Final Letter

Posted on Wed Jan 20th, 2021 @ 1:50pm by Admiral Cordelia Rochelli & Lieutenant Commander Arianna Sky Kamar

Mission: Survival of the fittest
Location: Captain's Ready Room

Captain Audrey Markson almost felt sorry for the man. She hadn't approved of the way his arrest had been handled, but she knew that there were reasons that those decisions had been made, and at the end of the day, it wasn't up to her to break orders. She had, however, made it clear that she would not keep the man held hostage in the brig for the duration of their journey. He would be set up with crew quarters, albeit modified. There would be no communications access, and the replicator would be restricted, both in terms of anything that could be used to create a weapon, or anything that may be used for self harm purposes.

Once he had been given time to recover from the shock that would have inevitably come from the swiftness of his arrest, Audrey went to pay a visit, just to make sure he was okay.

Frank sat aboard the Wellington, he knew he was in serious trouble, in the way that he had been removed from the Pennsylvania, when the Captain came to see him he asked, "May I write a letter?"

Audrey thought for a moment before nodding slowly. "There should be some blank data PaDD's in the desk that aren't connected to the central communications network or the ship's computer. If you write it, I will transmit it to the Admiral to deliver for you."

Frank sat at a small desk and began to write. He knew the Admiral would be reading it and he didn't know how much would be edited, but he felt he needed to get the message to Arianna.


======/\======


Dear Arianna,

I know there is alot of confusion right now and a lot that is unknown. I do not know if or when I will be free. I'm not allowed to give any details at this time but I'm facing a court martial with... [extracted due to unnecessary information]
The final charges could result in me being... [extracted due to unnecessary information]

After losing Hannah today, and now my ship, and now the chance to be around you, I feel it is only proper that you forget about me and move on with your life. You are too young to be hitched to an old timer like me. I will have the Admiral assist in the necessary annulment paperwork. I wish you only the best in the future.

Your Friend,
Frank



======/\======

As he handed her the PaDD, Audrey locked it straight away. She had no doubt that Admiral Rochelli would read the contents once she transmitted them to the Pennsylvania, but she felt no reason to violate the man's privacy right in front of him. "For what it's worth Captain Kamar, I'm sorry things happened the way they did. I wish it had been done differently," she said softly before she turned on her heel and walked out of the room.



==/\== USS PENNSYLVANIA ==/\==

Admiral Cordelia Rochelli sat at the desk in the Captain's Ready Room. She had contacted Command already and told them that Kamar had been taken into Custody. She had even returned to the bridge just long enough to watch the Wellington warp away before retreating to the Ready Room again when the notification of the incoming transmission on a secure channel caught her attention. Downloading the message to a data PaDD, Cordelia scanned through it, sighing heavily. Captain Markson was soft hearted, that much was clear. Still, there was no reason to not deliver the message. With a few quick modifications to remove unnecessary detail, Cordelia used the communications terminal on the desk to open a direct communication to the bridge. "Major Griffiths, please have Lieutenant Commander Kamar report to the Ready Room immediately." Closing the link without waiting for a response, Cordelia leaned back in the chair, resting her head against the head rest and closed her eyes for a few moments as she waited.

Arianna had been crying for a while and her eyes were quite red. Washing her face, she finally got a mug of chamomile tea and sat there sipping the hot contents. Her mind was in turmoil with the events that happened and her biggest fear now was that she was going to lose her beloved husband. Another piece of her heart and life was about to be shot to hell.

Getting the message to report to the ready room, Arianna slowly walked to the ready room and hit the door chime.

"Enter." Cordelia remained seated at the desk, her attention fixed on a PaDD in her hand. The audible swish of the doors opening and closing indicated that Arianna had entered. Without looking up, Cordelia motioned toward the chair on the opposite side of the desk. "Sit," she ordered calmly as she continued to read. It was only after she finished reading that she set the PaDD back down on the desk in front of her. "You are Lieutenant Commander Arianna Kamar, is that correct?"

"Yes I am, Admiral. What has happened to my husband?" Arianna asked as calmly as she could. Her Klingon blood was red hot with anger but in control for now, but for how long?

Picking up the PaDD that she had just put down, Cordelia handed it across to him. "He asked that you be given this," she stated simply, choosing to ignore the question.

Quietly Arianna read the contents. Out of no where came a blood curdling scream that would make the blood freeze in your veins, "Noooooooooooo...........," standing suddenly letting the PaDD hit the floor. "What did he do Admiral that would make him write THIS," she growled. Now that Klingon blood was pushing her hard and at this point her world was about to collapse. "I want to see him!!" she said through clenched teeth.

Pushing her chair back with surprising force, the Admiral was on her feet within seconds, shoulders back, head held high, her expression darkening with anger over the flare of temper. "That will not happen Commander. The Wellington has already departed. Now I suggest you rein in your temper or I will call security."

"You sent him away......before I could even say good bye? Why Admiral? Is it because we got married and serve on the same ship? What is going on here, I don't understand why you are doing this to us!" Arianna said, tears running down her angry face. Her world was crumbling around her and this Admiral had no sense of compassion at all.

"I had no say in the matter," Cordelia replied calmly. "And unfortunately, at this stage there is nothing more that can be said on the matter. I am not at liberty to disclose any additional information." She paused momentarily, contemplating. "When information is available, I will inform you."

"I just don't understand why, he is my husband, the man I pledged my life to. How can you send him away without permitting him to atleast say good bye to his wife. Now what can I do without him? How do you expect me to go on not knowing?" Arianna said crying openly.

"Starfleet Protocols," Cordelia said simply. "I understand you're upset Commander, but there really is nothing more I can do at this stage. The orders came from well above me and the only thing I can do is follow them. I am here to ensure the ship gets back to Tabula Rasa safely, then you will be assigned a new Commanding Officer and I will be departing. In the interim, Commander, I suggest you take a day or two from your duty shifts, speak to the counselor and try to come to terms with your situation. At the end of the day, you are still a Starfleet officer and you are expected to behave like one."

"Easy for you to say Admiral, but not easy for a woman who has just lost her whole world in two days. Are we done? I have sick engines to tend to," Arianna said, looking at the Admiral.

"You are dismissed Commander," Cordelia said quietly, motioning for the door, diverting her attention away as the Commander turned and walked out of the ready room. It was only after the doors closed behind the other woman that Cordelia let out a slow, soft sigh. There was definitely some aspects of her job that she really didn't enjoy.

Lt. Cmdr. Arianna-Sky Kamar
Chief Engineering Officer
USS Pennsylvania