The Marine

Standing in the entrance’s doorway, Bill looked around for familiar faces and quickly found a familiar red nosed middle aged Marine arguing with another Marine who had a handlebar mustache.

Thinking that Foxy better not be causing trouble, Bill started heading over in that direction when before he got 5 steps from the entrance a shoving match started up.

Foxy, Hamberg, Porche, and several other members of his Department began shoving another group of Marines, and while that wasn’t surprising, what did surprise Bill was when he found Nelson standing behind the group and not saying a word.

Nelson could be said to be a lot of things, but he wasn’t a coward, and he wasn’t shy.

Having crossed more than half the room, suddenly a bottle was thrown by both sides.

The Marine with the handlebar mustache got hit, and bleeding lightly from his cheek, the bar’s other patrons saw the commotion and stopped doing whatever they were doing and started watching. After all, the vast majority of civilians wouldn’t want to get involved with fighting Marines, and anyway, it would be a good show for them if Marines began to fight.

Unfortunately for the crowd, Bill made it in time before fists started flying, and shouting for them all to stand down, the Marines on his side did just that.

As for the other group, it took a little bit longer, but soon enough they noticed his ‘Commodore’ insignia and followed suit.

Shaking his head, Bill didn’t speak immediately, but instead sat down on a stool at the bar.

He knew he had to say something but didn’t want the public to see him scolding the men too hard, so leaning his big upper body on the counter he turned to speak, but before he could the entrance door burst open and in walked a Marine who looked like a zombie.

Bill didn’t recognize this person, but soon learned the man’s identity from the chattering onlookers.

“Oh, Captain T-Bone is known to not like it when his men are hurt.”

“Captain T-Bone is gonna…”

“Captain T-Bone will…”

“Captain T-Bone…”

Bill didn’t care about what these people were saying, he was too busy being awed by the ugliness of the Marine Swordsmen who inspired Sasha.

He had never been one to judge based on looks, but this T-Bone had no forehead and a face that drooped down, only being held up by an extended neck that didn’t look possible.

Put all together with the man’s gray skin, hell Bill thought, he looked like roadkill!

Apparently not knowing what Bill was thinking T-Bone bravely walked up to Bill, looking at him eye-to-eye because Bill was sitting, and said: “Hello fine Sir, now I first ask, do you know the chivalric custom regarding what masters must do when their subordinates’ squabble?”

“Chivalry?” Bill asked, thinking of a term he had literally not thought about in nearly 30 years at this point.

“Yes, Honored Sir, the chivalric custom states that masters must be responsible for the actions of their charges, and in this case…” as he spoke, T-Bone put his hand on the hilt of his sword, and wide-eyed onlookers began to back away.

As for the Marines, T-Bone’s men looked glad, while Bill’s men looked as if they were ready to watch an execution and more than one of the new recruits nudged for Nelson to interfere.

But, after years of understanding Bill’s personality, Nelson would not step forward in opposition to him publicly unless the situation was dire.

“we masters must do battle for no less than 30 minutes.”

When he said these words, the onlookers in the bar scattered and Bill looked at this Captain as if he were a simpleton before finally saying: “No, I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

Then, thinking that this ‘T-Bone’ may actually be a simpleton, Bill continued: “Listen, wouldn’t it be more in line with chivalry and errantry for us to put on a model example for the people under our charge? Surely as men, and as allies for that matter, we shouldn’t be so quick to resort to blows.”

Hearing this well thought out response, T-Bone removed his hand from the hilt of his blade and said: “Your Grace, you speak the truth. But as the dye has already been cast and as my Lieutenant Hardy has been given such a grievous wound, now we must do battle for honors sake.”

Glancing over at the Marine with the handlebar mustache, who had a small cut on his face, Bill looked back at T-Bone and said: “I don’t want to fight you, and don’t think it’s a very good idea to do so in the first place.”

Troubled by this response, T-Bone asked Bill ‘why not’ and was told: “I’m not angry with you and I don’t think this is going to send the chivalric message to your men that you seem to think it will.”

Stumped again by this response, T-Bone paused for a long few seconds before saying with an enlightened ‘a-hah!’

“I have the remedy for this, your Grace.

Before the fight, I will come up to you and give you a few good slaps to the face and knock you to the ground.

And that will be enough to rouse your anger, even if it’s sleeping like a baby!”

At this point, Bill was really getting angry and felt that his magnanimous offer to not fight was starting to make him look weak in front of his men.

So, shaking his head, he pulled the war hammer off his belt and put it down hard on the bar before saying: “Well, I think I have you one better.

Before you come over to deliver your slaps, I’ll give you a few whacks with my hammer, and put your anger into a sleep that will last into the next world where they know I am not a man to allow anyone to lay hands on my face!”

Then, quickly catching himself before he got carried away and really did whack this unfortunate madman, Bill added: “Now listen here!

It’s best to allow everyone’s anger stay asleep because no man knows another man’s heart and, if a cornered mouse will attack a cat, then god blessed peace and cursed fights because who knows what a cornered man will do!”

With this last line said, Bill truly wouldn’t be lenient with T-Bone, and seeing the Captain still not respond, Bill stood up from the barstool and said: “Now, I’m letting you know, that any damage that results from our fight will land squarely on your head since everyone here can attest that I tried to prevent it.”

T-Bone was not small, but a 6 1/2-foot-tall man looked like a child next to a 9ft tall man, and looking up at Bills face, he nodded his head and said: “I understand, that’s alright.” Before reaching down for his blade, he apparently intended to go through with the folly.

Shrugging his shoulders, Bill wasn’t going to hurt the ugly Captain too badly, but maybe knock out another one of his teeth, when suddenly Nelson moved in between them and speaking to Bill first said: “Commodore, I just need a moment to tell my tale.” And getting Bill’s permission, Nelson turned to T-Bone and told him the story between Hardy and himself.

This was a story that even Bill didn’t know but it was one where a privileged, yet dejected, nobleman took his insecurities out on the men serving under him.

Listening intently to Nelson’s history, Bill could piece out what had happened in the bar.

Nelson, having come to drink, ran into his former Lieutenant and that former Lieutenant started a quarrel due to the previous unjust treatment he had received.

Nelson, though same in many ways had reformed enough to feel ashamed of his old self, and in his silence Foxy, Porche, and Hamberg stepped in.

Even though Foxy wasn’t fond of Nelson, and vice versa, it was the principal of the matter.

Like siblings who will fight tooth and nail with each other yet will not tolerate someone else doing so to their kin, Foxy likewise was not about to allow anyone else to berate Nelson so easily.

Soon after that, the shoving match started, bottles were thrown, and then Bill arrived.

At the end of Nelson’s story, T-Bone had removed his hand from the hilt of his blade and with tears in his eyes said: “I see, yes, I understand.

A conflict between master and charge, knight and squire, or father and son, can not be easily interfered with since nobody knows one better than the other.”

Then, turning to Hardy, T-Bone said: “But, seeing as your former master has mended his ways, can you my Lieutenant not forgive him, even if it’s only on the behalf of your current, worthless, master?”

Listening to this, and seeing Lieutenant Hardy tearing up himself, Bill shook his head very slightly and worried about the state of the Marines.

“hic’… Yes, Captain, even though he tortured us, on your behalf I’ll forgive him… hic’…”

Bill had seen grown men cry before but never for something that seemed so insignificant and thinking that something more must be to the story, he glared at Nelson while the Lieutenant opened up and started shedding a torrent of tears.

After the waterworks were done, Nelson and Foxy walked away together and Bill turned back to the bar, poured himself some of the peach cider – which was essentially wine he thought – and took a few sips.

With a thud beside him, T-Bone sat down on the stool next to him, with his metal breastplate clanking off the bar he pulled out a flask of water, and taking a sip asked Bill: “Sir, I must thank you for your providence a moment ago. Had I had my way, I would have made a mistake and hurt you. And before I realized I was wrong; the deed would have already been done.”

Still looking straight, Bill cut his eyes to the side, but in the end decided that he didn’t have anything to prove, so changed the topic by responding: “So, you follow Chivalry then?”

“Indeed, your Grace, it’s a burden that I gladly bear.” Answered T-Bone in a serious tone, but then turning the question back to Bill said: “I see you do not bear that burden, but you seem to me an astute man, so tell me you Grace, what does Chivalry mean to you?”

“Hah!” Bill laughed despite himself, having been an English teacher in the later part of his past life, he had probably asked many students this question when reviewing some short story.

But seeing that he had to say something, Bill didn’t start to reminisce about Earth and said: “Well, how about this, Chivalry is helping the defenseless and fighting the wicked?”

Nodding his head, T-Bone took another sip of his water can and said: “Indeed, and it is the understanding that [Virtue] is persecuted by the wicked more than it is loved by the good.”

Turning his head to look at T-Bone, Bill suddenly didn’t think the man was so crazy, and quietly said: “Yeah…”

After that, the two officers spoke for a long time about Chivalry, and for that time Bill wasn’t the powerful man he had become but could have been sitting down talking to a friend back on Earth.

They spoke about current events and the nearness of a new [Fleet Admiral] taking over – something Bill had learned would happen after the next few months, but since he had already agreed to go to [Gran Tesoro], he could only chalk it up to bad luck.

Once 9:30 hit, Bill told T-Bone he had to return to the ship due to curfew, but the two men agreed to meet the next day, and that gathering happen again on the last day that Bill and his Department would be at Water 7.

During these days the ship was restocked, the man had their fun, and Foxy and Nelson seemed to be seen together a lot.

For their last discussion about Chivalry, Bill asked how T-Bone how he saw the current era, to which the man answered: “Sir, neither good nor evil can last forever; and so, it follows that since this evil has lasted a long time, good must now be close at hand.”

Bill didn’t know if he agreed with that, but it made him again think T-Bone wasn’t as mad as he seemed.

Maybe, Bill thought as they sailed into the horizon, it was maddest of all to only see life as it is, and not as it should be.