The Morning After (Part 2)
Posted on Fri Oct 8th, 2021 @ 2:24pm by Major Chiyo Shimada & Lieutenant Iowa Riverside 'Grey Ghost' & Captain Elizabeth F. "Liz" Beurling & Alice Shimada & Captain Taiga Aisaka & Lieutenant Commander Marcus Decius 'Gladius' & Lieutenant Jasad Yuvek & Lieutenant JG Nozomi Kusuda 'Gemini' & Lieutenant Commander Ryuuji Takasu & Lieutenant JG Silica Tetsuhiko 'Twin-Tails' & Lieutenant Fubuki Kuchikukan 'Snowflake' & Chief Warrant Officer Karuta Roromiya & Mikoto Roromiya
Edited on on Sat Oct 9th, 2021 @ 3:25am
1,654 words; about a 8 minute read
Mission:
Operation Romulus Return
Location: USS Tokyo (NCC-91101), Mess Hall, Deck 5
Previously on Star Trek Tokyo...
Taiga huffed as she began tapping the buttons on the replicator with a bit of force. "Damn thing. They can never get these right!" She said as her order replicated. "I bet this porridge, or excuse for porridge tastes crappy as always".
"You're just passed because you didn't get much sleep and have an empty belly" Ryuuji stated as he tapped in his own food suggestion. "In more ways than one..." he whispered causing Taiga to blush bright red.
"Shut up. Let's just eat, maybe I'll feel better after this!" Taiga snapped at him as they took their seats at the far end of the mess hall.
And now the continuation...
Chiyo had observed the captain and her spouse entering the mess hall. Seeing the two of them together reminded her of her and Tatsuo when they were younger, and Chiyo's heart began to ache, and she turned back and focused in on cutting her waffles.
Look at those two; so happy together, discussing having a child so casually... She thought to herself. She has no idea to hold her partner close during and after the transition into parenthood. Because bearing and raising a child alone is perhaps the worst hell a woman can ask for...
"You miss him, don't you?" Liz's voice cut into Chiyo's thoughts like a knife.
"Damn straight I do." Chiyo responded. "Every day for the past 13 years, I've missed him."
"Do you really think he's dead?" Liz asked.
"No, I don't believe he's dead." Chiyo said. "Not for one second: Until I can be shown a death certificate and a tombstone, I will always believe that he's out there somewhere..."
"Well, you're not alone in that regard." Liz responded. "Tatsuo was a good friend of mine as well, and to see you holding out hope that he's still out there after 13 years... It gives me fresh hope, when mine had long run dry."
"Liz, I see so many happy couples on board; Captain Aisaka, Commander Trigman, the Knights;" She listed off the ones she could immediately name. "And here I am, a single mother; I mean, don't you think I'm just a little out of place?"
"Logic dictates your feelings are merely a hormonal imbalance." Liz said.
"Cut the crap, Liz; I know you better than to think you actually believe that logic baloney." Chiyo responded with a smirk.
"You got me." Liz chuckled as she took a sip of her coffee. Well, coffee was the wrong word; it was more like replicated sewer water. The replicator just couldn't seem to replicate Tim Horton's to save its functions. "I was just joking to lighten the mood."
"You are not out of place on this ship" a voice said simply. Chief Warrant Officer stood there, she had overheard the conversation. Next to her stood Mikoto who was holding onto a white Teddy bear and rubbing her eyes, clearly very tired.
"I am curious however..." she said looking at Liz. "You are not a typical Vulcan are you?" She asked.
"Well, I guess you could..." Liz began as she looked up into the Warrant Officer's eyes. However, her voice trailed off when she recognized the face.
"No way!" She gasped, her eyes going wide. "Karuto? Is that you??"
"Karuta" she corrected her. "I thought that I recognised you First Lieutenant. I see that you have still to embrace logic since your time serving on the Kanzaki"
"Psshh!" Liz scoffed dismissively. "My rejection of logic predates my service on the Kanazaki by a loooong time. At this point, I've gone so long without it that I don't think I could embrace it even if I wanted to."
"Evidently" Karuta replied simply.
"Mummy, who is she?" Mikoto asked with a yawn.
"First Lieutenant Elizabeth Beurling" Karuta told her. "I served with her on another ship. The one in fact that I was pregnant with you on" Karuta explained. "Apparently, when you were born Mikoto, everyone considered you 'cute', the First Lieutenant included"
"Was I cute?" Mikoto asked.
"That's what your father called you. Although he also considered you cute whilst you were inside my belly" she told her simply. "Although I do not understand how an unborn child growing within a rounded out belly with protruding navel that he couldn't see could be considered in that regard" she added pondering slightly.
"I miss daddy. When is he coming home? And what does 'protruding mean?" Mikoto asked curiously.
"It means sticking out. We shall talk about your father another time" Karuta said looking away for a second.
"I never want my belly button to stick out. It'll feel weird!" Mikoto exclaimed as she placed her Teddy over her belly as if hiding it through her dress.
"That is common during pregnancy, it may happen to you when you have your own children in the future." Karuta told her. "Regardless, she is a Marine Officer who has known you since before you were born. Try to be polite"
Mikoto smiled. "Ok" she turned to Liz. " Good morning"
"Don't let anyone kid you:" Liz said. "She's still cute, and so big now, too! You're getting to be just about as big as Chiyo's kid here. Speaking of which, where is that little rascal? I thought I saw her walk in with you, Captain."
"She's made a new friend among the regs." Chiyo responded before placing a piece of waffle in her mouth.
Mikoto pulled on her mothers sleeve. "Can I go play with Alice? Please?" She asked giving Karuta puppy dog eyes.
"I shall consider your request. However now it is time to eat" she explained simply. She looked back at Liz and Chiyo. "Would you mind if we sit at this table with you? I apologise in advance, Mikoto can be a handful at times." She asked.
"Hun, I put up with a moody tween on a daily basis." Chiyo responded. "I can handle a little ball of energy. This place definitely is filling up fast, though; I don't blame you if you just want a place to sit."
"Besides, with a disclaimer like that;" Liz added, grinning. "Something tells me the kid and I are going to get along famously."
"I'm sure..." Karuta commented simply.
As the Captain and her spouse drew up their seats, Nozomi was keen to notice the commotion unfolding on the far side of the hall and tapped Iowa lightly on the wrist.
"Say, Iowa; is that the Captain?" She whispered, gesturing towards the pair.
Iowa glanced over her shoulder briefly, then back to Nozomi.
"Yes, I believe that is." She said.
"She's a lot... smaller than I was envisioning," Nozomi snickered. "She almost reminds me of Napoleon Bonaparte in a way..."
"Don't let her catch you saying that" a familiar voice said from behind Nozomi. There stood Silica and Fubuki both holding their food trays. "You weren't here when she chewed out Lieutenant Nakazato" she explained with a slightly nervous smile.
"Oh?" Nozomi remarked, a brow raised in curiosity. "This sounds like a story worth telling..."
"Say, ladies;" Iowa piped up. "You don't think how the captain treated Lieutenant Nakazato was one of the factors in his betraying us all, do you?"
"Nah" Fubuki replied with a wave of her hand. "He and the Captaim butted heads from the moment he came aboard. Although he did try to throw the entire crew under the bus, lied about what happened." She paused "I believe he deserved it, we lost a lot of good people out there that day"
"I agree 100% with you, sister." Iowa responded. "Seditious bastard thought he could punch above his weight, and totally deserved that knockout sucker punch! Of course, that leaves Fujimoto and I with the job of distancing ourselves from him, seeing as he's the one who brought us on board and all..."
"You're talking of Miyahara's pupil?" Alice suddenly asked.
There was a moment of stunned silence.
"Who?" Iowa asked. "You mean Lieutenant Nakazato?"
"Yes, that's him:" Alice said. "I hate to say it, but mommy thinks his name might go down as a martyr."
"Yikes," Nozomi muttered under her breath. "I hope the new Air Boss isn't as confrontational as you claim the previous one was, or we'll be screwed before we even reach the DMZ!"
"I haven't met Warrant Officer Roromiya personally yet" Fubuki nodded. "But I know she's half Vulcan and in training runs she seems... how to put this..." she pondered for a few moments "Well... Vulcan?"
"Well, at least with a Vulcan, we can be mostly sure that she won't try and stab us in the back later on." Iowa said, leaning back in her seat. "Because frankly, I'm not sure if I could handle two air boss betrayals on the same tour of duty."
"I don't think I could handle one," Nozomi sighed.
"Neither could we. But that's all water under the bridge now" Fubuki replied.
"Well, seeing as this sounds like a cue to change the subject," Nozomi began, "What's say you two have a seat? The table right behind you is available."
"Thanks" Silica said as they both sat down.
"Looks as if some more introductions are in order," Nozomi remarked, turning her attention back to Alice. "Alice, the blonde lady is Lieutenant Junior Grade Silica Tetsuhiko. I'm not quite sure who her friend is, but..." she shifted her gaze over to Fubuki. "I'm sure she wouldn't mind filling us in?"
"Fubuki Kuchikukan call sign 'Snowflake', in case you're wondering that's because my name translates to 'Blizzard' in English" Fubuki told them. "Although Speedy calls me Snowball to tease me sometimes..."
"Snowball;" Iowa chuckled. "I've gotta remember that!"
To be continued...
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