This was a very special dinner.
A group of senior naval officers and generals stood together singing the navy's anthem, then they astonishingly took off their uniforms and went boating on the lake.
After playing with the water for a while, everyone returned to the shore, did a bit of tidying up, then changed back into their freshly ironed uniforms, and began to enjoy dinner.
The only one among them who wasn't in the military was Lynch.
During dinner, they didn't discuss anything special; the meal was quiet and swift, only after eating did the atmosphere lighten from its slightly solemn mood.
Lynch wasn't sure whether this was some sort of military custom, but he assumed it was.
"This is our chief steward!", after dinner, the lieutenant general, Lynch, and a major general walked aside to chat, while others spontaneously avoided the area.
