Joint Log | FAdm. Malone & RAdm. Denterius | "I couldn't be helped"

Posted on 241409.09 @ 5:50pm by Rear Admiral Kassandra Harper & Fleet Admiral Kerry Malone

Mission: Insurrection [Fleet Plot]

=*= Vesuvius =*=

Only when she was alone did Kassi allow herself the chance to mourn, but she wasn't alone right now. At least not really as she starred out the window of the ready room, she'd given herself permission to simply take a moment. Her mind drifted some, amazingly her face was expressionless, well... with the exception of her eyes, the depths of her blues held the storm of pain and anger that blurred within her. Lifting her glass she took a drink and sighed as the cool water did nothing for her thirst, surprisingly it was scotch she wanted. The real stuff not the synthetic, it was the burn... and the way it helped everything go away for a bit, that she was craving. Water just wasn't doing that trick.

It's been long enough, she knew what she had to do, even though she knew it would likely break her even more. ”Don't get captured or blow up the Station” was one of his orders. And what had she done? Or at least caused to happen... Shaking her head from that thought, she turned back to the console. Logically 'She' hadn't done it, this was not 'her' fault. At least that's what Andrus would have told her, and in a way... she knew it wasn't.

A few codes pressed in before she opened up a line of communicator on to Malone's ship, specifically to Malone. And with another drink, she waited for him to accept it.

The connection was slow in being accepted, simply due to the sheer distance the signal had to travel to get to the Fleet Admiral in the first place. Real-time communication was proving harder and harder to achieve with all the jamming both sides were doing to the other, and it took all the skill and dedication of the communications staff aboard the Ticonderoga to clear up the signal and route it through to Malone.

Once this was done however, the console on the man's desk beeped a few times before he accepted the incoming call. "Malone here." He replied, checking that the line was secure. This could be monitored by a little green circle in the top right hand corner of the display. If it went red, it meant that the transmission was being monitored or intercepted - but whilst it was green, it was safe.

The extra time hadn't bothered Kassi, in fact she'd been grateful for it, needing the extra time to prepare herself for facing Malone. How does one tell their boss they blew up something major? Swallowing hard she mustered up all the willpower she could before speaking. "Denterius here, I figured I owed you a report of the current situation out here." Her voice was tight and strained with held in emotions.

Malone could see tension on the younger woman's face, but decided that who wouldn't show tension after a stressful battle. It was interesting that the comm information wasn't being routed through Zetari's comm system, which would have a much stronger broadcast strength than that of the Vesuvius - where the call was originated. "That would be advantageous, yes, Admiral." He said, clearly concerned.

Swallowing hard as if to clear her throat, or perhaps just get it to work well enough to get the words out, her gaze locked on Malones as she spoke. "We lost Zetari, the Vulcan Captain decided it was better to blow the Station up rather then give it back to us." Kassi blurted out finally. Bruised fingers gripped tighter to the glass she held as she tried to keep that tight reign on her emotions right now. A task that was still very hard for her, yet somehow she was managing to do pretty well, for the moment.

Malone absorbed the information that had been fired at him, as if from a machine gun - it was that lacking in eloquence. That being said, he did understand what it was she was telling him, and a frown formed on his face. "I see." He said, calmly, yet with a hint of annoyance. "And this was in no way preventable?"

Kassi heard the tone in his voice and her resolve faltered some as her gaze dropped as she let herself relive the events that had happened. Was there anything she could have done differently? Was this in someways her fault? Her lower lip caught within the grasp of her teeth as she felt her emotions fighting within her. Maybe if she had beamed over? And done what? Sa'Tak had....

She looked back to Malone with a slight shake of her head. "I'm sorry Admiral, but I don't believe so. For him to destruct the Station like that, he'd had to have changed things in the computer. So that had to have been planned in case we came back for the Station."

"Then stop looking like I'm going to rip you a new one, Admiral." Malone sighed. "You've been doing this long enough to know that we don't always complete the objectives. Sometimes, we need to find solace in the particulars of the defeat."

In truth, he was disappointed that they'd been unable to retake Zetari - but the odds had been extremely long on success. He'd tasked Denterius this mission simply because he believed she possessed the necessary drive to achieve the impossible, because of her attachment to the station. The fact that, yet again, the UFP had gone to extreme methods to achieve a victory - even if all they'd done was prolong the inevitable, had been something that Malone had anticipated. Even if he had hoped they wouldn't.

Kassi wasn't sure what to say to that. He was right of course, though that still didn't help the sting of what had happened. That was her Station dammit, her home, that he'd taken from her. Her jaw tightened in that momentary though before she quickly reminded herself she was still talking to Malone. -Focus- She thought, mentally chastising herself for losing her focus there. "I'm still getting reports in on some survivors that were able to be rescued. And even a couple UFP people that had bailed."

"Well, bring them back for interrogation." Malone said. "Bring your fleet home, Admiral. There's nothing more you can do there."

"Yes Admiral." She said with a slight nod, opting to leave the 'home' part alone, after all, home was were now? "We will see you when we get there. Sir."

"Very well." Malone said. "My condolences, Kassi. I know Zetari meant a lot to you."

Damn him, she was supposed to be strong when he was being nice, how? That sadness showed though the tension of her face. "Thank you, Sir." Hearing her voice crack a little she swallowed hard and knew she needed to end the connection somehow. "If there is nothing else, I should get off here and get us going."

Kerry nodded. "See you back with the fleet Admiral, Malone out." Allowing the woman some privacy to show emotion. He could understand that.

As the connection closed, Kassi put her head down on the table as she felt those tears fall with the pain and loneliness that lived within. As much as she didn't want to leave the area, to leave what was her home. Malone had been right, there was nothing more they could do here, nothing more left for her in this area. Her heart ached as she turned and let her gaze drift out the window to the mess of what was once a beautiful thing to her.

Taking some slow deep breaths, she rose to take a walk, perhaps after that she would be ready to get back to work.

= End Log =

Fleet Admiral Kerry Malone
Starfleet CinC

&

Rear Admiral Kassi Denterius
TaskGroup CO
TaskGroup 1.4