The pretence and pomp that usually surrounded the aftermath of such a ceremony hung in the air with a dank putrid stench. He grew weary of the prefabricated facades of these Admirals and commanders who hid behind thier medals and uniforms, preaching to high heavens of thier list of killings and thier exaggerated victories. This of course only served to make them look that little bit more foolish.
As Jerix mingled through the crowd, he fidgeted with his locks of blonde hair which hung down in a traditional ponytailed-braid of his homeworld and sauntered into the throng of militaria. Most faces among the rabble were blank, displeased and uncertain. Being of military origins they thrived on the conflicts, but with this peace treaty thier careers seemed a little more obsolete. Nevertheless, thier duty to the Queen and the kingdom came first, as it was her bidding that peace be brought down to the cluster once more. In all fairness there were a few faces of a more genuine persuasion. Those who, other than he, had given thier very souls to ensure this even went ahead, so future generations of Hapans wouldn't be consumed in the filthy downward spiral of civil war.
As he gazed forward, not looking at anything in particular, something, or rather, someone caught his attention. It was Kashlinkov, his arch-nemesis of sorts, a man akin to his himself even if his allegiances lay on the other side of the fence.
Jerix tipped his orange-tinted glasses toward the end of his nose and prepared to move in for the kill and confront the Commadore when a firm grip tugged on his bicep, turning his attention in the other direction.
As he came around 180 degrees, he was greeted by the pig-esque countenance of his second, Dae Kildare. The man's retractedly flat nose stuck out at him, thier eyes locking in a questioning fashion.
"What is it?" He questioned, evidently agitated at the harsh and untimely interruption by his number two.
"I'm sorry to bother you sir, but there's someone I would like you to meet."
With his firm grip intact, Kildare led his commander away from the inevitable and back toward the Naval bores.
Coming to an abrubt stop outside a small circle of seemingly rich and well decorated officers, Kildare let out a small gentlemenly cough in order to gain the attention of a Commander who's back was turned to the diminuitive man.
The turning man's expression was equally as clueless as Jerix' until his eyes caught sight of him.
"Ahh, you must be Macor!. How thoroughly invigorating it is to meet you." Said the Commander with an almost siesmic grip on Jerix' hand.
"I've heard much about you my old boy! I must congratulate you on your victory at Maires a few months ago,"
Jerix nodded as the man continued to babble, and became seemingly mesmorized with his cigar that was dangling dangerously close to the Commander's wirey white beard. In the back of his mind, Jerix was willing the cigar to fall and set his beard alight, anything to bring an ounce of excitement to the dreary day's events.
Noticing the embaressingly bored look on Jerix' face, Kildare interjected with a timely comment about the actual proceedings at hand.
"So, Commander Zenk, where do you stand on this peace treaty?"
"The treaty?" Said the Commander, momentarily puzzled. "Oh yes the treaty. Well initally I was against the entire fiasco. Nothing but trouble I thought. I must say I have warmed to it over time."
Kildare let out a mischevously defiant cackle. "This peace wont last and you know it Commander, this is merely a ceasefire until someone cracks again, and we'll be back where we were in the first place, plugging blaster bolts up each other's asses."
An uneasy pause dropped upon the trio like a tonne weight, that continued to pile on the pressure with each passing second, until Jerix, who had been silent thus far, released a sentance.
"HA! You're such a joker Kildare. HA!." He chuckled nervously, attempting to ease the Commander who would have, if he hadnt intervened when he did, killed Kildare where he stood.
Gripping Dae on the arm, much like he had done ealier, he led his opinionated officer away, while shooting a fake smile back toward the disgruntled Commander Zenk as a clear sigh washed across Jerix' face.