Thanks from the Minister of Defense...
Category: HNN Broadcasted on 14. Febuary 2003 - 05:36:26hrs Author HNN News Reporter Comments: 0
A very, very tall man with a rough face and a hard demeanor, dark eyes, and the look of a man who'd seen a battle too many steps up to the podium in the main auditorium of the Admiralty House on Hapes. He glances over the crowd, nodding to several members of the military, his face darkening as he paused briefly on the assembly of reporters sitting directly before him. Behind him, emblazoned on a large standard is the symbol of the Hapes Consortium, standing proud on the stage, a beacon announcing that it was larger than any on stage before it.
The man shuffles through a few old-fashioned paper notes, then looks up, ready to face the crowd and the holo-cameras.
"My Fellow Hapans," he begins, his voice solemn but firm, "I come before you today to do something that I have put off for far too long. I have avoided this duty for months now, but I feel the delay was appropriate."
He looks over to the officers seated to his right.
"During my time in office, several officers in his Majesty's service have often gone unrecognized for their diligent and arduous labors to accomplish the tasks required and duties demanded of them. Many are the officers who deserve recognition in this regard, but so very few are those who receive it."
He looks up to the cameras, purpose burning in his eyes.
"But no more."
He pauses to let the brief murmurs in the crowd die down before continuing.
"I am not here to award medals, sadly, but to vocally present my thanks and pleasure with the service of these officers, through the best and the worst of times. These officers have served in their posts, regardless of the obsticals placed in their way, the unnecessary hardships brought down upon them, and my consistent prodding and nagging."
He cracks a slight, crooked smile as the officers chuckle. When the laughing and nodding carry on longer than he prefers, he glances over at them with a deadpan face and they quiet down, though the smiles are still plastered on their faces.
"The first such officer I wish to recognize is Contra Admiral Liat Shiel, one of our longest and most dedicated fleet commanders. Admiral Shiel has performed his duty above and beyond my greatest expectations time and time again, never failing to do the necessary for king and country. He has suffered blows not only to his person, but to his image and reputation not because they were warranted, but because they were necessary for the Consortium at the time. These blows were largely my fault and I apologize for them still, but he has weathered them with the conviction and the determination that has always been his hallmark. If it were in my power to award him a title of nobility, I would, for he has earned it far more than most. For all that, I am most grateful and hope that he will remain with us for years to come."
He nods to the fleet commander, sitting in the front row, then turns to the man to his side.
"The next to receive my thanks is Commander Marcus Bayne, our current head of naval recruitment and a pillar of stability amongst our mid-level officers. His productivity and willingness to serve can not be overstated. In many projects, he has come through not only for myself, but his Majesty as well. He has moved up swiftly through the ranks and I expect to see great things out of him in the future."
A slight knowing smile is given to the young officer before the minister turns to his next target.
"Ah, my next victim shall be a man who seems to have matched Commander Bayne step for step: Captain Jaeld Alteir. Another fast-mover in the ranks, Captain Alteir now heads up the administrative side of our naval affairs as the Exectuve Chief of Naval Forces. He has proven to be a stable, efficient officer who seeks to help rebuild the Royal Hapan Navy into what it once was: an example for all other navies to follow, both friend and foe."
"Of course," Minister Tyrridon says, withdrawing back into himself for a moment, "I do forget myself. I cannot forget two men who have recently stepped down from their austier posts. By this, I refer to former Chief of Naval Staff Vice Admiral Gane Lant and Contra Admiral Lord Alex Tylger, formerly of the now defunct Chief of Naval Operations position. Both of these men are responsible for restructuring the navy into its current state and for beginning the rebuilding process. Their initiative must not be forgotten, as it is what is expected of all officers in his Majesty's service."
"Returning, though, to current officers, I must not forget those of our land-based forces. By this, I refer to Sergeant Major Zidane Strife, who has served with distinction in the Royal Hapan Marine Corps for some time now. Though he remains in the mid-range as far as rank is concerned, his leadership and drive have earned him the right to step up and command our marines as a whole in the absense of their leader. His judgement and loyalty are unquestionable and for this do I give him my thanks."
A curt nod is extended to the sergeant major, who looks slightly uncomfortable, if with the air of arrogance and superiority expected of a marine, amongst all the naval personnel.
"Carrying on, I must make note of an officer who no longer serves within this ministry, but has in the past and continues to this day to be a friend and a guide when I search for the best answer to difficult questions. Senior Deputy Director Khan of the Ministry of Intelligence, has helped me solve many a puzzling, nearly unfathomable conundrum with the daring and pinache we have all come to expect from him. For this, I feel I do owe him was meager honor I can give him."
"We now come to the next to last person to be recognized here today. The record of my disputes with him are long, the content of those disputes the things of legends. Wars between us have been fought, blood spilled, and insults flung from one end of the galaxy to the other. And yet, even I cannot dispute the contribution that Lieutenant General Steve "Falcon" Rainey has made to the Hapan marines. While I disagree on so many points with him, he has always done his absolute best to do what he believes is right for his command, even when the minister above him was dead set against it. It takes courage to do this, which he has in abundence. That, I will never be able deny. And so, dispite come what may, I do thank you for your service, General Rainey."
The minister's eyes shift to one last officer, the one who seems most relaxed. In fact, he sits slouched in his chair, his legs extended and crossed before him, arms behind the two empty seats to either side of him, and his dress uniform tunic open. A bold grin upon his face taunts the minister and he shows no intention of fixing his appearance.
"The final is my bane, my boon, the bittersweet officer who does so much, and yet so very little. He is lazy, unkempt, and smells. His bearded is full of flees and he hasn't trimmed it since he graduated from the academy. In short, he's a bum. But he's a bum I wouldn't want to be without. He's helped me through the worst of times, holding on to the fragments of the navy for dear life, riding a rollercoaster through hell and back with me, serving not so much as a subordinate than as a partner the entire way. He is my right-hand-man and my trusted friend. And thus, I thank you more than you will ever know, Contra Admiral Lord Andrew Starfyre."
He looks up to the cameras once more, but the mischief remains behind his eyes.
"These are the officers of his Majesty's service, the ones who have helped me every step of the way. Whatever success I have met with in my duties and actions, they are the ones to be thanked, not I. They have advised, corrected, and implemented everything that has come about in the last several months and shall remain instrumental in that process in the times to come."
"My friends, I foresee hard times before Hapes yet. But with officers as dedicated, loyal, and self-sacrificing as these, there is absolutely no doubt in my mind that was shall weather the storms before us and emerge strong and ready for the next. Thank you."
Minister Tyrridon declines the dozens of questions from the reporters as he turns and walks off the stage to meet the officers who have moved from their seats to meet him. Together, they leave the chambers together, a team, a brotherhood, going to do what has united them all...
To defend the Consortium.
Comments (0)