Admiral Jones and Lieutenant Jackson

Boston, Massachusetts, the United States of America

February 15th, 1790

"Permission to come aboard, sir?"

"Permission granted, First Lieutenant Jackson."

First Lieutenant Andrew Jackson of the United States Marine Corps stepped onto the decks of the USS Charleston and smiled, "It's certainly an impressive ship, sir."

Admiral John Paul Jones returned his smile, "She most certainly is. It isn't very pleasant to give up the USS Bermuda, but the USS Charleston is a fine ship. She'll serve us well on our voyage to Asia."

The two officers were part of President Kim's expedition to Asia and Europe, in which the former president was seeking to establish good relations. They were expected to be gone for a year and a half, if not longer, so the eight ships in the fleet were fully stocked and armed. Three of them were warships of the United States Navy (USS Charleston, USS Enterprise [the name was given to a newly built 32-gun frigate], and USS Virginia), while the other five were merchant ships of varying sizes. The aim of the trip was to establish relations with Asian and European nations, exchange pleasantries, trade goods, and bring back immigrants to the United States. Specifically, the former Marine commandant was looking for Asian immigrants to bring back to the United States. Admiral Jones volunteered for the expedition due to his relationship with Samuel. While his first child was recently born, he was keen on touring the world and wanted to take part in the historic expedition, which was why he was on the USS Charleston instead of at home in Lowell. Meanwhile, Lieutenant Jackson greatly admired his former superior and immediately volunteered for the expedition after he graduated, which was coincidentally just before the beginning of the expedition.

"Is the general aboard the ship?"

"He'll be here soon, lieutenant," Admiral Jones didn't point out that Samuel had been retired from the military for several years now, "But I must say, I was fairly surprised that you were coming along on this voyage."

The lieutenant shrugged, "I would rather travel the world with General Kim than be stuck in Bermuda or Georgia for God knows how long. Besides, I could learn a thing or two from the general while we were on the expedition together."

Admiral Jones knew that Jackson had an odd case of hero worship regarding the Revolutionary War Hero, but considering that Jackson was a rather bloodthirsty individual that murdered Native Americans in the other history, the naval officer preferred this version of Jackson over the other version, "Nothing wrong about that. But remember that his eldest child is coming along with us, so he might be busy taking care of him."

"Benedict? I'm sure he can take care of himself, though it's odd he's leaving when he's in the middle of his military education."

"No, no. His biological son. The kid is ten, and his name is Justin."

"Justin Kim?"

"Justin Jin-un Kim. Apparently, it's customary for those with Korean blood to have a Korean middle name and an English first name, or vice versa."

"Does the general have a Korean name?"

The admiral snorted, "Of course he does. He was born in Korea. His Korean name is Anyoung. Did you not read the manual he handed out to all the expedition's members? It has information about customs and etiquette of the nations we're visiting."

To his credit, Lieutenant Jackson looked extremely embarrassed, "Er, I might have accidentally left it back at home. I do have an excuse, though, a mob was attempting to attack the Negros that were working under our family, and I was in a hurry to get ready for the trip after things settled down."

"Your family has slaves?"

"No! Of course not," Jackson scowled, "I worked with plenty of great and talented Negros, and I know that enslaving them is a terrible act. The twenty or so Negros working for our family are all free, and they work with pay. But some in North Carolina don't agree that the Negros are equals and raise hell for the freed ones."

"And your family was on the receiving end of one of the attacks?"

Jackson nodded, "My brothers and I are all Marines, so we shot at them when we were attacked. Poor Jonathan; he and his wife lost their lives helping us defend the farm. Thankfully, those who attacked us were rounded up and thrown into prison. I managed to shoot two of them myself."

"Are the attacks common?"

"No, sir. The attacks aren't too common; thank God for that. But there have been more than a few across the South. Heard there were a few incidents up in the North as well."

"Indeed," Jones replied solemnly, "In New York of all places. Let's leave the negative thoughts to the side for our trip, though. I'm sure the nation will be fine while we're gone." Now, besides the manual, do you have everything else with you?

"Yes, sir!" Jackson answered as he saluted, "I have my passport, my personal belongings, and my Marine supplies."

The lieutenant pulled out a small leather book with the words "United States of America" engraved onto the cover. He handed it to the admiral, who flipped open the booklet. The book's first page was Jackson's personal information, along with a rough portrait of him printed on the side. The passport was a far cry from the passport Samuel had brought with him in the past, but it was a work in progress. The backpack on his shoulders contained clothes, toiletries, and other necessities for the trip, along with some pocket change. His Marine kit consisted of his Marine standard Staten 1785 Rifled Musket, dress and combat uniforms, a Mameluke sword, and a few other tools.

"Everything seems to be in order," Admiral Jones stated, "Report to Brigadier General Moses Hazen down at the mess hall. We'll be off after our VIP arrives."

"Yes, sir!"