to argue against the claim that England’s Queens, on the whole, had done better than England’s Kings. But reaction had been the order of the day back during the troubles. Even now, historians still had problems coming to terms with everything that had happened back then.
“Princess Elizabeth is the first girl to be born first since 2030, James,” Winchester said. “I believe there were quiet accusations of sex-selection at the time, although I don't think that anything was proved one way or the other. Now ... the question of succession has been reopened once again.”
He shook his head. “In many ways, Elizabeth would make a better Queen than Henry would make a King,” he added. “She’s more ... restrained than her younger brother.”
“And he’s signed himself up with the navy,” James muttered. “And no one knew who he was?”
“The Academy Commandant knew,” Winchester said. “I don’t believe anyone else knew who he was, not after his features had been altered. But it was still a major risk.”
James felt an odd quiver of respect. He’d never bothered to change his name; he'd entered the Academy and risen through the ranks as a known scion of the aristocracy. In some cases, it had helped; in others, his superiors had pushed him harder just to check that he’d actually earned his position through merit, rather than being promoted by someone trying to curry favour with the aristocracy. But the Prince had gone into the Academy as just another pilot trainee. Whatever he’d earned, he’d earned it fairly.
“He deserved it, I guess,” James said. Maybe he should have gone the same route. “But we cannot afford to keep him out of action.”
“I expect you to keep an eye on him too,” Winchester said. “And I will be expecting regular reports.”
James sighed, but nodded.
“I have a question,” he said. “How do you plan to keep this from the media?”
“We have issued Security Notices to the media, in the event of someone leaking the secret,” Winchester said. “There were some plans to have the Prince move publically through the Academy, but he flatly refused to cooperate. Now ... well, at least we will be able to tell everyone after the fact that the Prince did serve in combat. It isn't ideal, but it’s the only way he
He paused. “She is pretty and smart,” he added. “You could do worse.”
James glowered at him. “She's not a woman, damn it,” he snapped. “She’s my XO.”
“How true,” Winchester agreed. “But I was serious about urging you to consider marriage.”
“Oh,” James said.
His uncle switched subjects suddenly, in the manner that had always irked James’s mother whenever he came to tea. “I believe you have been told about your ... unexpected crewmember?”
“You mean the Prince,” James said, in no mood for games. He took a bite of his steak, then scowled at his uncle. “We were told today. I would have preferred more warning.”
“So would we,” Winchester said. “The whole affair is quite ill-timed, particularly with the legal issues over the succession.”
James sighed. In 2013, the succession laws had been rewritten to state that the firstborn child, male or female, would inherit the throne. But in 2030, during the troubles, the laws had been dismissed as the work of senseless liberals by the sitting Prime Minister and returned to the pre-2013 state, along with many others. James remembered history lessons where historians debated if the Prime Minister had been right or if he’d thrown out the baby along with the bathwater. It was hard to argue against the claim that England’s Queens, on the whole, had done better than England’s Kings. But reaction had been the order of the day back during the troubles. Even now, historians still had problems coming to terms with everything that had happened back then.
“Princess Elizabeth is the first girl to be born first since 2030, James,” Winchester said. “I believe there were quiet accusations of sex-selection at the time, although I don't think that anything was proved one way or the other. Now ... the question of succession has been reopened once again.”
He shook his head. “In many ways, Elizabeth would make a better Queen than Henry would make a King,” he added. “She’s more ... restrained than her younger brother.”
“And he’s signed himself up with the navy,” James muttered. “And no one knew who he was?”
“The Academy Commandant knew,” Winchester said. “I don’t believe anyone else knew who he was, not after his features had been altered. But it was still a major risk.”
James felt an odd quiver of respect. He’d never bothered to change his name; he'd entered the Academy and risen through the ranks as a known scion of the aristocracy. In some cases, it had helped; in others, his superiors had pushed him harder just to check that he’d actually earned his position through merit, rather than being promoted by someone trying to curry favour with the aristocracy. But the Prince had gone into the Academy as just another pilot trainee. Whatever he’d earned, he’d earned it fairly.
“He deserved it, I guess,” James said. Maybe he should have gone the same route. “But we cannot afford to keep him out of action.”
“I expect you to keep an eye on him too,” Winchester said. “And I will be expecting regular reports.”
James sighed, but nodded.
“I have a question,” he said. “How do you plan to keep this from the media?”
“We have issued Security Notices to the media, in the event of someone leaking the secret,” Winchester said. “There were some plans to have the Prince move publically through the Academy, but he flatly refused to cooperate. Now ... well, at least we will be able to tell everyone after the fact that the Prince did serve in combat. It isn't ideal, but it’s the only way he
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