England Expects More from Every Man....
This is a sequel to England Expects that Every Man.... from last year. It is implicitly assumed that readers have read that one, although I think this one could be read on its own – you just need to know that events have progressed on a different path than OTL, and there will be both puzzles and spoilers if you read this one first. There is no scene-setting piece here at the beginning so as not to spoil England Expects for a new reader, but it will inevitably be exposed so I recommend you go read it first.
England Expects introduces some of the characters in this story and will make them rather more clear. As for what this story is, I have some ideas and I think it will be fun to roll them out. Posting will be slow – I have nothing 'in the can' to post and only a bare outline past the first few parts. That all means that the characters have to live it out before I can record it, and report it here. Patience will be a virtue.
There will be minimal research, but I will try to keep it real. This story starts a few months after a highly recognizable moment in WWI, and moves away when a few people think about how the world works – not how they have been trained to believe how it works – and then start putting pieces together.
All named characters are real, unless otherwise noted. (I will try to remember to mark those who carry over from England Expects – they have become real to me.) There are some other roles where my limited research has not turned up names for the OTL persons, and so I may be making up a few names. I will also be inventing names and even complete positions to fill in roles which may or may not have been there, but that I think need filling.
Finally, I can say that I am flattered by the nomination of England Expects for a Turtledove Award for 2019, and I thank those who nominated and who are voting for me. It was your kind words, and talk of nominations (Quoi? Turtledove Award? Qu’est-ce que c’est?) many months ago that caused me to think about moving on with this sequel. Thank you all. // VP
== == ==
CHAPTER 1 Part 1: England Expects More....
ONE
“Commander Torrance Smythe?* Captain Green can see you now, sir.”
“Thank you.”
Commander Louis Francis Torrance Smythe* stepped into Captain John Green's day cabin on HMS New Zealand. “Welcome Commander. Take a chair. I am happy to have the opportunity to thank you personally for all you did for us before the Battle of Jutland, to get us ready. And sometimes in spite of ourselves.”
“Thank you, sir.”
“And Admiral Pakenham has probably told you himself how much he came to appreciate the experience.”
“Yes, sir. He has, sir. He was most generous.”
“During the battle we even shared a word about the value of having had a tense time at your FACT sessions. It helped us be in a better frame of mind to deal with situations and give the huns a thumping. From what I have heard they got one of their battle cruisers home, severely damaged, and perhaps another. Do you have any more recent information on that?”
“Yes, sir. With a few months to work on it our intelligence services have a bit more to say. Their one surviving battlecruiser is in the dockyard for some months yet, if they have not actually concluded that it is not worth repairing. They had another which recent information suggests they got close to home before losing it. The confusion in information we were receiving is because they were apparently trying to beach the ship for later recovery, but it sank a few miles too soon – in deeper water.”
“Thank you. That's a bit more detailed than the latest information I have received here in Rosyth. We won't have to worry about their fast wing until their new ships are completed.
“Now I understand that you are here to ask after Lieutenant Walke?* What is it you would like to know? I presume you are sizing him up for a job.”
Torrance Smythe ("Smithy" in the Service) was a bit uneasy. “Well, sir, I don't know where to start, except that he is under consideration for a new assignment. All I can say at this time is that his facility to see patterns and make sense in the numbers when others see none – as Admiral Moore described to me over a year ago – is highly desirable.”
“Smithy, I don't know what to say about that part. I pulled out his file and it has splendid reports on him as an officer. And I can say that I have watched him and he is indeed a very fine young man. He rose from turret officer of 'X' at Dogger Bank to 'A' turret and then to Assistant Gunnery Officer. Some think him young for that, but he has been a great success as AGO, sufficiently that the GO considers himself almost redundant. Walke also qualified as a watch-keeping officer, and I have watched him learn ship-handling rapidly and well. The navigator reports that he is the best he has ever seen at celestial navigation.
“The one point of question is the Wardroom. He doesn't seem to.... He is not disliked, far from it, but he doesn't seem to get on particularly well with anyone either. Not that he has no friends, just that he gets on with everyone on a similar and very professional basis. And he is quietly, and I think he believes invisibly, dismissive of those who are not working as hard as he is to be as professional as they can be. I don't know what to say about that, not if your job involves working in a team. If he fits then he's your man, but if not, then it might be a very bad fit.”
“I see, sir. At least I think I do. He's competent as an officer in general, in both gunnery and seamanship, anything he turns his hand to. He is highly intelligent, but we are not certain how he works with others.”
“Not quite. I think we can say that he works well with others in some, even most, circumstances, but there is some doubt about how he fits in. Personable enough when he is around, but doesn't spend time socially and some other junior officers consider him quite snobbish. Some say he spends his time with other ranks and POs, and hold him in disdain for that. But I suspect that for his leisure he just works at the details of his assignment. There is some odd thing there that I can't quite identify.”
“Sir, he sounds like the kind of man we want, but he must be able to work hand-in-glove, hands-in-others-pockets even, with the team. Sir, this is an important job – I can tell you that I have been reassigned to it myself and others are being sought from across the RN. Is there anyone else I can speak with about Walke? The GO?”
“I talked with the GO and he has no more to add, is ashore at the moment in any event. We both think you should meet with the Gunner, Mr. MacDougall.* He seems to have mentored Walke to some large degree, and they are seen working on gunnery matters all over the ship.”
“Very good, sir. Where might I find him?”
“He was notified of your arrival and,” Green checked the chronometer on the wall, “I expect he arrived outside a few minutes ago. I'll leave you this cabin to meet with him, if that suits you?” Smithy's surprise at this foresight brought a smile from Captain Green, who offered his hand as he picked up his hat with his left. “Good luck in your new assignment.”
Smithy got past his surprise and stood. “Thank you, sir. This is most kind of you.”
“You are most welcome. There is a lot of capability in that young man, if you can find the right place to put it to work.” Green paused. “I'll send The Gunner in. See me before you leave the ship.”
“Yes, sir. Thank you, sir.”
== ==
*In England Expects we did not see the full name of (ficticious character) Commander Torrance Smythe (Smithy, from Smith-e). Lieutenant Walke is a ficticious character whom we met briefly. Mr. MacDougall is a ficticious character we also saw briefly in England Expects.
This is a sequel to England Expects that Every Man.... from last year. It is implicitly assumed that readers have read that one, although I think this one could be read on its own – you just need to know that events have progressed on a different path than OTL, and there will be both puzzles and spoilers if you read this one first. There is no scene-setting piece here at the beginning so as not to spoil England Expects for a new reader, but it will inevitably be exposed so I recommend you go read it first.
England Expects introduces some of the characters in this story and will make them rather more clear. As for what this story is, I have some ideas and I think it will be fun to roll them out. Posting will be slow – I have nothing 'in the can' to post and only a bare outline past the first few parts. That all means that the characters have to live it out before I can record it, and report it here. Patience will be a virtue.
There will be minimal research, but I will try to keep it real. This story starts a few months after a highly recognizable moment in WWI, and moves away when a few people think about how the world works – not how they have been trained to believe how it works – and then start putting pieces together.
All named characters are real, unless otherwise noted. (I will try to remember to mark those who carry over from England Expects – they have become real to me.) There are some other roles where my limited research has not turned up names for the OTL persons, and so I may be making up a few names. I will also be inventing names and even complete positions to fill in roles which may or may not have been there, but that I think need filling.
Finally, I can say that I am flattered by the nomination of England Expects for a Turtledove Award for 2019, and I thank those who nominated and who are voting for me. It was your kind words, and talk of nominations (Quoi? Turtledove Award? Qu’est-ce que c’est?) many months ago that caused me to think about moving on with this sequel. Thank you all. // VP
== == ==
CHAPTER 1 Part 1: England Expects More....
ONE
“Commander Torrance Smythe?* Captain Green can see you now, sir.”
“Thank you.”
Commander Louis Francis Torrance Smythe* stepped into Captain John Green's day cabin on HMS New Zealand. “Welcome Commander. Take a chair. I am happy to have the opportunity to thank you personally for all you did for us before the Battle of Jutland, to get us ready. And sometimes in spite of ourselves.”
“Thank you, sir.”
“And Admiral Pakenham has probably told you himself how much he came to appreciate the experience.”
“Yes, sir. He has, sir. He was most generous.”
“During the battle we even shared a word about the value of having had a tense time at your FACT sessions. It helped us be in a better frame of mind to deal with situations and give the huns a thumping. From what I have heard they got one of their battle cruisers home, severely damaged, and perhaps another. Do you have any more recent information on that?”
“Yes, sir. With a few months to work on it our intelligence services have a bit more to say. Their one surviving battlecruiser is in the dockyard for some months yet, if they have not actually concluded that it is not worth repairing. They had another which recent information suggests they got close to home before losing it. The confusion in information we were receiving is because they were apparently trying to beach the ship for later recovery, but it sank a few miles too soon – in deeper water.”
“Thank you. That's a bit more detailed than the latest information I have received here in Rosyth. We won't have to worry about their fast wing until their new ships are completed.
“Now I understand that you are here to ask after Lieutenant Walke?* What is it you would like to know? I presume you are sizing him up for a job.”
Torrance Smythe ("Smithy" in the Service) was a bit uneasy. “Well, sir, I don't know where to start, except that he is under consideration for a new assignment. All I can say at this time is that his facility to see patterns and make sense in the numbers when others see none – as Admiral Moore described to me over a year ago – is highly desirable.”
“Smithy, I don't know what to say about that part. I pulled out his file and it has splendid reports on him as an officer. And I can say that I have watched him and he is indeed a very fine young man. He rose from turret officer of 'X' at Dogger Bank to 'A' turret and then to Assistant Gunnery Officer. Some think him young for that, but he has been a great success as AGO, sufficiently that the GO considers himself almost redundant. Walke also qualified as a watch-keeping officer, and I have watched him learn ship-handling rapidly and well. The navigator reports that he is the best he has ever seen at celestial navigation.
“The one point of question is the Wardroom. He doesn't seem to.... He is not disliked, far from it, but he doesn't seem to get on particularly well with anyone either. Not that he has no friends, just that he gets on with everyone on a similar and very professional basis. And he is quietly, and I think he believes invisibly, dismissive of those who are not working as hard as he is to be as professional as they can be. I don't know what to say about that, not if your job involves working in a team. If he fits then he's your man, but if not, then it might be a very bad fit.”
“I see, sir. At least I think I do. He's competent as an officer in general, in both gunnery and seamanship, anything he turns his hand to. He is highly intelligent, but we are not certain how he works with others.”
“Not quite. I think we can say that he works well with others in some, even most, circumstances, but there is some doubt about how he fits in. Personable enough when he is around, but doesn't spend time socially and some other junior officers consider him quite snobbish. Some say he spends his time with other ranks and POs, and hold him in disdain for that. But I suspect that for his leisure he just works at the details of his assignment. There is some odd thing there that I can't quite identify.”
“Sir, he sounds like the kind of man we want, but he must be able to work hand-in-glove, hands-in-others-pockets even, with the team. Sir, this is an important job – I can tell you that I have been reassigned to it myself and others are being sought from across the RN. Is there anyone else I can speak with about Walke? The GO?”
“I talked with the GO and he has no more to add, is ashore at the moment in any event. We both think you should meet with the Gunner, Mr. MacDougall.* He seems to have mentored Walke to some large degree, and they are seen working on gunnery matters all over the ship.”
“Very good, sir. Where might I find him?”
“He was notified of your arrival and,” Green checked the chronometer on the wall, “I expect he arrived outside a few minutes ago. I'll leave you this cabin to meet with him, if that suits you?” Smithy's surprise at this foresight brought a smile from Captain Green, who offered his hand as he picked up his hat with his left. “Good luck in your new assignment.”
Smithy got past his surprise and stood. “Thank you, sir. This is most kind of you.”
“You are most welcome. There is a lot of capability in that young man, if you can find the right place to put it to work.” Green paused. “I'll send The Gunner in. See me before you leave the ship.”
“Yes, sir. Thank you, sir.”
== ==
*In England Expects we did not see the full name of (ficticious character) Commander Torrance Smythe (Smithy, from Smith-e). Lieutenant Walke is a ficticious character whom we met briefly. Mr. MacDougall is a ficticious character we also saw briefly in England Expects.
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