<div class="floatright">(http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y156/jillvader/mw-nmfkmpkarimonero_zps55a1bf27.jpg)</div>The fact that there was only the three of them here made things a lot easier for Kari. It wasn’t just that there was less pressure on her; a small group like this was a lot easier to manage then a large crowd, and a lot easier to face down. Beyond that, however, the simple fact of who it was made a world of difference to her.<br/><br/>Damien had been around for longer then she could think about, and his closeness to her father had made him almost family, which also meant that she could be a lot more relaxed and casual around him then if he were another officer. It also meant that the pair of them could be more open, frank and honest, and didn’t need to pussyfoot around each other. That was what she needed right now.<br/><br/>And on the other hand there was Allia, with whom she had a weird but yet strangely comforting friendship. Their recent experiences seemed to have only bought them closer together, and there was a strange but also comfortable intimacy between the pair of them. It meant that she could also relax and be herself, rather then the leader she would have to become in order to make this work.<br/><br/>She listened to what Damien had to say, taking in each and every part of it. The words hit like hammer blows on shattered armour, the losses devastating in their completion. She knew they were bad, and had expected something akin to what she was hearing now. But even then, to have the losses come like this, quantified and stated, made them that much worse.<em>No way to hide from this,</em>Kari told herself.<em>Now we confront it head on</em>.<br/><br/>“Thanks for that, Damien. It’s bad, and probably worse then I’d hoped for, but we need to know this.” She finally spoke. “You are right; on paper, we’re done for as a fighting force. We’re going to have a hard time attracting new blood when we’re so shattered. Obviously retention would help.” She chewed her lip a moment as she considered their options. “Keeping Jirani would go a long way both towards morale and our overall strength, and will paint a better picture of us when we try to re-float the unit. So what do we need to do to keep her on board?”<br/>