Behind the Warspite - Part Three

Posted on Mon Jul 31st, 2023 @ 12:44pm by Admiral Jake Yamaguchi & Fleet Captain Racheal Yamaguchi

Mission: Mission 120: All Along the Watchtowers - Part Two
Location: Various Locations - USS Warspite / Starbase Vanguard
Timeline: 1810Hrs, January 15th, 2394

Jake Yamaguchi regarded his mother in silence for a moment, "What's worse was that no trace of Dad or the Duke of York was ever found." he added. "It was as if they had disappeared off the face of reality... So we buried another empty casket," he added in a soft tone of voice.

Rachael sighed, she knew who the first casket had been for, herself. She recalled the battle of Wolf Three Five nine very well. She recalled how she had been in the process of evacuating her wounded from the USS Goodson, only for half a dozen Borg drones to beam into the sickbay. One of them had gotten shot with a phaser before they had proceeded to begin attacking the medical staff. Rachael had swung her medkit at one of them, it had shattered against the Drone's face. Killing it. But another had grabbed her. Her last order had been to evacuate the wounded while she held the attackers off. But she had been subdued quickly and then she had been captured by one of the other Borg drones. Most of her medics and wounded had indeed escaped but half a dozen others had been nabbed too.

Rachael sighed softly. "For what it's worth. I'm sorry Jake," she answered in a quiet tone of voice.

Jake breathed out and then back in again. "It's fine, mom. It was a long time ago and you fell saving others. Or at least we had presumed that you had died saving others." he added. "We read the after-action reports of some who had escaped from the Goodson. They all say that you took on the Borg alone and unarmed. You got the medal of honour for that and a posthumous promotion to Captain." he then shrugged. "Dad seemed to take it in stride. But we all knew better." Jake paused. "Dad took your passing very poorly. He started to grow more isolated over time, he said that he wanted his peace and quiet... Oh, he was never angry or mean but he was withdrawn... Quiet."

Rachael huffed a sigh at her son. "Your dad would not have taken my passing well, assuming he ever did," she commented. "He knew that my job required me to take certain risks. He also knew that I was considering retirement. I'd done my part... I wanted to have more children. in addition to you guys. I wanted at least one or two more." Rachael then sighed quietly. "Now thats impossible. Even though I've been raised from the dead not once, but twice. Thanks to our Akurian friends, who pulled some serious sleight of hand on my behalf." she then sighed deeply. "Ben was a good man and he would have understood what happened to me, even if he didn't care to admit it."

"Yeah. Dad tolerated a lot of crap from various people. He always seemed to hold it together, though. He always endured." Jake commented.

"He endured because he had all of you guys," Rachael responded to her son's comment with her own. "Ben knew what was being asked of him," she added. "He and I always knew that one day, it would come that one of us would fall on active duty. I don't regret staying to protect the wounded on the Goodson. I knew what was being asked of me. Even then that Borg drone grabbed my leg and injected me with that sedative." she then sighed. "I was teleported to the cube along with several thousand others. What awaited us there was assimilation and mutilation." Rachael regarded her son with a hard look in her eye as she spoke. "If anyone tells you anything else, they are full of shit."

"I've read the stories. I've heard the tales." Jake answered his other statement with one of his own. "I confess. I was unsure if you had ever survived going through that sort of experience. I had assumed that you had died with the destruction of the Goodson. I know everyone else said the same thing." Jake then shrugged. "Besides. We managed and we endured. April had escaped the battle, though she had been wounded. Coral, Heather, Talon and myself. We were all at the various academies. Across the various cadet grades." Jake then shrugged. "I got through it, with Torilla's help." Jake then smiled. "Elizabeth came along a few months later."

"I'm sorry I missed it." Rachael paused, as a smile graced her lips.

"It's fine mom. We knew you would have been there, had you been able to do so." he paused. "Anyway. I'll have that list sent to you in a few hours. Since it's morning here." he paused. "I do hate to cut this short but I do have to get going. I actually wanted to ask you a question. Not talk your ear off all day." Jake then smiled. "Yamaguchi out." with that, the screen went black before her.

Rachael smiled.