172. SPOTLIGHT ON: Mark Of The Pyrite Plume

An emblem of severe punishment bestowed upon officers of the Queil Empire’s military who suffer defeat in battles in which victory is assured. As its name suggests, the Pyrite Plume takes the form of a pin made from tempered pyrite and depicting a ring of feathers, which the recipient is required by law to wear at all times. Most Queil military personnel consider it the worst punishment one can receive.

Absent a large-scale conflict and in an era in which the nature of warfare itself is constantly changing, the Pyrite Plume has been awarded only a handful of times in recent decades. The terms of “assured victory” are largely for those bestowing the Plume - the recipient’s superiors, up to and including Empress Harke herself - to define, with common wisdom asserting that “we will know it when we see it”. A qualifying defeat may come in any form, whether through incompetence, deliberate sabotage or underestimation of the enemy; separate and additional Marks may be awarded depending on the officer’s deficiencies.

Beyond merely serving as a badge of shame, the Pyrite Plume is accompanied by a suite of punitive measures, including loss of rank and forfeiture of pay or lodgings. Shops and other amenities are also within their rights to refuse service to customers bearing the Pyrite Plume.

Most recently, the Pyrite Plume was given to an admiral who, in the words of the Empress, “crushed a planet within his fist to destroy an enemy minuscule enough to slip through his fingers.”

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