Seven hundred and seventy nine thousand and forty clusters of sixty seconds before the Cold War turned hot, the States Space Program went nautilus.
The space ship, hot on its conquest of the atmosphere, discard the space in its name as easily and nonchalantly as it adopted a new purpose that was old still. Still ship but not for space anymore for space no longer existed.
There was only the sea.
Newly space borne [Stripes] removed their spacesuits, shedding those roles to be reborn as sailors. The Ocean became the new objective. The submarines of their rival state became their enemy.
Will sailors and their erstwhile space-ship-turned-ship reach the Ocean? Will they reach it first? Will they reach it at all?
All Stars and Stripes ever wanted was to live up to its name. Namely, receive some stripes for getting some stars. Stars, stars, stars. Stars could only be conquered thus an army has to be prepared. [Stripes] was the army's name and its soldiers' recruitment was made a state endeavor.
Statesmen were stripped of their roles, frogmarched into a statecraft and in there, promoted into [Stripes], sworn to secrecy and…
Interlude
Are you sure you want to pursue a statesman as a career path?
Yes.
Do you know what a statesman does?
Yes I do. They serve the state.
Yes, but how? Do you know how they serve the state.
Um..by being men of all states?
Yes, but it's a bit more descriptive than that. A statesman, as you said, is a man of all states but these states are very specific. I'm sure you know the states?
Yes I do. Liquid, gas and solid.
Exactly. But what does liquid mean? Does the statesman have to know how to flow? Is the statesman a rapper? These are the questions that I am here to answer.
A statesman can flow, right?
(Chuckles) I'll get right to the explaining then you can decide for yourself if they do. Starting with the liquid state to gas to solid, a statesman is a man who can liquidate the enemies of the state in a logomachy or war of words, pass gas in any meeting and convince everyone who feels the stink that that stink does not actually stink and is as solid as a stone in their dedication to the nation. That is a statesman for you.
Oh. O-okay. Guess he can flow…maybe?
⌜Career conversation between a teacher and a student⌝