Dark Tidings

Posted on Thu Feb 27th, 2020 @ 2:25am by Admiral Jake Yamaguchi & Jillian "Phoenix" Sullivan

Mission: Mission 16: Hoist the Colours
Location: Various Locations - USS Roanoke
Timeline: 0600Hrs - December 12th, 2390

Rear Admiral Jake Yamaguchi had just received a letter from his wife who was in tears, she was muttering in a mixture of her native Halanan and English, at first he thought it was the babies but she had assured him that it wasn't about them. Rachael had been attacked.

Jake's heart grew heavy then it broke. "Rachael.." he whispered her name as he sayt back in his chair before he tapped his combadge. "Bridge, this is the Admiral."

"Hular here Admiral... what can we do for you?" Commander Neban Hular was long overdue for his own command but he remained by his Commanding Officers side simply because he respected Jake so highly. he regarded Jake as kin and his children as family as well, for Neban it was an easy choice since he was an orphan from Capella IV. He knew something was very wrong as he could hear the distress in Jake's voice.

"Contact the Roanoke, I want to talk to Lt Colonel Sullivan please..."
Jake whispered, his pain evident for all to hear and see.

"I'll take care of it." he nodded to the Caitain Operations Officer who was already working on it.

A few minutes later, Jake found himself looking into the blue eyes of the only woman outside of the family that Rachael had ever thought of as kin. "Phoenix." Jake addressed her in a quiet tone. "I just heard... Torilla is heartbroken...." he paused as he tried to control his own feelings of rage and the helplessness that threatened to wash away what little remained of his emotional strength. "I want to hear what happened from you..."

Phoenix was rather distraught herself. Not angry, as one would expect, but stricken with guilt. So it was no surprise that she looked at her feet in shame. "What happened..." she began in a quiet tone, "is that I failed in protecting her. A stupid squadron CO got blew apart by her in a simulator. And I failed in keeping her from harm, when he took his failure out on her."

"Torilla tells me that Rachael will be okay..... after a fashion..." he commented. "In between her crying and her native language... I was fortunate to understand that much..." he kept his voice quiet but there was no mistaking the dark fury in his voice.

Phoenix wanted to be sick at this point. Her eyes watered for she could hear his rage. And she just sat there and took it.

"Torilla sent me the footage from the mission in question..." Jake responded. "I wanted to watch it before I contacted you." he sat back in his chair as his turned his attention to the ceiling. "She sure can fly..." he commented quietly. "Okay Phoenix... what actually happened on scene to Rachael.. thats what I wan to know.... and what is presently happening to the offender in question... tell me you caught this piece of shit?" he sounded almost pleading.

"He was killed...." Phoenix hesitated, and decided to go with the lie Tane was intent on using in her official report. "Accidental weapons discharge... He just attacked 'em from behind near the firin' range."

Jake let out the breathe he was holding, he came out as a soft wheeze. "Alright...at least you got the basterd..." he said quietly. "that's all I wanted.." he closed his eyes. "What will you do now?"

"Accept responsibility for the attacks. As CO of the unit. Take whatever punishment is due, for my negligence of not keepin' my crew in control," Phoenix spoke, pale and fighting the urge to lose her cookies right there.

"Phoenix..." Jake responded. "Torilla and Zara explained most of what happened... " he paused. "I believe they called it an accidental discharge of a weapon's system.... and I'm still in shock that Torilla isn't in the brig for it..."

"It's the official report," Phoenix nodded. She would not throw anyone under the bus. "Tane does shit I don' understand. Nor try to. But if she's out, then I aint gonna complain."

"Fair enough." Jake responded. "How are you coping with it?" he inquired softly.

"I wanna drink," Phoenix finally admitted with watery eyes and fought a belch to keep her stomach intact. "I dunno why this is hittin' me so hard, cause she aint my kid. But I feel like a Spoonhead just kicked all my teeth out."

"Because Rachael has adopted you." Jake responded with a soft smile. "She thinks the world of you. Getting her on the subject was easy.... getting her off the subject is next to impossible..." Jake commented. "To her, you are kin..."

"I"ll have to get with the deck gang and talk them into sending more competent security personnel to the hangar pod. Try ta make it look safer for Firebird," Phoenix noted with a sniff. "I wont let attacks like this happen again to your kid, Sir."

"Jake... I've never been big on formality Phoenix... " he paused. "Firebird... suits her." and with that he smiled. "She considers you kin...and so do I." Jake commented.

Kin protect their own. A common line those on the colony threw around and lived by. But she could not save most of siblings. And she could not protect Rachael. And the failures of these events made Phoenix hate herself even more. Made her sick to her stomach.

"Regardless, this thing wont happen again," Phoenix assured him.

"Fair enough.." Jake smiled. "Then I will leave it alone.. Thanks for taking the time to talk to me Phoenix.." just because he was an Admiral, did not give him the right to be an asshole, especially not to his baby girl's mentor. "Just one thing.... whats your honest opinion of her flying skills?"

"A couple years an' she'll be an ace," Phoenix answered honestly, with a proud grin of her own. "She's like me. She's just got tha gift.".

"Her siblings never did.... Racahel wanted to fly... she always seemed to want to touch the sky... I'm glad she'd gotten her wish.." he then leaned forward. "So... whats this... I hear about Rachael piloting the Roanoke out of Spacedock..?" he smiled. "You're handiwork I assume?"

"I'll admit I let her fly just to put Tane on edge," Phoenix laughed lightly. "But she also earned it. I'd not of put her there if I thought she would crash the ship."

"That was her deepest wish... Thank you for making it come true for her.." Jake responded. "I've taken up enough of your time... I'd best let you get back to it... and I'll get out of your hair.."

Phoenix nodded respectfully to the man, and then shut the line off.