<div style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Dark Star Dropship</strong><div class="floatright">(https://elliquiy.com/elluiki/images/e/ef/Damian_Harper.jpg)</div><br/><br/>The silence was agony, pure and simple. Damian was not the most compassionate of men, but where those few close to him were concerned, he had more than enough empathy to give. Even though she was holding it together, at least at first, he knew Kari was devastated inside. The company had been demolished, and her father was among the victims. He had no idea who her mother was, but he was going to make the safe bet that she, and any other family, were not exactly in her life. That meant she was alone, at least on the level of bloodline. He knew how important family was to those from the Inner Sphere, so he could imagine what she was going through. Respectful as ever, he did not add anything else to what he had said, and did not intercept the silence. He let it run its course, until she pierced it herself.<br/><br/>He kept his gaze averted as she spoke, offering him a form of praise and gratitude he found he had not earned. After a while, he walked over to one of the viewports again, to look out it into the blackness outside. They had largely broken free from pursuit. At least they had made it out in one piece. It wasn't exactly the best of consolation, but it was something. His palms flattened themselves on the surface of a sideboard in front of him as he leaned over a little. <strong>"No. I failed him and I failed the company. I do not need gratitude or praise. I should have had a plan B; a plan C, even. Sloppy work,"</strong> he responded, even though he was nowhere near the only person who had had a say in the tactics and strategy applied in that battle. But as far as he knew, he was the only survivor of those that had made some of the final calls. He thought he had covered all the angles. All but one: the intel being incorrect. He should have double-checked what they had been given; run it through his paranoid scrutiny like he usually did. But it would have cost him days; probably also nights of rest. It would have had him tired on the day of the operation itself. He hadn't thought it worth the trouble.<br/><br/>He sighed slowly, letting the subject slide for Kari's sake. He was not being morose; merely factual as ever. She thanked him, but there was no cause to. He had been unable to save her father. That was a failure, plain and simple.<br/><strong>"Two others. I do not know their condition. Maybe more, but I have not had the chance to read over any reports. If we even have any,"</strong> he responded, unsure the two he mentioned would even survive their injuries. There was so much to do; he felt lost for a few moments. The humanity in him was urging him to clean himself, find the nearest bottle of hardest alcohol, and drink until he passed out. But, he was still an officer of the company, he had work to do. Things to organize, costs to calculate... Families to inform, since the lack of any kind of surviving chain of command meant it likely fell within his duties to do so.<br/><strong>"I will get you the reports as soon as I can. Expect a preliminary one in an hour,"</strong> he responded, not looking at Kari as he very clearly pushed everything down and, as usual, focused entirely on the job instead of himself.</div>