Bretonian Armed Forces Recruitment Centre (iRP)

[beander2]

The young man walked into the recruitment centre and immediately paused, assaulted at once by posters of Queen Carina, ministers of state, admirals, corporate titans, and other celebrities all telling him how much Bretonia needed his service.

A little overkill? he thought.

He paused and collected himself before continuing to walk to the recruiter's desk. There sat a smartly dressed officer - ironed, starched, and looking quite official. The recruiter noticed the young man and stood up to greet him.

"Good day! I'm Lieutenant Goodspeed, chief recruiter here as the east Oxford recruiting office. How may I help you?" He looks soft, the recruiter thought to himself.

"Hello," said the young man, somewhat hesitantly. "I'm interested in joining the BAF."

"Well of course you are," said the recruiter with a little too much enthusiasm. "Might I have your name?"

"Nathaniel Buchanan - you can call me Nate," said the young man, with a hint of a wince as he spoke.

"Welcome, Nate. Have a seat, will you? Tell me about yourself," said the recruiter, pouring some tea for the visitor.

"Well, I just graduated from Cambridge with a degree in interstellar politics, and I wanted to do something a little more..."

"Real?" offered the recruiter, unable to help himself.

"Tangible," corrected Nate. "I care a lot about Bretonia, especially having studied its history and its relations with the other Houses over the centuries. Now with the Kusari, pirate attacks, and the rumors from Orkney, I really want to protect my people. Especially those out and about just trying to make a living." Nate paused. "I've lost a couple of friends to pirates in the last few months, and I want to help make that stop."

"A noble sentiment, indeed, my good man," agreed the lieutenant. "But what makes you think you're up to snuff? We usually get people who are a bit more..." and the recruiter looked Nate over, "seasoned. Are you tough enough for the job?"

"I think so," said Nate confidently, narrowing his eyes at the recruiter. He had expected this, as though somebody with a college education was somehow less courageous, less fit for hard work, less committed. "I'm an able pilot, and I wouldn't have come in if I wasn't willing to do what it takes, Lieutenant. I need combat training, but I'll work hard."

"Fair enough, young man. No offense intended. Here, let me get the application form...oh, I see you have one." Nate handed over all the preparatory paperwork, already completed.

"I do my homework, sir," he said.

The recruiter looked over the forms. Top gradeshigh aptitude test scoresmay be worth a look.

"Very well, Mr. Buchanan..." said the lieutenant, looking at him again with some scrutiny. "You know, you look familiar. Buchanan...Buchanan...Wait-" Nate steeled himself - he knew this was coming. "You don't happen to be related to Alisdair Buchanan, the old Gateway chair, do you?" the recruiter asked suspiciously.

"Yes, he's my uncle." Here it goes, Nate thought to himself.

"The Alisdair Buchanan who opposes the war with Kusari?"

"Yes, though he's always said he supports the men and women of the BAF - he just doesn't want people dying more than neces..."

"Doesn't he oppose the Queen?" demanded the recruiter, now sitting a bit more stiffly at the edge of his chair.

"Not personally, no. He just wants a more representative gov..."

"But he's a populist!" declared the lieutenant, clearly disturbed by the thought.

"But he was knighted by Her Majesty, too..." reminded Nate. That caught the recruiter off guard a bit.

"But..."

"Look, sir," interrupted Nate. "I came in here today of my own accord. My uncle and I don't agree on everything, but we do both love Bretonia. And that's why I'm here. If you can't use another pilot, then you can reject me, but I'd like to see what the BAF thinks of my application first."

The recruiter calmed down. The chap's earnest, for certain, he thought. Well, maybe this will give the boys a good laugh, if nothing else.

"Very well, Mr. Buchanan. I will submit your application through the proper channels, and you should hear back in fairly short order."

"Thank you Lieutenant," said Nate, rising out of his chair. "I appreciate your time."

Well, this ought to be interesting... Nate thought to himself as he walked out of the office.

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Sir Alisdair Buchanan, KBE ~ Gateway)Trafalgar