Chapter 5 - The Entire Officers Club Snaps To Rigid Attention
Two hundred pairs of eyes remained glued to the floor as I crossed the massive expanse of the dining hall.
The junior lieutenant who had tried to warn Hale earlier stood rigidly at attention, her salute sharp and proud.
I offered her a subtle, appreciative nod as I passed her table, acknowledging her quiet display of integrity.
Reaching the mahogany bar, I stopped two feet away from the trembling major who had mocked me minutes ago.
“At ease, everyone,” I commanded quietly, though my voice carried effortlessly to every corner of the room.
Two hundred officers relaxed their strained postures by a fraction, yet no one dared to sit back down.
Major Hale stood frozen, his hands pressed flat against the wooden counter to keep his knees from buckling completely.
“Is this how you treat visitors in your command, Major?” I asked, leaning slightly forward to inspect his ribbons.
“No, General! It was a terrible mistake, a lapse in judgment!” Hale blurted out in desperate self-defense.
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“A lapse in judgment implies you possess good judgment to begin with, which your actions severely disprove,” I replied.
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