<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/>Damian had his hands full. His first stop was the hangar bay, where damage reports and other assessments were quickly asked of the crew that was still working around the clock to try and make sense of the matter. Chaos and even some fights had already broken out as the devastated company's discipline had broken without the presence of strong leadership. While Damian lacked the charisma to keep a unit together, he most certainly had the intimidating presence to accomplish the same, if only for a short period of time. A few shows of authority and the incarceration of a troublesome element or two meant order was swiftly restored and the clanner made sure to have people focus on their work first, grieving later. Until they left the Jade Falcon far behind them, and until they knew exactly where they stood, there was not going to be any time for rest.<br/><br/>Before too long, he had managed to compile the files of the fallen, as well as the injured. The crew on board the dropship itself had actually gotten away fairly unscathed. Barely half a dozen fatalities, with even fewer wounded in the infirmary. The tally was far more grim when it came to the pilots that had been out in the field. Of the seven that had managed to make it back, only he, Kari and Allia were fit to stay out of the emergency room. One of the survivors had died mere minutes before, while two more were in critical condition. Only a single pilot would be back up on his feet in a matter of weeks. Needless to say, they were short on a few lancemates... Where gear and equipment was concerned, again, the dropship had managed to keep damage to a minimum. While it still needed repairs and some refitting, it had held up against the incoming fire and was going to be able to keep them all safe for the time being. The 'Mechs were another matter. Of those that had returned, only five were salvageable, a sixth could be stripped for parts, while the last was fit for recycling. That which actually paid the bills had been taken from them.<br/><br/>Damian banished grim thoughts as best he could as he continued to work through the numbers and the information that continually flowed into his personal office. Already, there was plenty of talk about how the company was finished, and he couldn't blame them for thinking that. No one was going to take the fall for it, since those responsible were already dead. Without a scapegoat, anger turned even quicker to desperation. As he ran the numbers and came to a fiscal disaster, he leaned back in his seat and brought the palms of his hands across his tired features. Over twenty-four hours had passed since they had returned, and he had not stopped to take a rest for even a second of that. He feared that, if he did, he would find himself honestly considering breaking his promise to Kari's father, and packing up his bags while he still drew breath. But, until Kari decided to leave the business, the former Sea Fox warrior-merchant had a job to do.<br/><br/>While all the results were preliminary and estimations, he felt he had enough to give his surviving teammates an idea of where they were at. To that end, he sent them both a brief message inviting them up to his office for an impromptu debriefing. He added no details on the results, figuring they could already imagine how bad things were...</div>