A Promise Worth Keeping (Part 2)

Posted on Wed Aug 21st, 2024 @ 4:57am by Captain Taiga Aisaka & Major Chiyo Shimada & Lieutenant Tatsuo Shimada & Captain Elizabeth F. "Liz" Beurling & Lieutenant JG Dana Monroe & 1st Lieutenant Hann Rudd & Alice Shimada
Edited on on Wed Aug 21st, 2024 @ 4:59am

1,507 words; about a 8 minute read

Mission: Starship Graveyard
Location: Holodeck One
Timeline: After 'A Promise Worth Keeping (Part 1)'

Previously, on Star Trek: Tokyo:

"Awww, thank you." Chiyo cooed as she checked the chronometer on the bedroom wall. "Now, run along, sweetie! They're probably already filing in."

"Okay, see you there!" Alice said as she left the bedroom and the quarters overall shortly thereafter.

Chiyo took one last look at herself in the mirror. Many of the nightmares had depicted her as a faceless bride, but not today: Today, Chiyo had her full smiling face.

"Not this time..." Chiyo said to the faceless bride of her nightmares.

And now, the continuation:

Alice made her way down to holodeck one in time to see the last last pair of her mother's bridesmaids filing in. Alice stood in the archway and watched them walk down the aisle, and when they reached the end and began to move to take their places at the altar, Alice began her walk. As she had been powerwalking to get to the holodeck, Alice had to remind herself to slow down and savor the walk. Because she likely wouldn't get the opportunity again until it was her own time. And Alice hoped that the groom today standing at the altar she approached would be the one to walk her down the aisle when that time came.

As Alice arrived at the altar, before taking her place, she stepped close to her father and the Captain to deliver a four word report on the status of the bride:

"She's on her way."

Taiga nodded then turned to Tatsuo. "At attention Mister Shimada. Your bride approaches," she said simply giving him a look that could only say one thing: 'You got this'.

Tatsuo then turned to face the entrance of the holodeck, taking a deep breath as the first notes of the Bridal Chorus began to play. All at once, Tokyo marine and Redemption crew member alike were on their feet as the opening notes segued into the main melody, at which time Chiyo began her walk down the aisle.

From the waist down, Chiyo's dress was a traditional bridal gown. However, the upper portion was a departure from tradition: For one, Chiyo had opted for an off-shoulder design to accentuate her shoulders and upper chest area. But perhaps the most striking feature was a small, diamond-shaped cutout exposing Chiyo's navel. The design choice was not lost on Tatsuo- as he had made it clear that in his mind, the navel was the only fair way to judge a woman based on looks, and the dress putting Chiyo's navel in the spotlight made her look all the more beautiful as she strolled down the aisle.

Tatsuo knew that somewhere in the crowd, Reina was likely casting silent judgement upon him, but right now, none of that mattered: Tatsuo's attention was solely on his one and only Chiyo-kichi. As she drew near the altar, Tatsuo couldn't help but break into a wide smile, something Chiyo did in kind as she took her place at his side. Every time Chiyo smiled was a reminder of how much Tatsuo had missed it, and now he would have the chance to see that smile for the rest of his life:

Taiga stood waiting for Chiyo to arrive. She smiled as she approached them at the front and waited patiently. Once she had got into position she held out both hands, indicating for the crowd to be seated.

As quickly as the crowd had stood up, they resumed their seats.

Taiga cleared her throat. "Since the days of Earth's early wooden ships, every Captain has enjoyed the privilege and honour of joining two souls together in holy matrimony. It is a privilegethat extands to all csptains to tgis day. Therefore we are all gathered here to be witness to the joining of Mister Tatsuo Shimada to Miss Chiyo Shimada in marriage" Taiga started as she looked at each Tatsuo and Chiyo in turn.

She indicated for the bride and groom to turn to face each other. "Tatsuo. I believe that you have prepared your own vows?"

"I have:" Tatsuo responded, reaching into his tuxedo jacket and pulling out a folded piece of paper with a smaller piece of paper clipped to the back. Unfolding the paper to its full size, Tatsuo cleared his throat and began.

"Chiyo, when I first met you, it was originally supposed to be a one night hookup. However, when I woke up the next morning, instead of finding you gone, you had patiently waited for me to wake up and feed you a nasty motel breakfast. But, as awful as the undercooked eggs and burnt waffles were, instead of that breakfast being an awkward meal eaten in silence, you engaged me in conversation, and both of us discovered we had more in common than just our good looks: Attached to the back of these vows is the piece of motel paper you scribbled your contact information down on.

When the Redemption went down in the Karlax Nebula, I fully expected you to forget all about me and move on. So, imagine my surprise when, 14 years after we crashed, your voice was one of the first I heard when I stepped foot aboard this vessel. Not only did you refuse to believe the official story Starfleet told you about the Redemption's loss, you had joined the Starfleet Marine Corps and taken my name just to find me. Kisad brought this to my attention, but you are my Orlinga Key." Tatsuo overrode the universal translator so all present could hear the Bajoran language term. "You gave up everything, even a normal life for our daughter, just to find and reunite with me. That speaks volumes to your courage, bravery, and strength in the face of deafening adversity, and it's that kind of brave, courageous woman that I feel comfortable spending the rest of my life with: Chiyo, I promise to love you in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death do us part, and that is a promise that I feel is worth keeping."

Taiga allowed his words to sink into everyone's minds and hearts. After a few brief seconds she turned to Chiyo. "Chiyo?" She asked, her indication for her to respond.

Chiyo's vows were rolled around the stem of her bouquet, as her dress lacked pockets. She had been thoroughly flustered that Tatsuo still had the contact information she first gave to him all those years ago, and it was evident as she fumbled to unroll her vows, nervously chuckling as she did so.

"Tatsuo, when I first met you, I had just gone through a nasty breakup. My boyfriend at the time had told me he couldn't support champagne tastes on a beer budget. I was devastated and drowning my sorrows at a local dive bar that Starfleet officers loved to frequent on shore leave. So, with a few drinks already in me, I was pretty compromised when a young cadet came up to me and called me pretty, obviously trying to get with me in hindsight, but that night, I was a woman on a mission to prove my asshole ex wrong, and I let that cadet take me to a nearby motel... I'm sure everyone here can make an educated guess as to what happened next.

That cadet was you, Tatsuo: And I very nearly did walk out on you that next morning- the only reason I didn't was that I didn't want to look like a prostitute. But I'm glad I didn't, because I would have missed my eternal soulmate if I had.

When the regs came to my door after the Redemption had been missing to deliver the awful news, I suppose I never left the denial stage of grief: Something about Starfleet's decision just didn't sit right with me: It had only been a month since the Redemption first failed to report in, and I have since seen Starfleet search for missing ships for far longer than that. Add on to that my discovery of your 'parting gift', who is standing here today as my maid of honor, and I knew Starfleet was covering something up. That's why I joined the marine corps instead of regular Starfleet: To get to the truth of what happened.

Captain Aisaka can vouch for me on this, but in the days leading up to our Karlax excursion, I was an emotional wreck: I knew that this was the same place where the Redemption had vanished all those years ago, and I was dreading the answers that might have awaited me. But in a way, I'm glad for what happened next: For after we crashed, the first raiders to discover us were none other than crewmembers of the Redemption, and you were among them..."

Chiyo began tearing up.

"Words cannot describe the joy and relief I felt that day: To finally be proven right after 14 years of being told I was wrong..." Chiyo sniffled, as recalling it became unbearable. "I'm sorry..."

To be continued...

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