2-6

 

6.

Once I was a trained FAC, I had to become combat ready, which meant mastering twenty-eightdifferent combat “controls.”

A control was basically an interaction with an aircraft. Each control was a scenario¹, a littleplay. For instance, imagine two aircraft come into your airspace. Good morning, this is Dude ZeroOne and Dude Zero Two. We’re a pair of F-15s with two PGMs on board, plus one JDAM, we’vegot a playtime of ninety minutes and we are currently two nautical² miles east of your location atFlight Level 150, waiting for talk-on…

I needed to know precisely³ what they were saying, and how to respond to them precisely intheir own jargon⁴.

Sadly, I wouldn’t be able to do this in a normal training area. The normal areas, like SalisburyPlain, were too out in the open. Someone would see me, and tip off the press, and my cover wouldbe blown; I’d be back where I started. Instead, Colonel Ed and I decided⁵ that I should learn thecontrols somewhere remote…somewhere like…

Sandringham.

We both smiled when the thought occurred. Then laughed.

The last place anyone would think of Prince Harry⁶ getting himself combat ready. Granny’scountry estate.

I got a room at a small hotel near Sandringham—Knights⁷ Hill. I’d known the place all my life,driven past it a million times. Whenever we visited Granny at Christmas, our bodyguards⁸ wouldsleep there. Standard room: hundred quid.

In summers, Knights Hill tended to be full of bird-watchers, wedding parties. But now, in theautumn, it was empty.

The privacy was thrilling, and would’ve been total, if not for the older lady in the pubconnected to the hotel. She watched me, goggle-eyed, every time I passed.

Alone, almost anonymous⁹, my existence narrowed to one interesting task, I was delirious¹⁰. Itried not to say so to Chelsy when I phoned her in the evenings, but it was the kind of happinessthat’s hard to hide.

I recall one difficult chat. What were we doing? Where were we heading?

She knew I cared about her. But she felt unseen. I am not visual.

She knew how desperate I was to go to war. How could she not forgive my being a bitdetached? I was taken aback.

I explained that this was what I needed to do, the thing I’d wanted to do all my life, and Ineeded to do it with all my heart and soul. If that meant there was less heart and soul left over foranything or anyone else, well…I was sorry.

 

1 scenario   

n.剧本，脚本；概要

参考例句：

• But the birth scenario is not completely accurate.然而分娩脚本并非完全准确的。
• This is a totally different scenario.这是完全不同的剧本。

2 nautical   

adj.海上的，航海的，船员的

参考例句：

• A nautical mile is 1,852 meters.一海里等于1852米。
• It is 206 nautical miles from our present location.距离我们现在的位置有206海里。

3 precisely   

adv.恰好，正好，精确地，细致地

参考例句：

• It's precisely that sort of slick sales-talk that I mistrust.我不相信的正是那种油腔滑调的推销宣传。
• The man adjusted very precisely.那个人调得很准。

4 jargon   

n.术语，行话

参考例句：

• They will not hear critics with their horrible jargon.他们不愿意听到评论家们那些可怕的行话。
• It is important not to be overawed by the mathematical jargon.要紧的是不要被数学的术语所吓倒.

5 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

6 harry   

vt.掠夺，蹂躏，使苦恼

参考例句：

• Today,people feel more hurried and harried.今天，人们感到更加忙碌和苦恼。
• Obama harried business by Healthcare Reform plan.奥巴马用医改掠夺了商界。

7 knights   

骑士； （中古时代的）武士( knight的名词复数 )； 骑士； 爵士； （国际象棋中）马

参考例句：

• stories of knights and fair maidens 关于骑士和美女的故事
• He wove a fascinating tale of knights in shining armour. 他编了一个穿着明亮盔甲的骑士的迷人故事。

8 bodyguards   

n.保镖，卫士，警卫员( bodyguard的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Brooks came to Jim's office accompanied—like always—by his two bodyguards. 和往常一样，在两名保镖的陪同下，布鲁克斯去吉姆的办公室。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Three of his bodyguards were injured in the attack. 在这次袭击事件中，他有3名保镖受了伤。 来自辞典例句

9 anonymous   

adj.无名的；匿名的；无特色的

参考例句：

• Sending anonymous letters is a cowardly act.寄匿名信是懦夫的行为。
• The author wishes to remain anonymous.作者希望姓名不公开。

10 delirious   

adj.不省人事的，神智昏迷的

参考例句：

• He was delirious,murmuring about that matter.他精神恍惚，低声叨念着那件事。
• She knew that he had become delirious,and tried to pacify him.她知道他已经神志昏迷起来了，极力想使他镇静下来。