The Demotion of Admiral Vardy

[David]

*insert date here* 2552

Admiral David Vardy

ONI Facility - Sword Base

Holding Cell.



“Alright Admiral” Came a sharp voice from the speaker. “Gather your things. You’re being released.”



“Huh.” Snorted Vardy. “About damn time. Love the hospitality.”



Grabbing his jacket and pad, Vardy strode over to the door and waited impatiently as the door slid open noiselessly. Outside there were two armed ODST waiting for him, MA5Bs at ease but still in arm.



“You won’t need those son.” Vardy said, Eyeing the rifles. “I won’t cause any problems.”



“No.” Came a voice from behind. “You’ll Nuke them from afar.”



Whirling around, Vardy came face to face with another Admiral who had a smirk on his face and what looked to be a chip on his shoulder a mile wide.



“Well. Admiral Pippins” Vardy replied with a sour tone. “A pleasure as always. Still an ass I see?”



“Only to people that betray their uniform.” Pippins replied, Still smirking. “How the hell you are even in the UNSC still is beyond me. You nuked an Admiral and yet somehow, The admiralty at HIGHCOM didn’t drum you out and throw you in a hole to rot.”



“Just lucky I guess.” Vardy replied. In truth, The admiral still felt terrible about what happened. He caused a calamity that damn near cost his dear friend Admiral Klix his life. How the hell he was still in service was beyond him as well.



“Yes. Well.” Pippings replied Tartly “The Admiralty still are deliberating your fate but have decided you are no longer a security risk for now. We are going to release you to Admiral Klix’s ship thats in orbit. Seems that he was the one to request your release to his custody.”



That took Vardy aback, Why Klix would have anything to do with him after such a monumental failing of judgement was beyond him. He had screwed up and almost cost him. It would definitely be a question he would ask when he got there.



“Indeed?.” Vardy replied, Trying to remain indifferent.”I guess I better be off.” and started to walk off when Pippins called from behind



“Try not to destroy anything on your way there. Much too costly.”



Grinding his teeth, Vardy strode down the hall to the waiting elevator and got in, Punched the button for the first floor and as the door closed, He raised his middle finger in an archaic yet satisfying salute to the other Admiral.



“Asshole” David muttered.

[MrKill]

Admiral Erik Klix
UNSC Iowa
2552

Klix was resting in his office when the door pad buzzed, so it took the aging naval officer some time to answer it from a dead sleep. He groaned slightly as he pushed himself up from his bunk, strode passed the oak desk in his quarters, and briefly stopped to eye the nearly empty bottle of whiskey sitting lazily near the edge of the table before proceeding towards the buzzing panel next to the door. He cleared his throat and pressed the 'OPEN' key.

The door slid open and revealed a young enlisted Marine donning the new 'TASK FORCE REAPER' unit patch on his sleeve, and the rank of Lance Corporal on his chest; sidearm was secured in his holster, but the latch was left loose for an easier draw. Latched, but loose. "Sorry to disturb you, sir, we just got word that our ODSTs were about to receive Vardy."

Klix thanked the young man, bid him farewell, and returned to the oak desk in his quarters. He grabbed the bottle of whiskey, and in one swift motion, flicked the lid off and drank what was left before even sitting down to an airy hiss! on the comfortable chair. It wasn't much, but the displeasure he had today demanded a looser atmosphere, and for what it was worth he was officially off duty now. Instead of climbing back into his bunk and falling asleep, Klix produced a set of felt containers and opened them.

Both of them contained a polished silver eagle, but both of them represented something entirely different to the individuals about to receive them. One signified the faltering capacities of HIGH COMMAND as the war progressed, while another signified the ineptitude of command decisions during a naval battle. Presenting both of them to each of these officers, likely on the same day, put a tremendous amount of stress on Klix.

He opened his drawer once again, pulled out another bottle of whiskey, and two paper files -- the CSV's of Admiral Vardy and Vice Admiral York.

"Fuck me," Klix groaned, twisting the cap of the bottle off with a Pop!. "Why did I agree to this?" Klix drank, and before he realized it an eighth of the bottle was already gone.

[David]

Admiral David Vardy
Shuttlecraft en-route to UNSC Iowa
2552

After going over the obligatory flight checks and checking in with ground control, The pilot smoothly lifted off from the pad that was part of ONI and flew into orbit. As the ground receded, Vardy felt more anxiety about his future. He was going to face the man that he had nearly killed. A man whom he called a good friend and one that had gotten him his freedom.

Something didn’t feel right about his meeting Klix like this. Pippins had put Vardy on edge, His casual mention of “Still deliberating” struck him as odd. Vardy knew damn well that it was either going to be a court martial, Or at best, a demotion. At this point, Vardy didn’t know what he would do in either case. Whether they would slap him in a desk job to rot again, Or put him back on the bridge of a ship. He supposed it depended on several factors, Witness reports, Briefings, Circumstances. A lot of things. Strangely, He felt at peace with the possibility of not being an Admiral. For what it was worth, He knew that as a Captain, He could be on the front lines and not have to worry about the red-tape that was the Admiralty.

The only real regret would be the ultimate dispensation of his old ship and his old crew. They were a tried and tested one. One that had been through many encounters and trials and had survived to tell the tale. He hoped that they would be re-assigned to someone that was more competent than he. Vardy then shook his head and amended that. It wasn’t that he wasn’t competent. He just made a bad decision, based on flawed information and bad timing. He had acted out of desperation. Not tactic. A mistake he would not repeat.

“Sir?” The pilot asked, Shaking Vardy out of his thoughts. “Sir the Iowa has cleared us for docking. Im bringing her in.”

Nodding, David then looked out the porthole at the Iowa. The marathon class cruiser had seem some better days. There were still points where you could see the damage Davids nuke had damaged the ship. However, It was fully functional and would likely be touched back up before going back out for deployment.

As the shuttle touched down on the shuttlepad, There was a slight bump and then the whining of the engines died down. The door then opened and as David went to stand up and leave, The pilot looked at him and said “For what it’s worth Admiral, I still believe in you.”

Smiling, David gave the pilot a pat on the shoulder and replied “Thank you son. That means a lot. Be safe.”

Stepping off the shuttlecraft, He was greeted by some of the crewmen who immediately snapped to attention, One going as far as to say “Admiral on deck!”

“Thank you. As you were” Vardy replied as he returned their salute. In truth, It felt weird for the crew to salute him. He didn’t feel as if he had earned the respect of the crew back. However he decided that until such time as his fate was decided, He would keep up his facade of the steely eyed, Rock solid Admiral.

Soon, After navigating through the halls of the Marathon class cruiser. David found himself outside Klix’s quarters where a Lance Corporal eyed him with what David recognised as thinly veiled disgust. A look that he had become all too accustomed to over the time he spent at the ONI facility. He also took note of the patch on the marine as well as the holstered weapon with the catch loose. He knew damn well that if provoked, He had orders to shoot first, ask questions later.

“Admiral Klix is expecting you sir.” The Corporal said in a professional and clipped voice. The voice of disgust barely hidden.

“Thank you Corporal. That will be all.” Vardy replied in his curt and stoic voice, Pretending to be unaffected by the young officers disgust. He then knocked on the door and then entered, Steeling himself for what lay ahead.

[MrKill]

Admiral Erik Klix
UNSC Iowa
Over Reach

When Vardy entered his quarters, Klix was just finishing a fork full of tender fish still flaking apart on the plate. He had collected his dinner after drinking half a bottle of whiskey, half a bottle too much for a flag officer in the UNSC Navy still aboard his command, but he had done what he did and there was no going back on it. His dinner was a roasted red pepper Salmon from Earth, broccoli and carrots covered in a creamy cheese sauce, a mashed potato patty with two freshly baked buns. It was almost all gone, and so too was the other half of the whiskey bottle.

Klix knew Vardy would instantly tell he was drinking, even the cook did, which is why he made it as greasy as he could. "Welcome," Klix slurred. "Take a seat, David." Klix forked a cooked carrot, mixing it around in the cheese sauce before stabbing a piece of broccoli and eating the combination. He looked up from his plate at the man who had nuked his ship, and any remorse he felt shed away like the fish on his plate.

The Admiral pushed his plate over to the side of his table, put away Vice Admiral York's folder, and decided to drink the cooks liquid concoction. The man had said it was a great cure for a hangover, if he was going to get one. Truth be told half the Admiralty would spend their days on the floor of HIGHCOMM with a bottle in their hand if they could, but they couldn't, it wasn't a luxury they could afford. Just a pleasure.

"I've got some bad news," Klix stood up, straightening his fatigues as best he could. "And I guess some good. What do you want to hear first?"

[David]

David Vardy
UNSC Iowa - Admirals Quarters
2552

“I can guess, Judging by the fact that you’re tanked out of your tree, That it’s not great news.” Replied Vardy, Having a seat. He then had a look at the table, Looking at the greasy meal, The almost empty bottle of whisky. The man was all over the place and clearly troubled.

This confirmed in his gut what he had been thinking all along. He was not only going to be either demoted or drummed out, But demoted or drummed out by a man whom he had considered a long time friend.

“Since I know whats likely coming, Lets just get the bad news out of the way, Shall we?” Vardy replied.

[MrKill]

Admiral Erik Klix
UNSC Iowa
Over Reach

"Ah," Klix said as he returned to his chair, reaching over and grabbing the whiskey bottle. Instead of simply drinking it, Klix poured a few shots for Vardy in a clean glass. "I th- I think you are well aware of how much shit you're in." Klix added, placing the glass he had poured in front of Vardy. As he was returning to his seat, he grabbed the felt box that contained his demotion, but he wanted to make this as dignified as he could.

"Alright," Klix readied himself, "bad news first then." He cleared his throat before turning the felt box over and opening it so Vardy could see what was inside. The polished silver eagle, the rank of an 'O-6' officer, meant that he was effectively demoted four entire ranks. He went from a full-fledged Admiral -- a rank with four stars on his collar -- straight down to Captain. Vice Admiral, and both Rear Admiral ranks, were entirely skipped. He was straight out of the admiralty, they were pissed.

"Admiral Vardy," the Iowa's commanding officer went cold. "Consequences for your recent decisions during combat operations as a flag officer of a UNSC naval fleet, personnel command has -- in association with high command -- demoted you to the rank of Captain effective immediately."

Klix sighed. Maybe the remorse didn't just peel away.

"Captain," he started. "Please put your stars on my desk."

Klix gave Vardy some time to process the news, but he still had something he needed to do. He opened Captain Vardy's CSV, flipped to a tabbed divider, and quietly laid out ten different pieces of paper. When the Captain was ready, he would ask what these were, but it wouldn't be too hard to see with the names of ten warships as the header on each piece of paper. The catch for all ten of the naval warships -- quite frankly -- was they were all removed of nuclear arsenals.

Erik had pulled some serious strings to get Vardy these potential assignments, but not even he could convince HIGHCOMM or PERSCOMM to give Vardy's nuclear clearance back. That bridge well... obliterated.

[David]

David Vardy

UNSC Iowa - Admirals Quarters

2552





As the Admiral put down the felt box on the desk, Vardy let out the breathe he had been unconsciously holding since he had been recalled to Reach and detained.



"Captain," Klix started. "Please put your stars on my desk."



Nodding, David slowly stood up and started to take off his stars that he had received throughout what had up until recently, been an exceptional service to the fleet. It was likely this fact plus strings that Klix had pulled that had most likely ended with the demotion to Captain and not being completely punted out of the UNSC. That and they needed people. Even if they were trigger happy hot heads.



If David was to be honest, Each star he pulled off, He felt the weight a little less, A weight off his chest and shoulders and it should have stung, Maybe would have stung if he were being shoved out, But this seemed to bolster David. He finally got to do what he loved without the pressure of being a flag officer.



As the last star was placed on the desk, David reached for the Captains insignia and attached it to his uniform. It felt oddly light and less constricting than the last time he wore it. Davids only regret was his crew. Their ultimate dispensation and their fate was now up to Klix and the other Admiralty. He only hoped that they were assigned to a competent commander that they deserved.



The now newly demoted Captain then stood at attention and saluted the Admiral.



“Admiral, Captain Vardy is ready for service.” David Snapped off crisply.


It oddly felt good to do that. Gone was the familiarity of being equals. He was now an underling and knew that his days of cigars, Fine alcohol and hours spent talking were gone. He oddly didn’t miss it, Knowing that Klix may or may not still hold a grudge and David would have to re-earn his respect and trust.


As this all had gone on, Klix had been busy laying out some papers. David didn't look at them and would let the Admiral explain. This was likely the "Good news" portion that he was referring to.

Retracting his salute but remaining at attention, David looked at the Admiral. "And the good news, sir?

[MrKill]

Admiral Erik Klix
UNSC Iowa
Orbiting Reach

"Knock it off," Klix mumbled, clearing his throat, he still had some respect for Vardy. "You're still an Admiral until you walk out of those doors -- in my book -- so sit down and enjoy your drink, maybe one last cigar."

Klix had already known what ship he wanted Vardy on, and even for a man with a bottle of whiskey in his stomach, it was beyond a common sense recommendation; although that was mostly based on his experience with a heavy cruiser, not indicative of critical thought at the moment. Of the ten sheets of stapled paper, Klix picked up one particular set, and opened it to The UNSC Fire and Fury. She was a Marathon-class heavy cruiser that had just been retroactively recommissioned after UNSC losses in the recent months, but her history was up to David to write. A pretty plain ship, Klix had originally thought, but a fitting name for someone who had nuked him.

"This one right here," Klix said, placing the information in front of Vardy. "I think it's perfect for you."

[David]

David Vardy
UNSC Iowa - Admirals Quarters
2552

"Knock it off," Klix mumbled, clearing his throat"You're still an Admiral until you walk out of those doors -- in my book -- so sit down and enjoy your drink, maybe one last cigar."

Sitting down, David then took the proffered cigar and drink. Biting the end off the cigar and lighting it, He savoured the last cigar he would have with this man, likely for a while. He then took a sip of his whisky and then looked as the Admiral handed him a file.

"This one right here," Klix said, placing the information in front of Vardy. "I think it's perfect for you."

“The UNSC Fury and Fire” Vardy laughed a little. “Apt name.”

As he looked through the specs and previous lineage of the ship, David felt a twinge of excitement and a strange sense of being needed again. It showed the list of crewman already paired with the ship. David would have to check them out and get some information on them, But all in all, Everything seemed in check. As his eyes slid down the document, When he got to the armaments, He noticed they were void of Nuclear Weapons. ‘Naturally’ Vardy thought. Who in their right mind would trust him again with those? Not that it mattered. Nukes were great for EMP and distraction but they wern’t all he had.

Closing the file, David leaned back in his chair and enjoyed his cigar with his mentor and friend. He couldn’t atone for his past mistakes. They were monumental and would stand the test of time. But he could forge a new path. He’d done it before, He could do it again.

Finally, After finishing his cigar and downing the last of his whisky, David stood back up and proffered his hand to Admiral Klix.

“Eric.” David began. “I realise that what I had done was a mistake. The judgement was unsound and I re-acted instead of acting. I nearly cost you your life as well as many others. I won’t soon forget, Nor will you. I am sorry that our friendship won’t be the same as before… But know that I will still serve whatever fleet I am assigned with distinction and honour.”

Then, Breathing deeply, David continued. “But should you ever find yourself in the area and need a drink, Well… you know the way to my ready room and feel free to help yourself.”

[MrKill]

Admiral Erik Klix
UNSC Iowa
Orbiting Reach

Klix stood up and clasped Vardy's hand, shaking it firmly but professionally. "You can count on that, David. I seem to have drank all of my whiskey anyway, so I need to raid your cupboards now, the... luxuries of being an Admiral, as you knew." The Flag Officer let go, offered a crisp short salute, and returned to his seat. He reached over and grabbed the stars, he knew Vardy probably wouldn't climb to these ever again, the blemish on his career was a permanent one.

"I'll hold onto these for you," Klix nodded. "They'll be here in my desk waiting for your collar once again." The Admiral laughed, clearly under the influence of not that much whiskey.