![]() If the entire flotilla was destroyed, if it disappeared, the message would be lost. “He wasn't sent to sink three American warships that was not his mission. “This is what Ma Qiang doesn't understand,” he said with an amused half smile. Minister Chiang leaned back in his armchair. “Aristodemus,” said Lin Bao, “was the only Spartan who survived to tell the story.” If you buy something using links in our stories, we may earn a commission. The Spartan king, Leonidas, having no use for a blind soldier, sent Aristodemus home before the Persians slaughtered what was left of his army. The story went that in the days before the final stand of the famous Three Hundred, Aristodemus was stricken with an eye infection. He'd learned it at the Kennedy School, in a seminar pompously titled “The History of War” taught by a Hellenophile professor. He knew the story of Aristodemus, that famous Spartan who was the sole survivor of the Battle of Thermopylae. You must've learned the story of Aristodemus.” What the true purpose of that mission was hung in the air as an unanswered question, one that Lin Bao wouldn't dare ask aloud but instead asked through his silence, so that Minister Chiang continued, “Tell me, Lin Bao, you studied in the West. However, he doesn't understand the true purpose of his mission.” Minister Chiang arched an eyebrow. By sparing the John Paul Jones, he believes that I've denied him a prize. Like so many military officers, he doesn't understand nuance. ![]() But his effectiveness can also be his weakness. “Ma Qiang is an excellent commander, decisive, efficient, even cruel. ![]() Not knowing how to answer, Lin Bao pretended that he hadn't heard, which caused Minister Chiang to ruminate a bit about why he'd asked. He never imagined that someone in Minister Chiang's position would concern himself with the emotional state of a subordinate. “Do you think your friend Admiral Ma Qiang is upset with me?” How she wished they would stop taunting her, that they would stop their impudent circling, drop their ordnance, and allow her to go down with her ship. She glanced up, at the twin attack planes from the Zheng He. She did this so her crew wouldn't despair at their captain's inactivity and so that she herself wouldn't have to imagine the water slipping over the mast. She tried to occupy herself-checking and rechecking their inoperable radios, dispatching runners for updates from damage control, replotting their position on an analog chart, since anything that required a GPS had failed. As the weight of the water contorted the steel hull, it creaked mournfully, like a wounded beast, as minute by minute it came closer to buckling. Although they'd contained most of the fires on the John Paul Jones, they were taking on more water than they could pump out. This was the fate that would soon befall her and the surviving members of her crew. She'd only watched, helplessly, as each was crippled and then sunk. Hunt hadn't heard from the Levin or Chung-Hoon either. Commander Morris hadn't been seen since the second impact. Her full attention remained where it had been since the first torpedo hit the day before. Fast-moving, involving, and entertaining, the tale sweeps you deep into its current and carries you swiftly along.Captain Sarah Hunt couldn't waste her time on speculation. A complex world with two contrasting societies is created as a detailed, evocative construct. (Going into detail on this plot is to give too much away.) Great voice work, stunning visuals, and a witty, full script make this entertaining for all ages. In terms of similarly themed movies I have great affection for, this one evokes FernGully: The Last Rainforest. Lately there have been a number of these films but few work as well as this one. The film works so well because of a dozen small touches, a wide variety of interesting characters, and any numbers of bits of business. In a near medieval setting, two armies are arrayed against each other. In the forest is an ongoing war between good and evil, between growth and decay. ![]() She discovers both that her father is not mad and that there is a magnificent forest world. Except he’s actually on to something, which becomes more than apparent when MK (as she calls herself) is shrunk down to the size of the forest creatures. ![]() Claiming there are elaborate, fantastic, hidden kingdoms deep in the forest that he has been pursuing for years, he comes across as a bit daft. An imaginative 3-D animated fantasy begins with Mary Katherine (Seyfried), a young teenager, arriving to visit her eccentric, almost-mad scientist father (Sudeikis) in his house in the woods. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |