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O is for Orion
O is for Orion
By Lokei
Universe: Hornblower
Rating: PG
For the William Bush Alphabet Soup
= = = = =
“Stargazing, Mr. Bush?”
The soft tones broke across Bush’s reverie and he started, relieved to find that it was merely Mr. Hornblower beside him, and not the raving Captain escaped from his cabin.
“Indeed so,” Bush said. “You are early for your watch, though, Mr. Hornblower, you’ve at least an hour’s sleep still due to you.”
Hornblower’s mouth curled up to one side. “I find myself unable to rest quietly, Mr. Bush.”
“Plenty to think about,” Bush agreed, matching the weight in Hornblower’s tone. Neither needed to elaborate on the many rocks yet ahead in their passage towards Kingston. “Good time to look up and try to think about something else.”
Hornblower tipped his head back and let the smile grow across his face as he took in the night sky. “Do you have a favorite constellation, Mr. Bush?”
“I’ve always like the Bull, though it’s hard to see this time of year.” Bush shrugged. “I can’t say as I know all the stories behind them, though. What about you?”
Hornblower’s answer was in that self-deprecating tone which Bush was learning stood in for humor and Captain Sawyer seemed always to take as insolence. “I was a Grecian at school before I came to sea, Mr. Bush. It was one of the only things that saved me when first learning the precepts of astronomical navigation as a raw midshipman.”
“What’s your favorite, then?”
“Orion, I suppose.”
“The Hunter?”
“Yes. The stories can’t quite agree on who he was, which makes him more interesting than some of the others. Some versions say he was slain by his lover Artemis accidentally, others say he was stung by a scorpion. Even the scorpion stories differ, and say that Orion is either chasing it across the sky or fleeing from it.”
“So the stories do not say whether he is truly a hero or a coward?” Bush frowned.
Hornblower’s smile had shrunk back to a smirk. “No, they do not. An interesting ambiguity, don’t you think?”
Bush thought about the fall of ‘one of Nelson’s own,’ the fall that might have been more than a fall, and the shadows which wrapped themselves around the man standing next to him.
“I think I prefer the Bull,” was all he said.
By Lokei
Universe: Hornblower
Rating: PG
For the William Bush Alphabet Soup
= = = = =
“Stargazing, Mr. Bush?”
The soft tones broke across Bush’s reverie and he started, relieved to find that it was merely Mr. Hornblower beside him, and not the raving Captain escaped from his cabin.
“Indeed so,” Bush said. “You are early for your watch, though, Mr. Hornblower, you’ve at least an hour’s sleep still due to you.”
Hornblower’s mouth curled up to one side. “I find myself unable to rest quietly, Mr. Bush.”
“Plenty to think about,” Bush agreed, matching the weight in Hornblower’s tone. Neither needed to elaborate on the many rocks yet ahead in their passage towards Kingston. “Good time to look up and try to think about something else.”
Hornblower tipped his head back and let the smile grow across his face as he took in the night sky. “Do you have a favorite constellation, Mr. Bush?”
“I’ve always like the Bull, though it’s hard to see this time of year.” Bush shrugged. “I can’t say as I know all the stories behind them, though. What about you?”
Hornblower’s answer was in that self-deprecating tone which Bush was learning stood in for humor and Captain Sawyer seemed always to take as insolence. “I was a Grecian at school before I came to sea, Mr. Bush. It was one of the only things that saved me when first learning the precepts of astronomical navigation as a raw midshipman.”
“What’s your favorite, then?”
“Orion, I suppose.”
“The Hunter?”
“Yes. The stories can’t quite agree on who he was, which makes him more interesting than some of the others. Some versions say he was slain by his lover Artemis accidentally, others say he was stung by a scorpion. Even the scorpion stories differ, and say that Orion is either chasing it across the sky or fleeing from it.”
“So the stories do not say whether he is truly a hero or a coward?” Bush frowned.
Hornblower’s smile had shrunk back to a smirk. “No, they do not. An interesting ambiguity, don’t you think?”
Bush thought about the fall of ‘one of Nelson’s own,’ the fall that might have been more than a fall, and the shadows which wrapped themselves around the man standing next to him.
“I think I prefer the Bull,” was all he said.