[font=Cambria]It was empty here, almost completely abandoned. It was like this place had read Wexler's thoughts. A place where everything he wanted was in one place but without the talking crowd. Most of all, he was here for the name. The Rebel's Corner. Fitting given the current situation he had found himself in. A silent atmosphere had struck the bar that was only given life to by the sounds of cigars being smoked and worn out glasses being raised.
He knew Junior-Lieutenant Lazarev was around here, somewhere. He had done a good job as of late, always coming back with good news from the Omega-50 skirmishes. Flying primarily with Lt. Colonel Alesky, Wexler never had but one chance to participate on those missions and as such was mostly unknown to Lazarev. Wexler was actually unknown to most people in the Coalition other than what his rank demanded people to know about him. But that was nobody's fault but his own, in the end Wexler liked it that way.
One could say however that Alesky had become a good friend of his. The level of honesty they shared towards each other had established a form of trust that Wexler never had managed to possess with anyone else, and the cooperation to forward the Rebellion Movement had built respect.
He was also a bit worried Colonel Rhade. Yes, he wasn't fit to lead a whole movement but that doesn't deny his abilities to be an excellent wing-commander. Leadership can take in many forms and just because you aren't the decision maker doesn't mean you aren't a leader. A leader inspires people, keeps the morale high and makes sure a group sticks together.
Wexler's failures to be social nullified a lot of these aspects of leadership, he was a great tactician with the necessary devotion to the Coalition movement to ensure his superiors that he was a man of loyalty. But Colonel Rhade was needed for the other parts. Wexler could only hope for a time where they could cooperate for the better of the movement, because in the end that is all Wexler cared about. If it meant that the Rebellion could prosper with the assistance of Colonel Rhade, then he must have him by his side.
No doubt, Lt. Colonel Alesky was also very "socially gifted" but those skills were used on other areas. He was a man who could turn any agreement into reality and this was in essence crucial to all the major operations of the Rebellion Movement. He was probably the single most important individual the Rebellion had, but still, there was a spot for Colonel Rhade, a spot that needed to be filled and could only be so by him. Wexler knew that Colonel Rhade's quiet disappearance was a deliberate move and he knew it was a matter of reputation. Hope was indeed all that was left, hope that Rhade would see things Wexler's way.
Perhaps then, they could actually win this damn civil war.