Admiral Garrett Black: “Mr Anderson, I’m glad to finally meet you. I read your editorial and I wanted the opportunity to set a few things right for the public record. You seem to doubt the sincerity of my condolences?”

James L. Anderson: “I’m flattered that you read it but that’s not what I said, Admiral, nor was that the intention.”

Black: “But that is what you were insinuating, wasn’t it?”

Anderson: “Admiral, with all due respect, you are renowned as a hard man, they say you weren’t born, you were chiseled out of stone! You’ll forgive me if I find your touching sentiment to be a little out of character.”

Black: “You think that being a man means you can’t show respect for the fallen? I’m sorry, Mr Anderson, that was uncalled for, please go ahead.”

Anderson: “Thank you. I’ve been doing some checking and found that everyone stationed on Salem One was hand-picked by your office. Does that not make you feel just a little responsible for their deaths?”

Black: “You’re right on both counts, Mr Anderson, it is part of the burden of command that any single decision that I make could either save lives or could cause the death of thousands, millions! Starfleet Command had to be certain that the best personnel were picked for the job. I am confident that each one of those men and women on Salem One acquitted themselves gallantly.”

Anderson: “But nevertheless the fact remains that it was your name on the transfer orders that sent every one of them to their deaths.”

Black: “The construction and manning of Salem One Station was of primary importance to the security of the Coalition of Planets such that I could not delegate any decision regarding it. Being a member of Starfleet is a high-risk job. Every plan we make is covered by risk management measures to try to ensure their safety but when you are dealing with the unknown as we do on a daily basis, there are no guarantees. The loss of Salem One Station was neither more nor less of a chance than other Starfleet personnel take with any and every mission that they undertake. However, just as I could not delegate the decision of who went to Salem One and who didn’t, I cannot, and will not now, dodge the responsibility for my actions. I have tendered my resignation to the Prime Minister but he has so far refused to accept it."

Black: “Mr Anderson, my feelings over Salem One reach far deeper than you can ever imagine. Take a look at the casualty list for Salem One on this PADD. What is the name, second from the top of this list?

Anderson: “Captain Nathan P. Ridley, Executive Officer, Starfleet.”

Black: “Captain Ridley was a fine officer, a good friend and my eldest son by my first marriage.”

Anderson: Admiral!

Black: “Against all advice I married a girl from my home town during my last year in Academy. Gloria was never cut out to be a ‘fleet wife, the long missions, the stress of not knowing if she would see me again. It lasted three years and ended in a messy divorce. She never forgave me or Starfleet and moved to the east coast, changing her name. I never knew that she was carrying my child at the time and Nathan was registered under her maiden name. She did everything she could to stop Nathan from going into Starfleet but … he gets his stubborn streak from me I suppose.” Black rose from his desk and turned to look from his office window, out over San Francisco Bay.

Black: “Of course, when Nate registered his application to Starfleet Academy, his DNA dogtag struck up a red light in Internal Affairs that was bumped upstairs to the top brass. You have to realise that by this time I was in the senior planning staff for the Warp Five Project and it could have caused a major conflict of interest. Commodore Forrest did the best he could for us, but it boiled down to either Nathan being eased out of Starfleet or we were to have no contact in our service careers. The job was half done for them anyway, since Gloria had never told him his father’s real name, fabricating some story about him dying when Nate was a child.”

Black: “Gentlemen, not a day goes by but I regret the decision I made then. Each year it was harder to think of a way of breaking the circle, the lie that stood between us. Nate scraped through his academy theory and excelled in command, never the less there was no prouder father at that graduation day than I. Every posting, every report, every commendation – I knew every detail of his life yet could not be a part of it."

Black: “Once Nate won his first command and was promoted to captain I could no longer avoid him and I had to create a working relationship with him as if we were just acquaintances. That was two years ago and from that point on, we struck up a friendship. I could now share in his life.” He was silent as if lost in his memories for a moment then let out a mirthless, bitter laugh.

Black: “Chiseled out of rock!” he snorted.

Black: "I commissioned two independent reports for recommendations as to postings for Salem One … and Nate’s name was at the top of both of them. The last I saw of him was on the night he shipped out. As we parted I felt the same urge that I always felt, to ask him to stay a while because I had something to tell him but as always I told myself ... later. It was always ... later."

Black: "I have seen courage gentlemen. I have seen men selflessly give their lives to protect their comrades. I have three citations for bravery and yet I judge myself the greatest coward alive today."

Black: "Mr Anderson, this interview is ended. I would like you to ask your colleagues in the news media to respect my privacy."

Black: "Oh ... and in answer to your editorial, I agree. No parent should lose a child. I hope you will now not doubt my sincerity when I tell you that every decision I have made and will make in the future will be to bring about a speedy end to this conflict. Unfortunately I fear that many more sons and daughters, husbands and fathers, will pay the supreme sacrifice before it is ended."

Black: "Now if you will excuse me gentlemen I would like a few minutes to compose myself before the evening's situation briefing. Thank you"

This Dispatches from the Romulan War report was contributed by Kirok.

Did you enjoy this article? Please bookmark it onto: