JL RAdm's MacLaren & Hawk | "Don't shoot the messenger"

Posted on 241709.14 @ 9:33pm by Rear Admiral Indi Hawk & Rear Admiral Sidra MacLaren

Mission: Reconciliation & Reconstruction [Fleet Plot]

Indi had a hard time putting the entire situation with Dani out of her mind. She tried as best she could, the Quadrant didn't wait for her personal issues after all, but it was hard. She'd just been out and about on the base, exploring and getting to know some people. It helped her clear her mind. Unfortunately, it didn't help in clearing the message queue. So, she'd dragged herself back to her office, grabbed a coke, and reluctantly went back to the padd tribbles. Going from one report to the next, she found that the universe and its ships was still there. That was good. Except for-

She blinked as she read the next report that scrolled over her screen. "Damn," she whispered forcefully. Feeling like someone had just punched her in the gut, she struggled to find a breathe. At the same time, she managed to open a comm line to Sidra at Cold Station Theta. If anyone could tell her anything, it would be her.

Sidra’s head was pounding and she rubbed her temples. Her first full day on Cold Station Theta had cold cocked her with a mallet and reminded her what days in Starfleet could be like. Yet with all the pressure, all the stress, she thrived on it. Feed by copious amounts of coffee and tea she was finally sitting down at her desk, looking at a sandwich her yeoman had delivered. Her fingers had just plucked the toasted turkey and avocado sandwich from the plate when she was alerted to an incoming transmission from Alpha Quadrant command.

Her head dropped to her desk as she deposited the food back on the plate and pushed it out of view before lifting her head again and straightening up to receive the call. She waited while it connected over the distance and then Indi appeared on screen. Her first instinct was to smile, but that quickly faded as she saw the very serious countenance of her friend. Sidra nodded, wondering what the communication was about. Though she was serious, she informally addressed her fellow admiral. “Indi, what’s going on?”

"You tell me," Indi immediately pushed on. She didn't feel like pleasantries, and was glad that Sidra seemed to skip them as well. There was a sense of urgence in her voice, in her entire demeanour, that was rarely found in her. Usually, she managed to remain composed, calm. Sure, she could be a shit storm when things hit the fan, but she rarely lost her cool. Rarely let the urgence take over. This time, she couldn't help herself. This time was very different. She was growing cold inside, a coldness that coudn't be explained by physical factors.

Sidra cocked her head, trying to figure out what exactly Indi was going on about. There were a million things going on, she expected Admiral Archer and his armada to arrive in just a few hours. She had done what she could from here, but the news of the Vindicator being swallowed up into a nebula was just icing on a shit cake.

MacLaren had not yet gone to visit the recovering Admiral Red, but now telling her that her niece and her section commander was missing was at the bottom of her list of things she wanted to do. Sidra had not yet gone over the rest of the crew list and was unaware of just how many others were on that crew. Trying to figure out what Indi was calling about started to irritate her, “I don’t know, you want to take a pick from the assortment of crap I’m digging through right now? I’ve got a few things on my plate.”

Indi took a deep breath. She hadn't called Sidra to play games. Both could do without that. Definitely do without that. She sighed, deflated, as most of the energy she'd had, seemed to leave her in that one sigh. "The Vindicator. I read in the Fleet report she's missing," she started. Seeing recognision in Sidra's eyes, but not more than that, she ploughed on with the words she didn't want to speak out loud. "Michael's on the Vindicator."

That revelation hit her hard, making her control the expulsion of her lungs so the air didn’t all rush out at once, but it left her speechless for a moment. Sidra blinked dumbly before recovering her composure. She glanced up, locking her emerald eyes with Indi’s prosthetic ones and saying, “I’m sorry Indi, I had no idea. I would have contacted you right away of course…” Sidra couldn’t imagine exactly what Indi was going through, but the thought of Will being missing made her heart knot into a solid lump in her chest. The thought was absolutely crippling. “We don’t have a lot of information yet, but I’ll send you everything we know about that nebula. They were just going to run some scans and explore it. We’re cautiously sending a ship to the edges to investigate.”

Not usually being one to lock eyes, Indi did hold Sidra's gaze this time. Their eye contact was conveying more than words ever could. Of course they didn't know much yet. If they did, it would have been in yet another report. Then why had she called? Because she wanted to hear that for herself? Because she wanted somebody to feel for her? Because she didn't want to believe it? Probably a combination of all of the above. The thought that they were sending another ship, it didn't make her feel any better. Risk more lives when you have no clue what had happened. It wasn't something anybody liked doing. Then of course, she'd been in the business long enough to know that they really didn't have any other choice. "Perhaps I should take a transport to CST..." she started, knowing full well how futile her own words sounded. How useless the effort would be.

Sidra nodded slowly at Indi’s declaration that she should come, her eye’s were scanning the roster and her brows strained to touch, the furrow between them deep and wrinkled a dark line into her pale skin. “You know that by the time that transport got here, this will all be resolved. And then what? Michael is here, a young officer with his mother here to make sure he’s ok.” Sidra was speaking the truth, but it was delivered a little more harshly than she’d wanted. “I get it though, and I’d probably want to do the same. You’d be welcome if you came, of course.”

MacLaren sighed, not wanting to deliver this, but there were several names from the roster that popped up. “Ra’lin is there too, did you know?” Sidra shook her head, seeing Colt Dunross and she wasn’t familiar with that name, she pulled it up and saw that his mother was none other than Blyx Red. “Hell, Admiral Red’s son is there. And Alistair and Hazel’s daughter too.” Sidra rubbed her head, “We’ll get the Vindicator back, we have to.”

Indi listened with growing despair. Not only for Michael's sake, but all these children that had to come back to their parents. Yes, they definitely had to get the Vindicator back. And yes, she knew Ra'lin was on the ship as well. It had been the galaxy's irony to post them together. "I'll inform Cintia tonight," she spoke the last thought outloud. Of course she wouldn't go to CST herself. What could she be doing there? If even Admiral Red's son was on that ship, there would be nothing more she could do there. "I'm sorry to have bothered you, Sidra," she sighed once more, leaning back in her chair and rubbing her hands over her eyes. She didn't care that Sidra was watching. There were no appearances to keep up here.

Sidra shook her head, “You didn’t bother me at all Indi, you know that.” The redhead leaned back in her desk chair and sighed heavily. “I wish I would have known, I would have contacted you of course. Not that it helps much at all, but better than reading it on a report. It’s a great crew, we’ll get them out of there or they’ll dig themselves out.”

"It's been so long..." Indi started, but immediately trailed off. She didn't even realise she had said that outloud. When she'd gone undercover, he'd been a teenager. In the reports she'd received over the years, there had been sporadic mentions of him going to the Academy, graduating, being assigned to a first post. She hadn't known until a week ago however that he had been reassigned to the USS Vindicator. She was a good ship, with a good crew. Indi didn't know the CO at all, but had made a mental note back then to check up on her. Now, she would definitely be doing that.

Again, Sidra nodded at that, it was all she could do really. Indi had been through the ringer and Sidra knew she’d been apart from her family for far too long. “I know Indi… you’ll have to reconnect when they come out of this. I’m confident you’ll get that chance.”

Indi realised they were having the kind of conversation that was near impossible given the distance. She sighed again, this time to draw herself back up and forward in her chair. "I'm sure you'll keep me in the loop as as you know anything. Thanks for answering my call, Sidra, and I hope we'll talk again very soon to let me know they're alright."

“I will, and we’ll talk soon.” She said with a very slight, hopefully reassuring smile. “Take care of yourself and Sha’mer. I’ll call when I know more.”

--

Rear Admiral Sidra MacLaren
Commander
Beta Quadrant Security

&

Rear Admiral Indi Hawk
Commander
Alpha Quadrant Security