trag·e·dy (trăj′ĭ-dē)
1. a. A drama or literary work in which the main character is brought to ruin or suffers extreme sorrow, especially as a consequence of a tragic flaw, moral weakness, or inability to cope with unfavorable circumstances.
BAF Primary Spaceport
New London, Kingdom of Bretonia
The Perilous-class gunboat RNS Acheron settled down into the antigrav docking cradle, and the engine spooled down, leaving the empty ship in an eerie silence. Rupert Davies stood alone on the bridge, he had left his crew behind on Leeds, and had already transferred the civilians he rescued to a BAF cruiser in orbit. He had changed into a fresh uniform and cleaned himself up as best he could on the way to New London. He had omitted his standard sidearm, not wanting to make the arresting authorities nervous, but he wore the dress sword that he had received upon taking command of the Acheron. He checked himself over one last time, then made his way to the egress hatch.
When he stepped out onto the tarmac, he immediately smelled smoke from the nearby city, the aftermath of the Gallic bombardment. In front of him, a number of paces away, he saw four stone-faced marines in full body armor and carrying standard-issue rifles. In the middle of the group was a high-ranking officer, judging by the uniform, one of the BAF's senior Admirals. With as much dignity as he could muster, Rupert walked over to the group, head held high, and saluted the admiral with a proper Gallic salute. His words were perfectly formal, but his accent was unmistakably Leeds working class.
"Sir, Maître Principal Rupert Davies. In accordance with the law of war, I formally relinquish command of the Acheron and surrender myself to your custody."
He then took the sword out of its scabbard and held it by the blade with the hilt toward the admiral. He then waited at attention.
