Post by purplebelly on Sept 25, 2011 10:17:30 GMT -5
Hoffman's career had been a long and bloody one, he had led men, he had fought beside his men, and even bled beside his men on more planets than he cared to remember. So many years spent in uniform, so many things he had never done with his life, he had never married, he would never have a legitimate son to carry on his family name, he had spent his youth draped under the cloak of the Alliance, which modeled a scared and young child into the Blood and Balls Colonel that he was today. But out of it all, he never regretted his life, not one bit, it made him into a man, forged in fire, he could proudly say that he had done what few others in the Verse could, and that alone meant something to him, but most importantly, he had his Regiment; they were his family.
Even as his career was on its last leg, as he was nearing the last mark's of his service, he was still more than willing to take on a new assignment, and spend some quality time with his old war buddies. These men were fellow classmates of his back in the day, most of which were POG's, but a few that had survived the Unification War, and the later Uprising, they were there, and they were the ones to which Hoffman held the closest bond to, they were like his brothers. Most of which were General's, who got promoted more often than Hoffman, who originally denied an earlier promotion so he could stick with his Regiment, and were lounging back at the Alliance Military Headquarters on Osiris.
"Here's to a lifetime in uniform, to a bunch of old dogs", the officers raised their glasses high in the air, their arms locked firmly, like tree branches, they shouted their approval to the toast, the men in the room, seated at the wooden, oval table, were all clad in their best dress uniforms, chest's decorated with medals and ribbons displaying their acts of bravery or the campaigns they had fought in, a parade of color against the drab uniforms that wrapped around them. These were all men of a different age, all of them had served years before the Unification War, and what seemed like a lifetime ago today, they were men of a different age, they were old dogs.
The shouting died down as they all tossed back their glasses, letting the old scotch rush past their lips and run down their throats. "There's not enough o's in smooth to describe this" Hoffman said, letting his glass rest on the coaster before him, he looked around the room, getting a look at all the faces, the familiar faces. "All you POG's are keeping the good alcohol behind the lines, wish I had this stuff back on U-Day, would've made for one hell of a celebration" the gruff old man said, his silver birds displayed proudly on his collar. But his comment called out quite a chuckle, "Hoffman, if we gave you this stuff, we'd still be fighting the Unification War" General Brody said with a slight chuckle, leaning back in his leather chair as he poured himself another glass, the scotch a stark contrast to the clear crystal.
"If I had some of this, it might of gave the men more motivation, hell, we might be celebrating U Day years earlier. But what you've got me doing now is worse, moving my Regiment out of the Core planet to baby sit some moon, a serious mis-allocations of vital Alliance resources. Besides we're starting to get comfy here on Osiris, its nice" Hoffman retorted, sliding his glass over to the man with the triple stars on his collar, the same man who had smacked his comment down not a minute ago.
"Well Colonel, we thought you might fancy a trip outside of the Core Planets once more, see the Verse again, you know, the usual. Besides, we get to stick you on the Esteem for a bit, and get you out of our hair, well whats left of it anyways. Besides, a couple more tours like this, and its bye bye birdy, and hello pretty star" the General said, as the other officers had devolved into conversation amongst themselves, to which he didn't really bother to pay any attention to, his concern was the General. "Huh, I never thought I'd get a promotion without being stuck in a war, I guess the times are changing fast, might be hard to stay with them" he replied, taking his glass, and taking a swig of the scotch. "Ha, we've gotta be able to teach old dogs new tricks, a Marine knows that more than anyone". Adapt and overcome, that was what Marines did, they were the tip of the spear for the Alliance, always in the thick of it, there was nothing they couldn't do, even if they weren't trained for it, they would adapt and excel at it; at least that's what had been beaten into everyone Marine's skull since day one.
Managing a faint smile, Hoffman removed a cigarette from his carton, resting firmly on the table, it was a nasty habit he had picked up when he was young, and was only reinforced during his time in the Marines, everyone smoked, it was a social thing, a stress reliever, it was just something everyone at the bottom did. He let his lips hold the butt of the cigarette, it drooped slightly as he pulled out his ornate, metallic lighter, it was engraved with his initials, it was a gift to himself, since he always had the problem of people stealing his lighters. In a swift motion a small flame leaped into the air, crackling as he leaned in closer, letting the tip of his cigarette touch the flame, it glowed slightly as he inhaled, letting the smoke rush in, he pulled back, closing the lighter and setting it down as he turned back to the General, exhaling a cloud of smoke into the air, he took hold of it with his right hand, letting it rest over the ash tray, "The 302nd will be ready, might need to split up the deployment, I don't think that Crete Class will hold all my men, not like the Tohoku Class, now those things are something I'll miss dearly, weak on the armor and weaponry, but they're a giant city, perfect for transporting, spent the better part of my career on-board one". Moving the cigarette back to his mouth, he took another drag, holding his breath a little, he let the smoke linger before exhaling once more, tapping the cigarette slightly and knocking the ash off it, "But I'll have 1st and 2nd Battalions mobilized by tomorrow night, it'll take some time to re-organize things, but we should the first element of the Regiment planet-side a week before the rest of the Regiment arrives" Hoffman said calmly, he was taking things slow, but he wanted to establish a base for his troops before most of them got there, no need to continue the tradition of chaos that came with relocation, like the ones during the Unification War. 6,000 Marines on a new planet with no set logistical lines would wreak havoc on Regimental Command, not to mention the Divisional Headquarters, so it was best to take your time when in situations like these.
"Slower than I would like Colonel" the General replied, not looking so pleased, drawing in the attention of an Alliance Army Corps of Engineer Major, who turned and grinned, "Better to be late but ready than early but unprepared, especially the closer you get towards the border planets. Unless we've all forgotten about the infamous delays during the Unification War that always seemed to give the Indies the chance to dig in while we waited to mobilize our forces." A scowl from General Brody made the Major's grin fade, "Major Lewis, you were still busting your way through the NCO ranks while we were leading charge against those rebels, and the only problems we ever had were hotshot officers like the Colonel here, advancing too far into enemy territory and having their supply lines cut", "That happened once General, and if I remember correctly the orders I had were to take out the Independent HQ, no one informed me or my Company that the enemy had reinforcements coming in on my left flank, seems like Military Intelligence let that one slip".
The heated discussions were not uncommon, some booze in them, and they got more open, and little more unprofessional, but it was a rare occasion that they gathered. "You can blame Major-General Hower for that" the General said, offering up a faint smirk as he pulled out a cigar, "Light Colonel?" he asked, and Hoffman replied by sliding the lighter across the the table, "Thank you Colonel". "So the mobilization of my Regiment wouldn't be part of something bigger, would it General? I hate being kept in the dark", "No Colonel, you're going to sit tight on that moon and look menacing, and make sure that moon stays in Alliance control, simple as that", "Yeah, I've heard that one before".
The gathering went on for a few more hours, but members generally began to disappear, having to return home or back to base, and the few had nothing to drink we're leaving as they had to go back to work, but Hoffman and General Broady were the last there, trailed by Major Lewis, Hoffman had to dismiss himself, he needed to get some rest before starting work tomorrow, he bid himself farewell, thanking the General for the scotch, he dusted off his uniform and stepped out, taking an Alliance shuttle back to base, returning a few hours before the crack of dawn, it was going to be a long day.
Even as his career was on its last leg, as he was nearing the last mark's of his service, he was still more than willing to take on a new assignment, and spend some quality time with his old war buddies. These men were fellow classmates of his back in the day, most of which were POG's, but a few that had survived the Unification War, and the later Uprising, they were there, and they were the ones to which Hoffman held the closest bond to, they were like his brothers. Most of which were General's, who got promoted more often than Hoffman, who originally denied an earlier promotion so he could stick with his Regiment, and were lounging back at the Alliance Military Headquarters on Osiris.
"Here's to a lifetime in uniform, to a bunch of old dogs", the officers raised their glasses high in the air, their arms locked firmly, like tree branches, they shouted their approval to the toast, the men in the room, seated at the wooden, oval table, were all clad in their best dress uniforms, chest's decorated with medals and ribbons displaying their acts of bravery or the campaigns they had fought in, a parade of color against the drab uniforms that wrapped around them. These were all men of a different age, all of them had served years before the Unification War, and what seemed like a lifetime ago today, they were men of a different age, they were old dogs.
The shouting died down as they all tossed back their glasses, letting the old scotch rush past their lips and run down their throats. "There's not enough o's in smooth to describe this" Hoffman said, letting his glass rest on the coaster before him, he looked around the room, getting a look at all the faces, the familiar faces. "All you POG's are keeping the good alcohol behind the lines, wish I had this stuff back on U-Day, would've made for one hell of a celebration" the gruff old man said, his silver birds displayed proudly on his collar. But his comment called out quite a chuckle, "Hoffman, if we gave you this stuff, we'd still be fighting the Unification War" General Brody said with a slight chuckle, leaning back in his leather chair as he poured himself another glass, the scotch a stark contrast to the clear crystal.
"If I had some of this, it might of gave the men more motivation, hell, we might be celebrating U Day years earlier. But what you've got me doing now is worse, moving my Regiment out of the Core planet to baby sit some moon, a serious mis-allocations of vital Alliance resources. Besides we're starting to get comfy here on Osiris, its nice" Hoffman retorted, sliding his glass over to the man with the triple stars on his collar, the same man who had smacked his comment down not a minute ago.
"Well Colonel, we thought you might fancy a trip outside of the Core Planets once more, see the Verse again, you know, the usual. Besides, we get to stick you on the Esteem for a bit, and get you out of our hair, well whats left of it anyways. Besides, a couple more tours like this, and its bye bye birdy, and hello pretty star" the General said, as the other officers had devolved into conversation amongst themselves, to which he didn't really bother to pay any attention to, his concern was the General. "Huh, I never thought I'd get a promotion without being stuck in a war, I guess the times are changing fast, might be hard to stay with them" he replied, taking his glass, and taking a swig of the scotch. "Ha, we've gotta be able to teach old dogs new tricks, a Marine knows that more than anyone". Adapt and overcome, that was what Marines did, they were the tip of the spear for the Alliance, always in the thick of it, there was nothing they couldn't do, even if they weren't trained for it, they would adapt and excel at it; at least that's what had been beaten into everyone Marine's skull since day one.
Managing a faint smile, Hoffman removed a cigarette from his carton, resting firmly on the table, it was a nasty habit he had picked up when he was young, and was only reinforced during his time in the Marines, everyone smoked, it was a social thing, a stress reliever, it was just something everyone at the bottom did. He let his lips hold the butt of the cigarette, it drooped slightly as he pulled out his ornate, metallic lighter, it was engraved with his initials, it was a gift to himself, since he always had the problem of people stealing his lighters. In a swift motion a small flame leaped into the air, crackling as he leaned in closer, letting the tip of his cigarette touch the flame, it glowed slightly as he inhaled, letting the smoke rush in, he pulled back, closing the lighter and setting it down as he turned back to the General, exhaling a cloud of smoke into the air, he took hold of it with his right hand, letting it rest over the ash tray, "The 302nd will be ready, might need to split up the deployment, I don't think that Crete Class will hold all my men, not like the Tohoku Class, now those things are something I'll miss dearly, weak on the armor and weaponry, but they're a giant city, perfect for transporting, spent the better part of my career on-board one". Moving the cigarette back to his mouth, he took another drag, holding his breath a little, he let the smoke linger before exhaling once more, tapping the cigarette slightly and knocking the ash off it, "But I'll have 1st and 2nd Battalions mobilized by tomorrow night, it'll take some time to re-organize things, but we should the first element of the Regiment planet-side a week before the rest of the Regiment arrives" Hoffman said calmly, he was taking things slow, but he wanted to establish a base for his troops before most of them got there, no need to continue the tradition of chaos that came with relocation, like the ones during the Unification War. 6,000 Marines on a new planet with no set logistical lines would wreak havoc on Regimental Command, not to mention the Divisional Headquarters, so it was best to take your time when in situations like these.
"Slower than I would like Colonel" the General replied, not looking so pleased, drawing in the attention of an Alliance Army Corps of Engineer Major, who turned and grinned, "Better to be late but ready than early but unprepared, especially the closer you get towards the border planets. Unless we've all forgotten about the infamous delays during the Unification War that always seemed to give the Indies the chance to dig in while we waited to mobilize our forces." A scowl from General Brody made the Major's grin fade, "Major Lewis, you were still busting your way through the NCO ranks while we were leading charge against those rebels, and the only problems we ever had were hotshot officers like the Colonel here, advancing too far into enemy territory and having their supply lines cut", "That happened once General, and if I remember correctly the orders I had were to take out the Independent HQ, no one informed me or my Company that the enemy had reinforcements coming in on my left flank, seems like Military Intelligence let that one slip".
The heated discussions were not uncommon, some booze in them, and they got more open, and little more unprofessional, but it was a rare occasion that they gathered. "You can blame Major-General Hower for that" the General said, offering up a faint smirk as he pulled out a cigar, "Light Colonel?" he asked, and Hoffman replied by sliding the lighter across the the table, "Thank you Colonel". "So the mobilization of my Regiment wouldn't be part of something bigger, would it General? I hate being kept in the dark", "No Colonel, you're going to sit tight on that moon and look menacing, and make sure that moon stays in Alliance control, simple as that", "Yeah, I've heard that one before".
The gathering went on for a few more hours, but members generally began to disappear, having to return home or back to base, and the few had nothing to drink we're leaving as they had to go back to work, but Hoffman and General Broady were the last there, trailed by Major Lewis, Hoffman had to dismiss himself, he needed to get some rest before starting work tomorrow, he bid himself farewell, thanking the General for the scotch, he dusted off his uniform and stepped out, taking an Alliance shuttle back to base, returning a few hours before the crack of dawn, it was going to be a long day.