give me 16th century brainwashing turning Thomas into the perfect soldier. made to think that James and Miranda betrayed him and left him to rot
and after carolina, woodes rogers shows up with a secret weapon to take down captain flint. after telling Thomas that Flint killed Miranda
James sees him first before he takes them into the storm, thinks he’s seeing more ghosts. Then, on Maroon island, they get word of a mysterious soldier all in black
He doesn’t actually see him until Jack’s rescue, fighting until the soldiers mask falls off and James whispers
“Thomas?”
I see your winter soldier Thomas and would like to counter with winter soldier James.
- James McGraw is already in military service, he’s tactically and strategically brilliant, an excellent and ruthless combatant, etc etc etc. no extra training required, basically.
- lbr he probably has a history of disciplinary complaints from Rich Assholes He Punched In the Neck until he learned to keep it on the down low mostly. Certainly, Hennessey knows about it.
England is at war and cannot afford to lose someone as capable as Lt McGraw
- But he is sometimes a problem. Especially when he’s siding with Alfred Hamilton’s dangerously revolutionary son. And perhaps treading near to his own revolutionary ideals: isn’t he from the lower classes? aren’t naval crews held together by Right Thinking People? A working class officer with revolutionary ideas and a known discipline problem and resentment toward his betters…wouldn’t that be dangerous? They must be separated for their own good! righteousness! patriotism! etc!
Consider this as an alternative to what goes down in canon:
OH GODS Hennessey would have people’s heads when he realized what they’d done to James. He went to so much trouble to mentor an effective officer able to think for himself, effectively was his father, and to see him brainwashed like that…. fuck, he’d be devastated.
Meg's Mumbles 