Return To The Party

[NS]

As the evening wore on, the party began to thin out and Commander Smith kept a watchful eye on Admiral Thorndike for the “Old Man” to signal when the festivities were over.

It was a little before midnight when the Admiral walked up to the Commander. The Admiral’s uniform was still immaculate and the creases of his trousers razor sharp. Only his teary eyes and the fact that the top button of his “choker collar” was undone gave any hint that he might be less than sober.

“Richard,” he said in a conspiratorial voice, “those two Council Members have expressed interest in seeing the city’s nightlife.”

He jerked his head backwards to indicate two of the few guests remaining. “Specifically, the Strip. Want to tag along?”

“In full dress uniform, Sir?”

“Eh?” the Admiral looked down at himself, as if seeing how he was dressed for the first time. He hesitated for a moment. Having Junior Officers and Enlisted Men seeing him in the dives and clip-joints would be bad for discipline. But then again, he needed support in the General Council to get funding for the rest of his ships. Deciding on the lesser of two evils, he answered, “Sure. Why not?”