Came after you/any hiccup ...

Hi

Two soldiers are talking and one says to another that he didn't obey the superior's orders.

The other one asks him: And then the superior came after you? (I think it can mean that he wanted to take his revenge on him?)

He replied: He tried. But I told him if he did I'd tell everybody the truth. It wasn't like he could say I'd disobeyed orders, because the orders he gave should have landed him right in front of a court-martial. See, I knew how he played the game. The brass upstairs might look the other way if the mission went off, but any hiccup that the journalists could get hold of and they'd eat him alive.

I understand that if the mission went off the brass would ignore the fact the his superior went too far giving his orders, but if the journalists got to know about it they would it him alive. But who? The brass or the journalists would eat him alive?

Actually I'm not 100% sure about the part but any hiccup that the journalists could get hold of and they'd eat him alive.

Thanks