Author's Notes:

Small chapter this time.

11:20am…

Equestrian Waters…

After our crews had “formally” meet with their guns aimed at each other at a hair trigger stand off, me and the other captain walked along the port side of the Boston. With my hands held behind my back with dignity we strolled as he kept up right alongside me. After a long silence, I spoke up.

“So, Charlie… I’m sure you can guess, but, I still have a lot of questions for you.” I asked him as the waves and seagulls echoed around us. The wind began to pick up slowly and brushed my uniform around.

“Yes, yes I know. But, I’m not sure that I or my crew can tell you certain things, I told them to keep their mouths shut about the future. But, what possible threat could it have If I told you certain things?” He said after a long silence. I nodded in understanding.

“I see. Well, maybe you can tell me about, culture, or something along those lines? Like what’s music like in the future, or what does America look like?” I ask waving my arm gently around urging him to talk.

“Well, music has changed I can tell you that for free. Music now and days, is the bomb!” He said nodding his head with a wide smile on his face. I wasn't sure what he meant, by the bomb, was that good, or bad?

“What does that mean?” I asked I asked looking directly at him now. He looked over at me with the same look.

“Wha- Oh, right, that means it’s awesome…” He said. I shook my head in more confusion.

“Uh… it means… swell. Yeah swell!” He said snapping his fingers. Now I understood.

“Oh, okay, I get it. You should have just said that.” He shook his head, “Anyway, what does it sound like?” I asked as we exited the shadow of the superstructure. Suddenly, Charlie stopped. I stopped and turned around to look at him. His hands were on his hip, and he seemed to be looking around.

“Uh, okay…” He said scratching his head, “I’ll have to get back to you on that one, but, I’ll show you some how.” He said putting his hands behind his back.

Nodding to him he came back to me and we continued walking. Passing the second main battery, he began telling me how the world of the future looked, most of the time, I didn’t believe him. The cities and their lights, to the automobiles we drive, to our airplanes. To new fuel sources like diesel, and nuclear fission, electricity powered by the sun and wind. I just listened to him as he went on, and on, and on! But not once did he talk about our military, or war in anyway. When we reached the small anti-air gun on the bow right behind the anchor chains, I stopped him. A few of my sailors and his were talked while they leaned on the gun. Before we got to them though, I stopped, and so did he.

“All of this is good and all, but, what about our military? Is it still, well, big or are we still at war?” Charlie seemed to cringe a bit when I said big.

“I don’t think I should tell you, but, like I said, what harm could we do, I just want to warn you, if I tell you, this could create a butterfly effect.” Before I could ask him what that was, he did it for me.

“The butterfly effect is if, I tell you something, about the future that you influenced, like, you have a kid, but you don't know you have a kid now, and then you decide not to have a kid because I told you. Then that kid in the future, will disappear from reality, and the future will be changed, forever, it’ll be like, he never existed.” After hearing this, I just sort of stared at him, not sure what to say.

I mean I understood, but then I didn’t. What does that mean about us? Could we be altering the universe, or something like that? Would we even know? Do we even exist? I just shook my head.

“Alright, I guess that makes sense, I guess, so, what happens?” I ask, as we stop to lean on the port side railings. Clapping his hands together he faced me directly firmly planting his foot to the deck.

“Alright, here we go… We win world war two.” He says to me.

I look at him with the straightest face and smile. I knew we would, we would pull through, no matter what. It’s our undying nature to do so, and so we did. All the tears, the sweat and blood. The heartache, the suffering, it’s all going to be worth it.

“I knew it!” I holler in pure excitement. I push off the railing and throw my hands in the air with my hands in fists, “Thank the lords above, I knew we would!” I turn back down to the smiling sailor and run up to him, wrap my arms around him, and hug him. With all my emotions flowing I didn’t even pay mind to the sailors watching us, for at that very moment, I began to cry.

“I knew we would go home, no war is endless, especially mine!” I said while locking him in a death grip. The war would end, my men could rest easy, we would go home, I would see my home town again, and everyone can see their families and friends. I wouldn’t have to worry about the Japanese ever again.

Pushing off of Charlie, I gave one fist in the air, before I calmed down and rested on the railing again.

“So, what happens after we win?” I ask waiting for more good news. But now his smile had dissipated.

“We go to war again. In Korea, then the Lebanese intervention, the Vietnam war, the Dominican civil war, the invasion of Grenada, the invasion of Panama, the Gulf War, the Somali civil war, the Bosnian war, and now the war in Kosovo. When world war two ended, another war took its place, then another, and so on. A wise man once said, the more things change, the more they stay the same, because, war, war never changes.” With him done talking, my mouth just dropped open in a awe.

I was speechless, absolutely speechless. My war ends, but the war never stops? Why would god spare me, for the lives of others. Why? Why must we fight more, and for what. My war, was to be the end all, be all war, why must it go on? The heartache will never stop, maybe for me, but for my country, its sons and daughters, their heartache will come, and won't stop like me.

I drop to my knees, as new tears begin to fall. My breath becomes hiccup like as I begin to cry, like a child.

“Why?” I whisper loudly, “Why won't it stop, why must it go on, and for what?” Now, everything but the sound of tears fill the air around me. I didn’t understand, I don’t think I ever will, or ever should. I had so many questions. Most of which were, why? Through the sobbing, I feel a hand on my shoulder. I look up to see Charlie kneeling in front of me.

“John, these wars are horrible, yes I know, I’ve seen some of them up close, and they’re nothing like your war. Every war is fought for some reason, it’s just that, some are fought for better reasons, and your war, is that good reason. America might not be able to stop its interventions in your future, but think of it as this. Your war, is last meaningful war. Your war affected the world in a whole. My wars, do not. Sometimes I have to stop and think, what we’re really fighting for, and I couldn’t find an answer. Maybe sometime in the twenty first century, all these war, might end and America, and everyone else, can rest easy.”