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The Federated Suns Reborn
- Chapter 242[]
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February 3072
Interlude: Causing a scene
Officers Mess, Firebase Caesar
Opal City, Thorin
Thorin, Freedom Theater
Lyran Alliance
It was fair to say that Hauptmann Joseph Wernz was not enjoying his meal. Rather than eating the excellent steak in front of him he was almost playing with it. Pushing small pieces of it around his plate and only occasionally forcing himself to take a bite. Not that the food was bad, indeed it was excellent as was the wine which he was at least partaking off more heartily than his food, but it was the company. Looking around the room he had to stop himself for the umpteenth time from storming from the room as he watched the various officers of the 3rd Ceti Hussars and former 10th Lyran Guard the so called 1st Revenant Guards "entertaining" their allies in the 16th Lyran Regulars. A small part of him had to acknowledge that in fairness the two AFFS units had made every effort to welcome the 16th's officers. Inviting them to this dinner in direct response to the snub from the Duke of Thorin and making a huge show of honoring their allies. The room had been draped in the colors of the 16th Regulars, red and Steiner blue, the silverware borrowed from a prestigious hotel in Ecol City and the chefs a mixture of the unit's own officer mess's chefs and from the same hotel while music was being provided by an extremely good local orchestra. Yet for Wernz it was the company he was keeping that ruined the meal. Traitors and know-it-all Davions.
That same small voice of fairness deep inside him also pointed out that at least part of the reason for his foul mood had been the dressing down that Colonel O'Connell had subjected to him for his "disgraceful lack of control of the situation at the Governor's Palace" and allowing the rioters to enter the Palace itself and to deface his own BattleMech with graffiti. Even the support of 2nd Battalion's Kommandant Wilson hadn't mollified the Colonel. Word was that he had had his own ass handed to him from higher up the chain of command for the news reports coming from Thorin and had been looking for someone to take it out on. Without a major sponsor within the more senior ranks Wernz made the perfect target. And Alice Wilson was no better connected than her subordinate so couldn't do much except share some of the kicking. Which in fairness to the Kommandant she had. Neither of them were in the Colonel's good graces after the events in Ecol City now.
"Is there something wrong with your steak, Hauptmann Wernz? If you wasn't I'm sure the chef's could make you another that might be more to your taste?" Leftenant Colonel Archer Christifori asked from across the table, interrupting his discussions about the new Victor-O OmniMech with Kommandant Wilson.
"No... the steak is fine." Wernz managed to get out before taking another long drink from his wine glass before continuing in a slightly raised voice. "Everything is fine. The food is fine. The wine is fine. The music is fine... Everything's fine!"
Christifori frowned slightly but attempted to rally the conversation. "I'm glad to hear it... Particularly given that I specifically asked if I could be seated near you and Kommandant Wilson. I wanted to express my gratitude to you both."
"For what?" Wernz snapped back ignoring the quelling glare from his superior officer.
"For your handling of the protests in Ecol City. It took great moral courage to stand back and not escalate the situation." The Revenant Guards officer said genuinely.
For a second Wernz stared at the idiot and then couldn't help himself but burst into laughter. Kommandant Wilson immediately half stood. "I think you've had a little too much to drink Joseph... Perhaps you would want to retire..." The way she asked it it wasn't a question.
"You want to thank me?! I've ruined my career! I should have opened fire on those traitors and blown them all to hell! But the great and noble Leftenant Colonel Archer Christifori thinks I acted with moral courage so I guess that makes it okay!" Wernz stood himself swaying. "You asked me if I wanted another steak Colonel? There is nothing wrong with the damn steak! It's the company! I don't enjoy eating with turncoats and traitors who betrayed their own realm to side with a foreign prince nor have I ever found it easy to relax in the company of sneering Davion officers who think that they are Tyr's own damn sons and daughters and have a natural gift for war and the rest of us should just stand and take notes ! I don't want another steak, I just want you and your misfits off our worlds!"
By the end of the rant Hauptmann Wernz was almost shouting and half the room had turned to listen and as he stood there red faced from too much wine and too much anger the entire room went silent. Even the small orchestra stopped playing.
Leftenant Colonel Christifori stood up slowly, clearly holding onto his own temper now. "If I have caused offense by my compliments Hauptmann I apologies. As I said I had wanted to express my personal thanks for how you and your unit conducted themselves, particularly given that my sister had been a member of that protest. You want me off your worlds, Hauptmann, this IS my world. I was born here. I grew up here. My family are here. Now as your Kommandant has said, I think you have had too much to drink and I think you should retire. I'm sure the mess sergeant can show you to a room where you can sleep off the drink. If you still feel so strongly in the morning, then you can call upon me or send your seconds. Dueling is still legal here on Thorin last time I checked. I will be happy to waive the differences in our rank. Goodnight, Hauptmann."
His face going pale as the gravity of his situation hammered home to him past the wine which had fogged his thinking Hauptmann Wernz glanced at the absolutely furious face of his Kommandant and then up towards the main table where Colonel O'Connell looked ready to order him shot out of hand before staggering from the room and then building to half collapse on the outside wall a few dozen feet from the lit doorway before retching and going down to his knees to vomit up what little of the steak he had managed to force himself to eat. As he heaved and retched on his knees he suddenly became aware of a large figure standing in the semi darkness. Looking up and frantically trying to wipe the vomit from his chin and uniform jacket he found himself staring at a tough looking sergeant in an AFFS dress uniform. With an almost bland lack of interest in his eyes the sergeant reached down and helped him to his feet ignoring the vomit. "There you go sir, if you will follow me... Like the Colonel said, I can get you a room on base where you can sleep of the wine sir... Steady sir... If you lean on me, yes sir like that... Now... It's only a few hundred yards..."