A Quiet Place? (Part 1)
Posted on Thu Jan 22nd, 2026 @ 11:24pm by Lieutenant Commander Chrirhc Chihc & Captain Taiga Aisaka & Commander Chisato Nishikigi
Edited on on Sun Feb 15th, 2026 @ 6:12am
1,846 words; about a 9 minute read
Mission:
The Breen
Location: Five Forward
Timeline: March 15, 2397
Five Forward was practically a ghost town nowadays, what with all non-essential facilities having been drastically scaled down due to wartime rationing; the bar was closed and all food and drink was now self-serve, provided via a set of low-power replicators that were hastily hooked up in the corner; additionally, a large, black curtain bisected the main seating area, with the lights on the other side of the curtain having been turned off as a means of conserving power. Functionally speaking, the lounge had been stripped down and reduced to little more than a glorified snack bar- a quiet place for one to stop in and grab a bite to eat before their next major shift.
A quiet place was indeed something that Chrirhc required at this moment. On the off chance that they didn't make it back from their trip to Breen space, Chrirhc wanted to record a final message for Madeledam and the kids. Granted, he had already recorded a few of these "final messages" by now, but Chrirhc had a gut feeling that this one may truly be the last one. If the Breen were indeed in cahoots with the Iconians, then it didn't matter how many ships were accompanying the Myogi: They were done for.
As Chrirhc began to set up in a quiet corner to record his message, he spotted a familiar head of hair walk in:
"Oh, for the love of..." He grumbled.
"Fancy running into you here, Commander!" Chisato waved as she made her way over to where Chrirhc was seated. "Something I can help you with?"
Well, to be fair, she had remembered that he was Commander Chihc now...
"Go away?" Chrirhc suggested wryly. "I'm about to record something for Madeledam and the kids... Ya know... In case we don't make it back."
"You know, I never did hear much about your kids," Chisato remarked as she drew up a seat, much to the Hebitian's annoyance. "Always seemed to change the subject whenever that came up, even though you talked plenty about the Madeledam; Why's that, if you don't mind my asking?"
"There are some things in my life that I just prefer to keep out of the public eye." Chrirhc explained. "They've suffered enough already. There's no need for them to be the subject of some human savior charity record. What Hebitia needs is genuine solutions from the Federation for their Cardassian problem. I'd be a fool to think Cardassia joining the Khitomer alliance will lead to anything productive over the status of Krimena."
"And who's to say that it won't, Commander?" Chisato argued. "If by some miracle we do manage to see the end of this war, things aren't just going to go back to the way they were a few months ago; we're still going to need to rely on each other to rebuild, and any leader, be it JP Ameda or Gul Amara, would be just as foolish to think that they could somehow manage to do all that their own.
"You've never heard Gul Amara's propaganda, have you?" Chrirhc said. "She believes Hebitia is Cardassia's by right, and she'll take any opportunity to force the issue of reunification. If we live to see the end of this war, and the Federation doesn't agree to cede Hebitia to Cardassia in the interest of so-called 'peace,' you can tell me I'm wrong then."
"You think that with everything the Cardassians will have gone through by that point, that they'll be eager to start another war?" Chisato argued. "No doubt, the Cardassians will be suspicious of any so-called leader by their very nature; the moment Gul Amara does something that isn't advantageous to the greater Cardassian peoples would be career suicide."
"You'd be surprised how much mileage she's gotten out of her current agenda." Chrirhc sighed before deciding to change the subject, as it had been dragging on him for too long: "You want something from me, don't you?"
"And see, there you go again," Chisato pointed out. "Always changing the subject whenever your kids are brought up; I don't even think you've told me their names before!"
"Like I said, boundaries." Chrirhc said. "Now, as I was saying, I think we've worked together long enough that I know you always come to me when there's some sort of doubt on your mind. I mean, you even found which ship I'd gone to, for Dukat's sake. If you're not here to avenge your parents, what else have you come here for?
Chisato stared at him blankly, then let out a sigh. "Alright, then; I tell you about what's bothering me, and you tell me about your kids?"
Chrirhc let out a sigh. Clearly, she wasn't going to be leaving here without knowing the names of his kids..."
"Alright, deal." He reluctantly muttered.
Chisato sat back. "So, you remembered when we were stranded in the Karlax Nebula and Captain Aisaka summoned me for a training exercise?"
"All I remember of that day is stepping in Captain Beurling's morning sickness." Chrirhc remarked. "Though, come to think of it, I do think I stepped in that woman's sick a few times after she got pregnant by Colonel Shimada's husband, so take that with a grain of salt, as you humans love to say..."
Chisato snickered. "Okay, admittedly that was kind of funny..."
"Maybe for you, it was..." Chrirhc grumbled.
"Right, so circling back on topic," Chisato continued, "after that whole ordeal with the Borg Cube, I show up to turn the latest intel report in, and right as we're wrapping things up, Captain Aisaka, just completely out of the blue..."
"There is one more matter I would like to discuss with you," Taiga said simply.
Chisato glanced up. "Oh?"
"I've been thinking of your role on this ship and I want to test the limits of what you are capable of. I believe that your talents can be utilised better. Therefore, I want you to report to Holodeck three at 1600 hours,, tomorrow" Taiga told her simply.
"Of course, Captain," Chisato smiled. "Shall I bring my team with me?"
Taiga shook her head. "No, just you."
"Understood," Chisato nodded in the affirmative. "Well, I'd best be getting this information back to Intel so we can continue looking into the Borg files. Be seeing you at 1600?"
Taiga gave her a nod. "Very well. I'll see you tomorrow at 1600." She told her. "Dismissed."
"Alright then, so I figure this is just going to be a routine exercise to give the Captain a better idea of how best to apply me in the field; certainly nothing wrong with that, and if anything it gives her a chance to take stock of how I operate, so that she can apply me to certain field operations accordingly. So, I show up at 1600, figuring this is going to be some intel-related scenario, and the moment I step inside..."
The holodeck was already running and was currently simulating the Tokyo's conference room. Taiga stood at the end of the room with a PADD in her hand. "I have three tests for you," she said simply. "There is no time limit to the first two tests, but the third is timed. You will understand why when you reach it." She said simply.
"Understood," Chisato nodded, her mind already racing with several possible scenarios that the Captain would be putting her through. Dead drops, brush passes, S.E.R.E training, file decryption and asset recruitment were all very good possibilities, given her line of work.
"Computer, begin test one and pause." Taiga commanded. Around the table holographic characters appeared sitting in the seats that would usually be occupied by the Tokyo's senior staff. There was a Bajoran, a Cardassian, a Ferengi and a Nausican.
"This test is simple." Taiga said to Chisato. She picked up a PADD which had appeared on the table along with the characters. "These four commander's are in dispute about a small uninhabited planet outside of claimed space. The planet is Class M, and has extremely rich deposits of Dilithium." Taiga explained. "Each government has a claim to the planet. Both the Cardassians and Bajorans want to mine the ore for themselves as it is in between their spaces. The Ferengi want to mine the ore too, but also want to set up a trading post on the planet to increase trade between the Cardassian Union and the Bajoran Srctor. However the Nausicans have been using this planet as a training ground for the last fifteen years for their troops."
Taiga held out the PADD to Chisato. "The Federation has stepped in to delegate and assist with finding the best diplomatic solution. You're job is to find a resolve to the dispute peacefully. I will be observing your progress, they will not be aware of me, nor can you ask me anything during this test."
Chisato blinked in surprise. "Me? Negotiate a mining dispute? Captain, I'm flattered, but this may be little beyond the scope of what I'm qualified for-!"
Taiga didn't say anything in return, she just indicated for Chisato to take the seat at the head of the table.
"Computer. Enter Lieutenant Commander Nishikigi as Candidate One and begin program." Tsiga said. The holodeck changed Chisato's uniform to command red and placed extra pips on her chest making her to the rank of Captain.
Chisato stared in wide-eyed disbelief at the uniform before turning back to Taiga. "Um, Captain-!"
"Computer begin." Taiga said.
"I always suspected that Captain Aisaka favored you more than me." Chrirhc grumbled. "You're more her type... Someone who's cloying, and bubbly, and happy all the time... No wonder a grumpy old wreck like me wasn't offered a seat at the "Tokyo Family" table..."
"Oh, no, I didn't mean it like that, Commander!" Chisato quickly apologized. "We've just got different approaches to how we do things- my strategy is based in projecting innocence, while yours is grounded in honesty. I'll be honest with you here, we made one hell of a team when we were working together on the Tokyo; and while I respect the crap out of Captain Aisaka, I think in some ways she may have undervalued you for being upfront and true to yourself."
"Yeah, you got that right..." Chrirhc grumbled. "I served no immediate short term purpose to Captain Aisaka, so it's no wonder I was allowed to leave with little resistance. Discarded like Takeshi Nakazato and the rest of them..."
"Well, that's a bit of an unfair comparison," Chisato pointed out. "Mind you, Takeshi Nakazato was caught falsifying witness testimony in a court of law and had his Starfleet Commission revoked; you were genuinely under-utilized, at least in my personal opinion."
To be continued...
Posting by
Lieutenant Commander Chrirhc Chihc
Chief Intelligence Officer
USS Myogi
Guest Starring:
Commander Chisato Nishikigi
Mission Advisor
Guest Star
USS Myogi
Captain Taiga Aisaka
Commanding Officer
USS Tokyo
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