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CdrBrown

Question and Pause

Question and Pause

A log by CDR Brian Brown.

 

Cdr. Brian Brown occupied one of the smaller conference rooms onboard the U.S.S. Toronto, the ship that beamed out the last half of the survivors from Aegis.  Well, almost the last half.  His Captain and friend was gone. The station was gone.  Those he called his family, his crew, were scattered amongst the patrol ships that came to their aid.  And here was Brian, stuck in a conference room, for what was now hour 4, giving report after report to Star Fleet Command.  The same reports, the same questions asked a dozen different ways, by half a dozen different people and departments, all wanting a full recounting of the events leading up to and including the loss of the station.  As the ranking survivor who was in the CnC at the time, much of the questioning fell to him, while Scott, as the XO, would face a similar line up of characters detailing some of the more intimate details that Brian wasn’t privy to, as well as the efforts of the engineering team leading up to the battle.   

 

4 hours and 22 minutes since the station was lost, he barely had time to process that he was on another vessel, let alone the fact that his CO was gone, that despite their best efforts, the station, his home, was gone.  They had lost a major battle, and had it not been for Kirel Chirakis’s noble sacrifice, they would have lost control of the whole sector.  Now, with no station there to establish a foothold, the Alien Alliance seemed disinterested, even if only temporarily.  Star Fleet would undoubtedly be sending out salvage teams in the coming days, to recover what they could.

 

Brian stared past the view screen in the conference room.  Reality slowly hitting him, the weight of it all finally being realized. 

“Commander,” said the Captain on the other end of the line.  John Wykes, an Academy classmate of his, was asking the current line of questions. He paused for a few moments. “Brian!” He raised his voice a bit, to get him to snap out of it.

 

Brian shook his head rapidly, like he was removing cobwebs, trying to get the hamster in his brain to start spinning the wheel again.  He raised his hands and rubbed them down the front of his face. “John,” he said, “I know the drill when an asset is lost, especially one as strategically important as Aegis is, but it hasn’t even been 5 hours. The adrenaline is just now wearing off, and I haven’t even had a chance to process this.”

 

John nodded. “I know, man. A couple more questions and I will be done.  I’ll have your statements compared to the station’s official log and we will get with you when you get back in a few days.”   John tapped his PADD.  “Kirel Chirakis, your Captain.  You stated before that she sacrificed herself to ensure the station didn’t fall in to the Alien Alliance’s hands.  Do you believe she made the right choice?”

 

Brian paused, stunned by this new question, questioning the honorable actions of his Captain. “John, she did exactly what she had to do.  She was never one to make hasty decisions, and she knew this was a likely outcome.  We discussed before the battle heated up that this was going to be the way to ensure the station and sector didn’t fall in to their hands.  When she gave the order, I had the station go lights out, and all systems were shut down.  The station log was pulled, and everyone began beaming out.  She didn’t let me even say goodbye.  She had me beamed out before I could.” At that moment, the rest of reality hit him like a ton of bricks. She was gone.

 

John saw the look in Brian’s face, that look when your entire life essence is removed from you in one swift kick. “Brian, get some rest.  You guys did good, and you did what you had to do.  On behalf of the fleet, we are sorry for your loss.  We will be in touch with Commander Coleridge to discuss a proper memorial ceremony and will ensure you will get the chance to honor her memory.”

 

Brian was barely able to form words at this point, mustering a demure “Thank you” before the screen went dark.  He sat there, staring at the blank view screen for the next 30 minutes… 

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