Reforging Old Alliances (Part 1)

Posted on Tue Jun 18th, 2024 @ 5:40am by Lieutenant Tatsuo Shimada & Chief Warrant Officer Karuta Roromiya

1,118 words; about a 6 minute read

Mission: Starship Graveyard

Lieutenant T'Shin stood next to her prepared shuttle; having arrived early to prep the craft as soon as she had received orders from Captain Shimada. T'Shin had chosen one of the Redemption's shuttles, as the crew of the Oning would be more welcoming to a craft from the Redemption rather than having a new ship's shuttle turn up at their doorstep.

Now, all that T'Shin was waiting on was her mission partner: Captain Shimada had told her that the freshies had wanted one of their own to go with her and represent their interests. At this point, it was not surprising; as the crew of the Tokyo had long proven themselves to be illogical beings: While it would have been perfectly adequate for T'Shin to go by herself, as she had history with the crew of the Oning despite all contact having been ceased following the war with the Saviors, the freshies evidently still did not trust her to get the job done.

However, T'Shin had learned to accept the illogical beings that inhabited the starship Tokyo. Because if defying logic gave herself and her surviving crewmates the best chances of finally getting back home like Captain Reizei and Commander K'rala had wished for, then T'Shin would have to accept their plans, even if logic dictated otherwise.

A few moments later Chief Warrant officer Roromiya walked through the doors into the shuttlebay. "Greetings," She said as approached T'Shin.

"Greetings." T'Shin responded. "Now that you are here, allow me to lay out the ground rules for your part in this assignment: If your captain wishes for this to go off without a hitch, then you shall do absolutely nothing to jeopardize the mission. I understand and can get through to these Vulcans, and if you do anything to disrupt that, I will not stop them."

Karuta looked back at her without a hint of emotion on her face. "I have no intention of jepodising this mission," she said plainly. "I have been asked to attend on behalf of Captain Aisaka." she told her as she stepped up into the shuttle. "We should proceed without further delay, Lieutenant."

"You understand your part, so no further dialogue is necessary:" T'Shin said as she turned to head up the shuttle's open ramp into the cabin.

T'Shin made her way to the pilot's seat and settled in at the controls, powering up the shuttle. With the shuttle having been worked on jointly by the Tokyo and Redemption's engineering staff, the old shuttle was working the best it had since the Redemption had crashed. Though it was still evident that the Redemption's shuttle was considered 'old school' by the engineers of the Tokyo.

When the shuttle powered up, meditative music also began to pipe into the cabin. T'Shin had selected this piece ahead of time to help her get into the mindspace to talk to the Oning's crew again, as it had been the first thing she had heard when she came to aboard the Vulcan cruiser after losing consciousness from blood loss due to a hole in her abdomen.

Karuta sat in the co-pilots seat opting to remain silent. She did wonder why the Lieutenant seemed hostile towards her. Maybe it was a rank issue, afterall Karuta was a Chief Warrant Officer and not an officer even if she was highly regarded as being as near to one as an enlisted personnel could achieve. Or perhaps there were underlying issues she had not considered, regardless she understood Captain Aisaka's decision to send her along to assist the Lieutenant; in her eyes T'Shin was far too... emotional.

With the shuttle ready to fly, there was one last thing for T'Shin to do; her hands moved along the smooth surface of the shuttle's controls to open a communication channel:

"Control, this is shuttlecraft Redemption zero four, requesting departure clearance:" She stated plainly.

"Shuttlecraft Redemption Zero Four," Came the response. "You are cleared to depart."

"Shuttlecraft Redemption Zero Four acknowledges." T'Shin responded as she began the takeoff procedure.

The shuttle touched off from the deck and was soon high in the air. Karuta sat there once again in silence as she worked on her console. She wasn't quite sure of her opinion on the pilot next to her, however her focus was on the mission they had been tasked with.

After what seemed longer than it should, she finally broke the silence between them. "Approaching the Vulcan Vessel."

"We'll touch down outside their docking port." T'Shin explained. "That is where they receive visitors."

With her intent explained, T'Shin guided the shuttle down to land near the Vulcan cruiser's docking port, which was at ground level because of the way the cruiser was embedded in the sand. Standing outside the port were two Vulcans tasked with guarding this crucial access point.

T'Shin powered down the shuttle and lowered the ramp, motioning only once for Karuta to follow as she made her way down the ramp onto the desert floor, approaching the guards who immediately threw up a Vulcan salute- the typical Vulcan greeting.

"Live long and prosper, T'Shin." One of the guards said as they approached.

"Peace and long life." T'Shin responded. "Is my husband around?"

"He is." The guard responded. "We shall take you to him now."

Nodding, T'Shin stole another glance at Karuta. She hoped this revelation now made it clear to the halfling why she did not want Aisaka sticking her nose into business that was T'Shin's alone.

"You did not disclose that you had a husband on this vessel," Karuta said quietly. "With holding such information especially in our current situation is illogical."

"As is openly discussing intimate matters." T'Shin responded. "Captain Shimada places his faith in my ability to gain their trust due to my intimate relationship with the commander of this vessel. If your captain requires their cooperation, then you will have to do the same."

Karuta raised a single eyebrow. "It would still have been wise to mention your relationship with the Commander of this ship. However, if you have their trust I have no doubt that this meeting will result in a positive outcome."

T'Shin and Karuta's escort led them to the Oning's bridge. In comparison to the Redemption's bridge, the Vulcan cruiser's bridge was still useable as a command center.

T'Shin still remembered the first time she had been in this space, where she had met with the man now turning to face them. The circumstances were different back then, as T'Shin could hardly walk, her mobility only possible with a mobility device. But she still had her full range of upper body movement to perform the Vulcan salute as she did presently.

To be continued...

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