When a lord negotiates without Senatorial permission, he attacks that lord
I understand the characterization but either you or Hireshmont are mistaking 'surrender' for 'negotiation.'
I don't usually like to talk about this stuff OOCly because I enjoy a good intrigue, and I very nearly didn't RP the surrender of the Chateau (which will continue) because I knew some people would go 'wtf why is he bowing and scraping to those people why isn't he spitting in their eye.'
What he's doing is an absolutely typical medieval surrender: find out what the bad guys want (in the short term, like 'what are your terms to stop blowing up my shizzle', not 'what are your goals for this war' as Hireshmont keeps asking them) and then give his word that he won't oppose them while they're around on this particular trip. I was surprised they even accepted since they don't gain very much for having done so but they have to trust Quintus now. Striking colors, turning over the sword, that would be grounds for exactly what Hireshmont was doing if there hadn't been a battle, or if Quintus was about to betray the Republic.
I've had characters in Hireshmont's position before where they've gone after people for trying to strike deals on behalf of the realm when not empowered to do so, and that's definitely a legit choice. But this particular move makes me think more 'Hireshmont has gone Citizen Kane' than Inspector Javert. Particularly if the goal was to insure that the Republic of Terran continued to exist. Quintus may be an old bastard but he was one of the few people propping the place up. Once you lost Dallas and Labell you were really down to two or maybe three such people in the whole realm.
