Hap and Anastasia finished their food and crossed the street. As they approached the large open gate they could see a ready-made checkpoint had been erected in the middle of the tunnel. There was still plenty of room to accommodate ground vehicles. The wall was probably 5 or 6 meters thick, making a tunnel to enter the fortress. As they approached the checkpoint the young Soldier manning it watched them closely. When they got close Hap and Anastasia each offered him their blood chits. Wordlessly he took them, and swiped them in his was a faint beep from the computer and then the Soldier snapped to attention and saluted when he recognized they were officers.
Hap returned his salute and noted the soldier's crisp salute and professionalism as he waited for Hap to drop his salute first. With courtesies out of the way the Soldier said, "Sir, I'm glad to see you two."
Hap and Anastasia exchanged confused glances, "Why is that Sergeant?"
"Mechwarriors, Sir. We got an infantry platoon and a couple APCs to defend the embassy and get everyone to the starport, but if the Compact's succession goes sideways, and the Capellans invade, or the terrorist bring some real hardware to the fight, I'd rather have 'mechs backing me up. There's a lot of uncertainty here right now."
"Oh we're not-" Anastasia started to say.
"We're working with a mercenary unit that was hired to help with the terrorists. I don't know how long we'll be on St. Ives, Sergeant, but we'd certainly help your unit evacuate if it came to that." Hap said.
"Thank you, Sir." The Sergeant said as he handed the chits back to Hap. "Who are you here to see?"
"Colonel Bruckner, the Defense Attaché." Anastasia said, "We have an appointment."
The Sergeant nodded as he picked up a phone, "It's probably already been canceled." He said as he dialed the extension. In a moment he was speaking to someone, "No. They're here at the gate. It's a Captain and Subaltern. I'm not going to tell them that. You need to meet with them Corporal, also they're not in uniform so look for their blue badges." The exchange went on a little longer, and it was clear to the Sergeant was about to lose his professional decorum. He hung up and took a deep breath. "Ma'am, The Defense Attaché isn't in, but members of his office said they'll meet you in the cafeteria."
"They'll lead us to the Defense Attaché office from there?" Anastasia asked.
The Sergeant looked uncertain, "The Defense Attaché Office is a little less disciplined than what you're probably accustomed to, Ma'am."
"We noticed." Hap said flatly, "And we've been assigned to a mercenary unit for the last six months. We're accustomed to very little discipline, but that Corporal is so bad we could see his poor uniform and bad attitude from a parsec away."
"We weren't a parsec away, but he certainly doesn't share your military bearing, Sergeant. Also his uniform was…ill fitting, he may need a new larger one." Anastasia added
"You are correct Ma'am, he looks like 20 kilos of shit in a 10 kilo bag, but they don't make larger uniforms for his height."
Hap smirked as Anastasia tried to hide her smile. Hap noticed that behind the Sergeant were two more very fit and very professional looking soldiers standing by the embassy's main door. "I'm guessing Corporal Weber and Private Harmay aren't part of your outfit."
"Correct, Sir. They work exclusively for the DAT. If Corporal Weber were part of our unit he'd be busted down to private and would be doing PT from Breakfast to Dinner and cleaning latrines all night until he found his military bearing and could fit into a proper military uniform."
Hap gave Anastasia a sideways glance, "I'm suddenly looking forward to getting back to a line unit."
"You have every reason to look forward to it." Anastasia said.
Hap turned his attention back to the Sergeant. "We need to go talk to that 10 kilo bag of a Corporal and the Private he's likely leading astray. When we see the Defense Attaché we'll give him your recommendations."
"If you see him, sir." The Sergeant said grimly as he handed them security badges. "These are your badges while you're here. They will mark you as an AFFC military officer to everyone. I need you to return them to me when you leave. I hope your meeting with the Defense Attache staff goes well, and I'm sorry Colonel Bruckner was unavailable."
"He's canceled on us three times now." Hap said, "I'm starting, he doesn't want to talk to us."
"It's nothing personal sir, Colonel Bruckner just doesn't let work get in the way of his good time."
"Why have a Defense Attaché that never meets with anyone?" Anastasia said.
"We've been asking ourselves the same question, Ma'am." The Sergeant replied as he opened the man-gate portion of the barrier.
"Where's the Cafeteria?" Hap asked as Anastasia passed through the gate.
"Sir, if you go up the stairs, through the main entrance then back down the stairs you'll be on the main floor. The Cafeteria is just past the elevators, you can't miss it."
Hap and Anastasia climbed the stairs to the embassy, exchanged salutes with the guards, and used the badges to unlock the doors. To their surprise the inside of the pagoda was completely modern. There were some traditional embellishments such as dark stained woods, painted posts and engraved wall and ceiling tiles, but it had elevators, glassed walled office spaces and a large open cafeteria with tables spread evenly in the open area. The four floors that Hap could see had open mezzanines that looked over the entrance and cafeteria.
Hap and Anastasia walked down the stairs as a nearby elevator opened and two AFFS soldiers in uniform exited with several other people. The male soldier was extremely obese and sort of waddled behind the crowd. Next to him was the female soldier with an average slim build. She was following beside him as he seemed to be doing all the talking.
"Pardon me, Corporal Weber" Anastasia called out. A couple people stopped talking and looked in her direction. The young private paused, glanced over her shoulder and stopped. She tried to stop the Corporal but he brushed her hand off his arm and continued walking.
"Corporal Weber." Anastasia said again as she tried to quicken her step and catch up with the Soldier.
"Corporal Weber." Hap yelled in his command voice. Everyone in the cafeteria and the people on the mezzanine stopped talking and looked in his direction.
Corporal Weber labored to turn around as he shouted, "What? Oh it's you Captain."
In person the Corporal was worse than the Holo. He was morbidly obese and his round face had several wispy hairs around his chin and jaw. His hair had grown beyond regulations, and his uniform coat stretched over his large gut which peaked out from beneath it. His yellow rank, marking him as an admin Soldier, was poorly attached to his uniform, and his boots were scuffed and almost brown.
Anastasia quickly turned to face Hap and whispered, "This is an embassy, not a parade field or a 'mech garage. We cannot demean or discipline Soldiers here. No matter how badly it's warranted."
"Corporal, we need to go to the Defense Attaché' office now." Hap said. His voice was still commanding, but the volume was lower. It didn't matter though because everyone, from the cafeteria to the fourth floor mezzanine, had stopped talking and were watching the drama play out.
"I'm getting my lunch, and Bruckner isn't in." The Corporal snarled. "You'll have to wait, Captain." His tone made Hap's rank sound like an insult.
Hap was now standing in front of the Corporal and was speaking barely above a whisper. "Colonel Bruckner, Corporal, the Defense Attaché is a Colonel. Find your military bearing and use proper rank. Your uniform is a disgrace. There is no way you're within height and weight regulations, and if you don't start showing me and my wife the respect our rank demands I will choke slam all 150 kilos of you, even if I have to get in my Griffin to do it. Now, your lunch can wait. Let's go."
The corporal turned bright red, and eyed Hap angrily. "I don't work for you, and besides we didn't get all the forms we needed to schedule your appointment." He yelled like a belligerent child.
Anastasia turned to look at the female soldier, "Private Harmay, After I transmitted the files, I called you and you confirmed that you had received everything."
"I did receive them ma'am." Private Harmay was also turning red and looking at Corporal Weber for some explanation.
"You were supposed to give us Bios. Colonel Bruckner always requires Bios for officers he is going to meet." Corporal Weber spoke like he had outsmarted Hap and Anastasia.
"I didn't know…" The Private was almost in tears, "I'm so sorry ma'am I didn't know bios were required." She turned to the Corporal, "why didn't you tell me they needed Bios."
"Well you should have known." The Corporal told her smugly.
"If you didn't tell us, or her, how did you expect us to know to send you bios?" Now Anastasia was raising her voice.
"Doesn't matter because the Colonel won't see you without one." The Corporal replied, "Now I'm going to get my lunch." He gave Anastasia and Hap a dismissive wave with his hands. "Come back in an hour, and bring your bios and we'll reschedule you."
Hap considered grabbing the corporal's wrist, giving it a hard twist as he used his palm to drive the Corporal's elbow into his forehead to force his head to bounce off the nearest table. Hap was generally certain he could dislocate the corporal's shoulder before the table broke under the corporal's tremendous weight. As he weighed the consequences of that action two men approached the group of Soldiers.
One was a tall Caucasian man with red hair and a clean shaved face, the other was a shorter slightly overweight Asian man with a Fu Manchu mustache and balding gray-black hair. The Asian man was also a good twenty years older than everyone. He had a broad pleasant face and smiled as he approached, "Hey Private, it's clear you know you're talking to officers, maybe show some respect, stand at attention, try throwing a Sir or Ma'am in there. Also, I'm pretty sure scheduling the Colonel's calendar is your only real job, so why don't you do it before you put anything else in your fat belly."
"I'm a Corporal, and if you don't know anything about military rank and-"
"I know plenty. I fought in the Third Succession war, that's how I know if you keep talking like this to officers, you'll be lucky to keep those stripes. I also know if you were in a real unit right now, you'd be lucky to keep those teeth, because a Sergeant would be beating the hell out of you." Somehow the man still sounded friendly.
The Corporal looked at the short man carefully, "Where do you work?"
"Where do I work?" He exchanged looks with his taller friend, "Well if you don't know, then I could work anywhere, maybe I'm just another guy that scrubs the toilet, or maybe I'm someone that briefs the ambassador every day, and I could tell her that the DAT's enlisted are incompetent, disrespectful, and need to be replaced. The fourth succession war might be winding down but I think I can get you reassigned to a real unit. That way you can see a little action then you'll know how good you have it here. You want to try me?"
"No." The Corporal said slowly trying to determine if the man was bluffing.
"Hey, I'd say take your chances, because that's a good habit for people in combat to have." The Asian man went on, "By the way that Subaltern you're trying to shoo away like a fly, her Mother's a Countess and has a lot of political pull on New Avalon. Seems like a bad idea to piss her off. But you don't work for her, you work for some guy that's never around."
Anastasia's eyes flashed, "Perhaps you will be reassigned to Klathandu. I assure you, they don't need admin soldiers there, rather they need riflemen for patrols."
The Asian man laughed a joyful infectious laugh, "Yeah patrols, I remember those. You're too fat to fit in a combat vehicle so you'll be doing a lot of walking." The Asian man added. "Back in my day we'd take a fat ass like you and have you march in front of the vehicle. That way you'd set off any anti-tank or 'mech mine." He laughed charmingly like a grandpa at his own joke, "yeah fat asses got real thin real quick." His voice dropped, "or dead."
"I don't want to be reassigned." Private Harmay said suddenly and wide eyed. "Ma'am I'll take you up to the DAT office right now. We'll get this fixed."
"Smart girl. You should follow her Corporal, she's going places." The Asian man said as the private led Anastasia and Hap to the elevator. The Corporal begrudgingly waddled after them. As they left the Asian man added, "You might even be working for her before too long."
When the elevator doors opened Private Harmay, Anastasia and Hap entered the elevator. Hap turned around and put his hand up blocking the Corporal, "Go back and eat your lunch, Corporal. We're going to go finalize the appointment with your boss, and then we're going to send a communique to her mother, the High Lady and Protector of Hazelhurst, Countess of Calais Parmi Les Étoiles, Je'anne Amie'e Adelaide Capetain Vallois."
"Wait. Her mother really is a Countess?" The corporal whined.
"Bon Appetit Corporal." Anastasia added and Private Harmay pressed the button for the third floor. As the elevator doors closed Anastasia added, "I suggest you enjoy fresh fruits and vegetables while you may."