For Forty Weeks the Sunbird Flew: An Airman's Tale

Chapter 5: The Carronade Pass

A few days had passed after their night watching Terwall pass behind them, and Archer had only just finished riding out the wave of exhilaration at knowing he wasn't in Albion any more. It wasn't that he didn't like his homeland, far from it, but he'd never really been anywhere new before. It brought a fresh wave of exhilaration that, as mentioned, had only just started ebbing away.

Unfortunately his newfound excitement did not seem to be shared by his mentor, who had withdrawn into himself somewhat over the course of this last week. His easy smile was replaced by one as false as any the assistant had seen, and his demeanour remained tense at all hours of the day. It didn't matter if he was stuck under a boiler or playing cards in the mess, he was tense as rigging pulled taut. A day or two after the first signs of his friend and boss' funk had set in, Archer was told to simply "Take inventory for the day and leave him be. He don't like it much round here."

That of course raised fresh questions, and almost on instinct he went to the one person who he assumed would know best.

"Mr Cooke."

"Oh! Archer! How may I assist you? Sorry, is just Archer okay?"
He nodded, smiling.

"Of course. I was hoping to ask you a question or two, if it's alright with you."

The man visibly did his best to beam back at him, but the smile fell far short of his eyes.
"Sure! What did you need?"

Archer said nothing, watching the man for a moment, and Talon began to squirm a little on the spot.

"Is something the ma-"

"You as well, hm?"

The man blinked a few times, visibly confused.
"What?"

"You and Lawrence." He clarified. "You're both rather despondent at the moment, if you don't mind me saying."

The kind man's smile fell a little further, and after a few seconds of silence he slumped a little, letting it drop entirely.
"That obvious, huh"

"Yeah. Sorry, Talon. It is alright if I call you Talon, right?"

The man nodded at him, seeming if nothing else a touch cheered up by Archer's willingness to shed a little formality.

"Of course! And... well... do you know where we are?"

Archer looked around, confused.
"We're... we're in the mess. Did you hit your head? Do you require medical assistance?"

The man let slip a genuine chuckle at those words, and so Archer counted this visit a success if only for that single reason.

"No, no, not on the ship, silly. I mean do you know what we're flying over today? Tomorrow as well?"

Archer let slip a wry smile, shaking his head.
"I'm afraid I do not. I've been stuck in storerooms E through H all morning, and Lawrence has taken to his quarters for the day. I was asked not to bother him."

Cooke nodded, seemingly a little relieved.
"Good, I'm glad of that. This place has bad memories for Lawrence. Right now we're flying through the Carronade Pass, where he watched the Leviathan go down alongside half a hundred other ships some seven years ago. He'll tell everyone that he's fine, but... well, you've seen the effect it's had on him."

Archer let in a sharp inhale of breath. Yes, he could see exactly why Lawrence wasn't exactly cheerful as they'd made their approach, let alone as they went right through it. God, he'd never really thought about it. So much emphasis had been placed on the felling of the RAN Leviathan and the loss of the crown prince that he'd not ever really stopped to think about how many others must have lost their lives aboard the hundred other ships that participated in the battle, the crew of the Sunbird amongst them.