JL | RAdm. Denterius / Others | "This is the end... (Pt 2)"

Posted on 241409.03 @ 2:44am by Rear Admiral Kassandra Harper

Mission: Insurrection [Fleet Plot]

=*= Vesuvius =*=

They were moving back, but would it be far enough. Her stomach churned as her gaze never left Zetari. Could she had been wrong? Was she just being paranoid? A quick glance went to Fischer before she looked back to the Station. Great, what kind of Admiral was she, running from a finished battle. A hand lifted to brush a strand of hair from her eyes as she started to say something to the Colonel, to let him know she wanted a shuttle and a small team to go back to the Station with her. That was her Station dammit, and she was running from it... Why?

Her question was answered before she could get any words out of her mouth, the only thing that came out was the strangled cry out as the galaxy lit up with the explosion of the Station. Grabbing the rail as her knees buckled... her body's reaction to the scene before her aided by the jolting of the ship as rocked and rolled with the shockwaves and attack of shrapnel of Starbase parts as it hit the Vesuvius and the other ships around.

With shields on full, the debris pelting the Vesuvius created a pretty light show as it burned up, but nothing shot through to impact her newly repaired hull.

Knuckles turned white as she gripped tight to the railing, the only thing supporting her as the blood rushed from her as she seemed to turn as white as the blast that was happening before her. Unable to look away, her eyes and those of the others that watched the scene unfold, were saved only be the visual sensors dampening the scene. The beating of her heart seemed to stop as did the thousands of lives that were on that Station. Her family, her friends, everyone who had trusted her to keep them safe. Officers, civilians, even innocent children and animals, all dead.

She was going to be sick... swallowing hard as she tried to keep from passing out. Her life, enough of it to feel the impart of lose deep within her soul, had been on that Station. That was her home, that place had become everything to her... and now, it was gone. Why? What had gone wrong? Nothing... She knew what had happened, she knew the Vulcan had done something she never would have been able to. He'd done the logical thing and blown the station up rather than give it back. Cold, uncaring, Bastard had delivered the ultimate slap in the face to her, and to Starfleet.

Seconds ticked by, turning to deadly silent minutes as if everyone was trying to process what had just happened. A shiver ran though her, somewhere deep within she knew she needed to pull herself together and be strong. She always had to be the strong one, but could she this time? Everything... he had taken everything from her.

“Admiral?” Came the persistent yet hesitant sound of on officer near her. It was only then that she felt a hand upon her. Kassi lifted a hand to rub her face and tried not to be sick as her stomach twisted and turned. Finally, she looked at the woman and to the others. Some, she could read their shocked expressions as easily as she could imagine her own spoke. Others, she knew where hiding behind the wall they had built long before now.

“I'm fine.” She said with a wave of hand, not daring to look at Fischer. He may not be Towers, but she had the feeling he picked up on more things with her than she cared to know, and she couldn't lose face right now. She wasn't fine but like she would admit that, she couldn't, she wasn't afforded that luxury. Damn that mechanical heart seemed to never get the hint it just needed to stop! Swallowing hard as she straightened herself up... she was an Admiral and, at the moment, she needed to act like it.

Her voice tight, strained, hardly recognizable as her's, as she spoke finally looking to the Colonel. “Colonel Fischer, please have the rest of the fleet informed to search for more survivors... and prisoners. And inform me when that's been done.” Uncurling her fingers from the railing, she took her cane and turned to move. “I'll be in my quarters.” Perhaps it was the chicken way out, but she wasn't as hard core as the Marines on this ship came off as. She needed the chance to let her emotions be free, and the bridge of her flagship was not the place.

"Yes ma'am." Fischer said, sounding the consummate professional.

Pulling the strength from all those that had died for the cause, Kassi moved across the bridge with the aura and ease of an Admiral. Upholding it as she took the turbolift and then the corridor to her quarters. Only then, as the door whooshed closed behind her... did she give a cry of anguish as her knees buckled and she fell down upon them. Curling into a tight ball as her tears flowed with the lose of everything. One man.... one man had managed to do more damage than all the cardassians. One man had raped her of everything.

=*= Halle =*=

The Halle was bracing for impact that they knew was coming, as the shockwave hit them they took significant damage. They made there move to the Spinward wormhole deciding that the Alpha quadrant was a safer bet for repairs.

Lieutenant Commander Rozen Coo ran off of the turbolift and onto the bridge. He had no time to speak and heard nothing from the bridge crew, other then to see Zetari Station blow up on the main view screen. Rozen stood there and watched as the station broke into pieces and the shock wake shook the ship under his boots.

Rozen had no words for what just happened. His home was destroyed, everything he had ever loved was destroyed. Little did he know, his wife had escaped the station weeks ago, but it would take some time before that fact came to light. He walked into the observation lounge and sat on the ledge of the window as the ship turned away and headed towards the Spinward wormhole.

=*= USS Medusa =*=

Having been closer than the other ships Medusa was hit hard by the shockwave, even with Cooper's changes to the shields the small ship was still slammed with the force of such a massive explosion. Systems across the ship overloaded in a fireworks-like display of flash and sparks, the officers on board tossed about like limp scarecrows. Medusa drifted in a lazy spin to port for a few minutes before both ship and crew shook off the impact and got back to working together. Damage reports began to filter in, the CEO was going to be very busy but Medusa had sustained far less damage than some of the ships in the Task Force that hadn't been designed with such missions in mind. As Nathan clawed his way back into his seat he wiped at an itch and found a nice little gash which caused him to mutter knowing he was gonna have a terrific headache later. "Contact the Task Force and report our status."