Leonardo "Leo" Constone
I was a Space Marine, I rose to Major in Special Forces, I am now in charge of Military Police all over our contingent off in the Epstein-Barr Galaxy. Because my major in university was Legal, I'm now seconded to the Juris Advocate directorate. My old teammates, the Montral Fusiliers, I've retained as shock troops, MPs for the brass, and the odd bailiff, when needed.
I now report to a hard-nosed Judge Advocate Director, Lieutenant-General Marjorie Anantze-Gallant. She keeps tut-tutting at my wearing my space marine armor, but it is allowed in the regs as formal wear if I wear even one medal on it. I hate wearing my medals, but my ceremonial cloak of the Great Reef Defense campaign is surprisingly practical, and it is technically and legally a decoration, so that shut her up. She's a fuss-budget, and that's no mistake, but she's sharp. Actually having a lawyer to help negotiate the contract makes so much sense, I want to ventilate a rear-echelon motherfrakker or three now, it took them so long to think about it! But she's such a stickler for regulations, for everything done just so. Won't drink with the troops either, never lets her hair down, as my master sargeant says.
"Fine woman, but don't you let anyone hear that I said that, Adian. Who did you have to kill to get sent here anyways?"
"No one, my father-in-law got recalled, so it was me or my wife taking over, and they're not sure how she'd go over, since they're apparently clones. But since she's half-Terran, it might also go the other way."
"Half-Terran, what's that?"
"Not what you think. She has Thallaxan blood..."
"No foolin'?"
"Her mother was born there."
"How divergent are they?"
"Negligible amount. Twenty-three chromosome pairs, XY-system, they are an offshoot of ours, not some alien culture."
"No way, and you married her."
"She told me when we got engaged, I hadn't been able to tell..."
"Oh. Well, a fine-looking woman..."
"And I told you in case you get nutcases, people thinking she's taking their side..."
"Mmmm, and that's likely?"
"No, but it has happened before... Mostly when we were in Sol System, not in Epstein-Barr."
"Thanks for telling me. Not everyone's so nice to the security prick..."
"You gotta keep us safe, I don't envy you that..."
"I don't have to do it alone, thankfully. Hey gunny." The gunnery sargeant was walking into the cafeteria, his hulking frame sunned from too many EVs, his skin the darkest of anyone on the squad.
"Hey, Colonel. Hey..." He blanked on Adian's exact title, diplomatic liaison service were technically civilians, but wore Solar military full-dress uniform of his equivalent rank...
"Mister will do, Gunny."
"Ohoh, a civilian?"
"State department don't mean I earn the badge, but I don't make the rules either."
"Sir, yes Sir!"
"I work for a living."
"No, compared to Gunny here, you really don't, excellency... But you are not like those state department pukes we've all met, and for that I'm thankful."
"You ain't met my father-in-law?"
"We did, but we just crossed transports with him, he was going back to State. Nicest politician I know, not a puke. I almost wished he was going back to head defense, not state."
"He's got chops for that?"
"Well, he's taught at Sandhurst... And he sent his daughter, and she met his son-in-law there, didn't she?"
"Yeah, that's where we met..."
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