Canuk

The contortions of the Russian courts need a level of duplicitous diplomacy that are severly testing our hero. He must go to bed every night exhausted! Great read. Thanks.

At last. I am glad Luke came to his senses. Beautiful chapter. Well done. Thanks.

Great summary/prediction, however you just know Mr Arbour will throw a curve ball in there some where!

That one line "hes not 24" really upended the entire chapter... everything seemed to be going at least passably... Great writing. Thanks..

Great chapter. Strangely as awesome as Will behaved here in righting a wrong, I am not sure Id like the guy. There's something about his being so cock-sure of himself that would keep me as an arms length acquaintance. That a character can be so well drawn that I actually spend time pondering these impossibilities says something... As for the Australian slang: that Strider uses "Seppo" puts him among a distinct minority. As a word for people (generally blokes) from the US, it pretty well had its day by late 60s. That he uses it now suggests he comes from a poorer area of Brisbane QLD, one of the few areas the expression may still be used. "Yanks" is a more common expression now. "Seppo" comes from an abbreviation/contraction of "Septic Tank", rhyming slang for Yank... (yes we are obtuse mob!)

Late convert.. Awesome story. Great characters. The way you describe Ben and his challenges is extraordinary. Thanks

It may bother you (and its not my scene at all) but I would be surprised if there is a single elite sport world wide where coke or similar is not endemic.

Connies a newby, indigenous and closeted gay and wants to pay the game at an elite level, and so needs to keep in with the team. Temporarily dumping Will was part of his self preservation.

Why does Jonah make my spidey senses tingle? There's something not quite right...work, neediness, coping with others...is it him or is he playing games? Good read! Thanks.

More great writing. It is one of the harder things in life to let the little humans you have spent years protecting and nurturing, fly on their own. The reward is seeing them succeed.

Great exposition on the value and benefits of family! Do US citizens find the contradiction between of an age to be allowed to join the military and drive a car, but not have a glass of wine just plain weird?

Exactly why it took me so long to "rate" this chapter.... fun followed by angst followed by..... que? The writing is so good I yell at characters.... Thanks

Family! Everything else may be perfect, but there is something about family....when its good its amazing, when its bad...nothing worse. Great chapter. Thanks

Pickjng up on your last point, ethics "trainng" seems to be something missing from a lot of professional development, not only the military. The issues with the Blackwater soldiers trump just pardoned, as well as the asutalian soldiers currently going through the courts suggest that its all very well to have people trained as you depict to become the ultimate physical specimens (hmmm drifting off to fantasy there for a moment!) but they also need training in what is right, particularly when decisions are being made under pressure. War is never going to be nice, but it needs ethics and basic rules and participants need training in them.

Sounds like a sink or swim training camp. Though I do recall ghe only worse than being tortured with continuous activity was the boredom of haveing nothing to do and yet not being allowed to go anywhere! Look forward to how this progresses! Thanks

Great story, but I am amazed my children (now late 30s) survived without the level of attention Cameron and Elizabeth get! And the little vignette about the wine on the boat; one reason I avoid telling people my "favourite" foods, drinks, flowers etc, as suddenly thats what you are offered, instead of being able to try the new and different! I liked the descriptions of the islands. They can be very touristy, but as our heros discovered every now and again it is possible to discover the quiet, the calm and serene spots that make for perfect memories! Thanks

Will just discovered the problem with Bondi; when the waves are good, every man and his dog are out. The trick with all the surf beaches is to be there just as the surf gets good, but before said men and dogs get there too! Nb that all sounds sexist: women do surf and surf well, but some how when you try and include "and women" into something like "every man and his dog" things get pear shaped rapidly....🤔🤐😶

Yes, the thought of having to perform on a less than clean albeit enthusiastic woman, even for ready cash and an overdraft, would certainly put me off my breakfast! Mr Arbour, Happy New Year, but you do put your long suffering characters through some extraordinary tests of stamina and fortitude... Can't wait for the next test; mounting the cavalry, perhaps?🤗

Id recommend NEVER fly private like the boys have. I have done it once and honestly no other flight ever lives up to it! Great story. Those babies are the best ever!

Happily I can confirm it was legal in 2004 to have sex at 16 in all states in Australia and in the NT it was 14! So he's just fine. That said there is/was a common misconception that age of consent was 18. Too many people watched too much American teev!

Mr Arbour, you manage to convey the tortuousness of the Russian court in so many ways. It must have been exhausting to participate on a daily basis. Frankly the Duc seemed to have managed the perfect balance of being disliked enough not to have to attend but not so much he was confined to a dungeon or similar. As for Grainger having to do his duty with the Tsarina...its enough to bring on major performance anxiety. I just hope his imaginination of times with Pavel and von Beckendorf will provide him the stimulus he will need....

It was here but for a fleeting moment...and then it was gone! Hopefully back soon!😃

As some one who came out to their swim team well after (like years after) I agree that in hindsight its all, "oh! Its fine", but at the time, pre coming out, the natural language of the change room, common discourse, bar room chat was not gay friendly. What I realise later is that for better or for worse that bar room, change room chat was exactly that. It did not represent any of their views. But at the time, this was a risk I and I suspect others, felt they couldnt take.

Yes, I think we'd like to belive we'd all be just fine, but the average fan...nah! When Roberts came out, and that was one of the worst kept secrets ever, the popular press turned it into either the end of football as we knew it, or a catastophe. It was neither. It was a bloke coming out. However he was put through serious heavy shit before he got on top so to speak. I think Will is niaeve here. The bloke's body and what he can do with it is somewhat blinding him to reality at that time..... Great read....thanks again, Mr Arbour!

You could have made his first Australian-in-australia a decent bloke! Mind you in 2004, Oxford st was probably not going to find you class... Glad he's made it to Australia, while I have stayed at the Four Seasons, never that high up! It is sad when relationships like he had with Kai vere off into a mess of clingy, needy, whiny crap. It tends to blur the good times if it goes on for too long. Thanks for my second Mark Arbour before breakfast! Always a treat!