The Sad, Sorry State of Chiyo Shimada (Part 2)

Posted on Sat Aug 12th, 2023 @ 8:58am by Captain Taiga Aisaka & Major Chiyo Shimada & Alice Shimada
Edited on on Mon Aug 14th, 2023 @ 8:05pm

1,198 words; about a 6 minute read

Mission: Starship Graveyard
Location: Shimada Family Quarters
Timeline: After 'The Sad, Sorry State of Chiyo Shimada (Part 1)

Previously, on Star Trek: Tokyo:

Ignoring Alice's instructions to put her bra back on, Chiyo changed out of her uniform pants for a more comfortable pair of black capris and slid into a white tank top. Chiyo exited the quarters scratching her crotch to find Captain Aisaka standing in the main living area.

"Oh, hey, Captain;" Chiyo said nonchalantly. "Here to scold me for acting out of line at the briefing?"

The shorter woman shook her head. "Not exactly, let's just say that I'm worried about you. So I came to see how you were doing."

Chiyo sighed. The heavy sigh alone was all Taiga might have needed to know about how Chiyo was doing. Yet, Chiyo spoke up:

And now, the continuation:

"Captain; I'm not sure if you'd understand what I'm going through right now, but I'll try my best to provide you an analogy:" She said. "Imagine for a second Ryuuji got reassigned tomorrow, and his new ship went missing next week. Starfleet throws in the towel and declares the ship lost with all hands without so much as a search because the ship didn't carry a famous name like Enterprise, or... Missouri!"

Chiyo applied a rather bitter tone when she rattled off the Missouri name. Thinly veiling her animosity towards the two year long search for what was essentially a sister ship of Voyager, while the search for the Redemption was only about a month. But that was an entirely different kettle of worms.

"And then 14 years elapse before you finally manage to make your way out to the ship's last known coordinates." She completed. "A lot can happen in that time, especially if you've held onto that belief that perhaps Ryuuji was still alive after all that time."

Taiga nodded. "I understand that your partner was on the Redemption wasn't he?" She asked.

"That's correct." Chiyo nodded. "Tatsuo Shimada. He was an amazing individual, and I'm lucky that I had the opportunity to spend the best years of my life with him. My only regret is that he hasn't been there to see his daughter grow into the amazing young woman she's become."

"I didn't know he was Alice's father." Taiga said softly. "I'm guessing you're reminded of him every day when you see him in Alice?"

"Oh, goodness; no:" Chiyo waved dismissively. "I call her my 'mini me' for a reason: He has almost no dominant traits, aside from maybe the hair, but even then, her hair is a mix of his hair and mine. But yeah, I didn't see anyone else between when Tatsuo left and when I found out I was pregnant. So, I'm fairly certain Tatsuo is her father."

That caused Taiga to raise an eyebrow. "You're fairly certain?" she asked.

"Like I said, it's impossible that anyone other than Tatsuo is Alice's father." Chiyo said. Her tone inflected that she was offended by the implication that someone else could have been Alice's father.

"Well." Taiga said. "Will you be talking to the Counsellor about all of this? I don't really know how I can help apart from being there for you both. Does Alice know about Tatsuo?"

"She's asked on multiple occasions about him." Chiyo responded. "And as for Counselor Johnson, what good is talking to her going to do? She doesn't know what it's like to have her happy ending ripped away from her, and then spend the next fourteen years in a semi-delusional state that perhaps it'll all work out. How could she? She has it as good as you do! The man by her side, the ring on her finger, the child on the way! What do I have? A moody 14 year old and a scuffed old ring I don't even fucking wear anymore! I never had my chance to wear the pretty dress or dance with Tatsuo as husband and wife! I... I just..."

Tears had begun to fall while Chiyo was speaking until finally her legs buckled, and she collapsed into the nearest chair.

"I just want closure." Chiyo sobbed. "If we can confirm that Tatsuo is dead like you regs have told me these past fourteen years, I'll be able to move on. But if there's a chance, even just a slight one, that he's still alive... It's a chance I have to take. I've waited fourteen years for the answers I'm just two days away from. I just hope they're the answers I want to hear..."

Taiga couldn't possibly imagine what Chiyo had been through. "We'll do our best to find the Redemption and find you the closure Chiyo. But you should know that I can't guarantee it." Taiga told her softly. She approached and placed a single hand on the woman's shoulder. "Right now I want you to take the next couple of days off. Prepare yourself for what we mightbfind, because I might need you in that nebula. This ship needs its marine Commander. Alice needs her mother." She told her.

Chiyo sighed.

"I'll have to write a memo to Captain Beurling, reminding her to refrain from smoking around you, but otherwise she can handle the workload." She said.

"Yes, I would rather she didn't," Taiga replied in regards to the smoking. "If you need think you need to have some time alone, Ryuuji and I can have Alice for a few days. Ryuuji loves cooking for others, he'd love the chance to cook up a proper meal."

"No thanks." Chiyo declined. "No offense to you, but Alice barely knows you or Ryuuji. On the other hand, she's known Liz for almost 5 years, and sees her as something of a cool aunt figure. I'm sure if she had to pick between staying with the captain she barely knows or with Auntie Liz, she'd pick Auntie Liz without hesitation."

Taiga nodded. "Well the offer is there if she wants a change of scenery," she replied with a soft smile. "I've got to get back to work. Don't hesitate to let me know if you need anything." She told her as she turned to leave. She stopped before the door for a brief moment. She spoke without turning around. "Oh, and just so you know. You're much stronger than I am. If I were in the same situation you've been in. I would have fallen to despair long ago. I know how you feel, without Ryuuji by my side is a fate worst than death to me."

Without another word Taiga left the room, hoping that her true feelings and words would reach out to Chiyo.

Chiyo was left behind in a state of mild shock. She had been under the impression from the beginning that things were the other way around, and that Taiga was a stronger woman than she could ever be. But hearing this new confession from the Captain certainly made Chiyo stop and reflect: Perhaps Liz was onto something about how inspiring she was by managing to hold onto the belief that Tatsuo was still alive for 14 years.

Posting by

Captain Taiga Aisaka
Commanding Officer

Major Chiyo Shimada
Marine Commander

Alice Shimada
Civilian Child

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