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Neville Sinclair · (07-01-2017)

April 2, 1801

Nelson knows the Retreat signal is going on in the distance. Sounds of wood shattering fill the air, men screaming as large shards of Egyptian Cedar slam into them. Below Nelson could see men falling out of their ships, struggling to stay afloat beneath the sinking floor of the ocean. Men would die here, here was sure of that. Would more men die if he stayed?

Not now

He was the one to make the call, the one that would ultimately make the decision whether more of his men would live or die. That was a tough decision, for every life lost in battle he felt the weight. But wouldn’t more lives be lost if he backed down? If he gave the Danes a chance to go on the offensive, would they not use the opportunity to destroy the lives of the innocent? The weight of the decision was heavy for him.

If only this were an easy choice…

He wasn’t in this for fame or glory, he did this because he knew that he couldn’t stop doing it. Some men looked at battles as places to prove himself, Nelson knew battles were where those who had proven themselves stood out. Nelson didn’t do this to make his own name great, he fought for King and Country.

I know what to do…
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June 29, 2017

Neville, still in the National Maritime Museum, sat in front of the prominently placed “Cutty Sark”. This was the most impressive ship of her time. Her speed and size had her stand out when she was made. Unlike the inside of the museum, people lined up to see her. People were taking tours of the deck and marvelling at the sheer size and upkeep of it.

I can’t imagine what it must feel like to be something so impressive that can’t function with what it needs to be. The Cutty Sark is an impressive vessel, I took a tour of it earlier. There is so much here to be impressed with, I can only imagine what she must have been like in her glory days. Can you imagine putting out on the English Channel, feeling the wind in your face, tasting the salt of the sea, and travelling at speeds only dreamed of before this ship was built? I imagine the shipbuilders saw this work of creation and treated it like a deity that’s just created a world of his own. But now here it sits, land-locked and on it’s own. No longer does it know the sea as home. I imagine if this ship could feel something it would be close to disappointment. Imagine being hung up and forgotten, imagine not serving your own purpose. It must be devastating.

Neville smiles as he thinks of his match on Saturday

And that’s why I feel my two opponents are fighting so hard. They need to feel relevant. Jack Cain must worry that he will lose relevance and his title. He’ll be hung up to dry like the Cutty Sark. One day people will observe him as nothing but a “former champion”. He’s clinging to everything he has in an attempt to remain relevant. Of course he’s going to fight hard. And Jenny Myst, I imagine she must struggle to find relevance when her man completely overshadows her. She might simply be a footnote in someone else’s story. When your man is that much more interesting than you, I imagine you would fear for your own career. I know you’re watching, so let me ask you a question, when did it hit you that there would be people entering the XWF that would quickly pass you by? Was it when I came in or has someone else spooked you before?

Neville walks to the side of the boat and runs his hand along the side. The smooth finish of polished wood felt good against his hand. Neville had spent good time on the sea in many boats and he had a fondness for sailing. He wished he could be out right now, but business called and he had made this new hobby a kind of career.

Jack, Jenny, I’ve watched both of you over this past day and I have to say I’m excited for where things are at. Both of you have seemingly turned your attention on me, I now feel like the biggest threat in this match. When Jack Cain cuts a promo from a public library and tries to “outsmart” you, you know you’ve caught his attention. When Jenny Myst starts using random quotes she’s looked up on the internet all by herself, you know she’s trying to emulate you. The way I do things has influenced both my opponents MUCH more than they’ve influenced me, and that means I’m doing something right. But this is still fun for me, now I can feel much more like the hunter than the hunted. I feel completely on the offensive as these two “stars” struggle for relevancy. I can go in for the kill.

Neville walks to the Bow of the ship and gazes upwards. In 1872, this majestic creature had raced across from Shanghai to London, losing by a week after having to stop in South Africa to be repaired. Imagine what it must have been like to know you’re the best and still get beaten that badly. I imagine it must have hurt it’s pride. The Captain left his post shortly after that debacle, too ashamed to carry on.

Jack Cain, I’m actually having fun thinking of my match against you. No one ever fights harder than someone fighting for his life. As soon as I watched you on screen this week, trying to read about British Naval History, I laughed out loud because it was so absurd. You know someone doesn’t read a lot when they have to go to a library to get books. Some of us actually invest in them, some of us own books. I can only imagine the faces of the children in that library when Jack Cain comes strolling in looking for the British Naval History picture book. I find it hilarious that you hear me confront you once and you change into a spectacle-wearing, public-library-attending moron. You ask me why I “deify” Lord Nelson, and I imagine you think it’s solely based on things he did. Let me teach you about something called influence. Influence is the ability to be yourself and watch the world change around you. I admire Nelson because he stuck so strongly to what he believed in that he influenced the world and everyone around him. The British Navy was better because they had him as an individual in there. Men of Influence change the world because people weaker than them try and become just like them. They get things done. Let me ask you a question Jack, what’s your influence in the XWF? You seem to resemble a lot of greater men than you, but when has anyone ever been influenced by the way you do things? You get the job done, sure, and that’s why you’re champion right now. You are serviceable. But you’ll never usher in an era in this federation where people change to become like you. On top of that, you are easily influenced. One talk from me and you’re trying to prove how smart you, turning into a kind of Jack that I’ve never seen before. But I have to say, I like the change, you’re now playing on my schoolyard, trying to prove yourself to me. I’d have had more respect for you if you’d stuck to your own game Jack, but thanks for playing mine.

In front of the bow stands a picture of the many different crews of the Cutty Sark. He imagined what it would have looked like if everyone in the crew were “equals”. There was always a place for order in things, while everyone might have equal rights, very clearly people couldn’t hold equal ranks.

You are absolutely right when you call me out for admiring the “pomp and circumstance” and power of a man like Lord Nelson. I do admire that. There’s a place for that in the world, it’s how every military and country has been set up since the dawn of civilization. Equality just means that everyone has the chance to work up to a higher rank, not that everyone has one. I actually stand here completely flabbergasted that I have to explain that to an ex-military. Is that really how far modern warfare has come that ex-soldiers can’t even understand what rank and order truly are? That terrifies me. Are you this far outside of reality that you don’t understand how the world works? Leadership and Order isn’t something to shy away from when you have the skills in that area. Understand this, most leaders in battle feel the weight of the lives they are in charge of. But they make decisions because they know if they don’t the battle will erupt into chaos and without destroying the enemy, innocent lives at home could be in danger as well. They look at the bigger picture, and they are given responsibilities for more lives than their own. But you wouldn’t know that would you? You’ve never been responsible for anyone but yourself, and even that you’ve done a shitty job of. The only thing that’s gotten you by in life has been your size and brute, you’re a man with no money, very little accomplishment and a life most people would be sad to have.

Neville glares into the camera, an angry look in his eyes

And that story you told about Afghanistan was shocking. You damn coward. It’s no wonder that you’re ex-military because for any man to ever take a vow to his country and disregard a direct order from command… I’m speechless that actually think that’s a good story. You didn’t owe anything to the commanding officer, but you owed everything to those men who actually had the courage to follow a command and died there. You owed everything to the country who you took a vow to protect. It’s no wonder that the military has washed their hands of you, you defied a direct order simply to keep your life. You can’t ever say you’re doing anything for the men at the cenotaphs again, you’re not one of them. They followed orders because they trusted that there was a bigger picture. There was probably intelligence out there that they didn’t know about but they were willing to die for. There was a lot more to the war than keeping their own life. Orders didn’t come to get you killed, orders came to win the battle. There is always a bigger picture to things, but only a select few are privy to all the information. You’ve shown why you weren’t trusted with the bigger picture, and why you will forever be a follower and a coward. And I’ve spent enough time talking about you, you’re not worth our time.

Neville walks up on to the deck, looking at all the different instruments for navigation around the world. It must have been so exciting to be a crew member visiting different ports of call and seeing sights they’d never seen before.

Which brings me to you Jenny, I just don’t know what to say anymore to try and get you to understand things. I’ll speak really slowly if it helps

Neville takes a deep sigh and rolls his eyes as he begins to speak

I don’t even know how to respond to half the things you say, because they are so intrinsically ignorant. I won’t call you dumb, but I can’t believe how small-minded you are. Here’s the way society works, people from around the world enjoy products given to them by other countries. It’s called free trade and it’s a wonderful thing. It doesn’t make me any less English to enjoy Scotch, listen to Italian music or enjoy Mozart. And the fact that you think that way just proves your own ignorance. I mean I’m just repeating myself now, I’ve explained this all before. But instead of listening, you’ve doubled down on that argument and pushed harder on it. Really Jenny? And tomorrow I’m probably going to have to explain myself again because listening isn’t Jenny’s strong suit is it? Not when she can shake her ass at the camera and drink her American wine straight from her neighbors bathtub at the trailer park.

Neville looks up at the flag on the ship

But the part that made me laugh out loud was when Jenny tried using “smart people” quotes. What purpose did that even serve? Great, you found a quote on google that sounded great. I’m pleased you know how to do that. You didn’t even bother to try and put it into any context, there it was. And the fact that you then googled John Morris and read his bio off like a book report. Seriously Jenny, that was the piece de resistance, wait damn, I just used French – guess I can’t be English. But the reason why it was so laughable was that I couldn’t tell if it sounded more like a ninth grade book report or a segment on Reading Rainbow. I’m sure as soon as the camera went off she turned to her man and asked to look up the words zoologist, etymologist and sociobiology.

You are the problem with America Jenny. You’re too concerned with looking good and taking great photos of yourself to understand what is happening in the world. You display an inflated sense of nationalistic pride because you hold no value in any other cultures or societies. Instead of borrowing other traditions and taking the best, you think your way is best and you hold tight to that. You see Jenny, my country isn’t getting “anally raped by ISIS” and we don’t fear the fact that Middle Eastern people want to associate with us. We hold pride in the country we’ve been and cherish our history, but we also realize that globalization, I’ll give you a second to look that up, doesn’t have to be a bad thing. We welcome the world because the world has a lot to offer. Our society is proudly bigger than being white, and we are better because of it. But as you’ve repeated over and over again, that. Doesn’t. make. Sense. To. You. Enjoy your small-mindedness Jenny, it’s going to get you far in life. At this point I wouldn’t be surprised to hear your last name was Trump.

Neville throws his hands up in frustration, annoyed he has to explain these things to a grown woman

Turn the damn camera off
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Nelson wouldn’t back down. He couldn’t. He knew what to do.

Charge!

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