Knowing When to Yield

Posted on Mon Sep 14th, 2026 @ 9:48pm by Captain Maho Takahashi & Commander Keisuke Takahashi 'K.T.' & Kyoko Takahashi

1,081 words; about a 5 minute read

Mission: The Breen
Location: Maho's Ready Room
Timeline: March 24, 2397

Captain's log, Starship Myogi:

Our attempt to assist the Breen did not go according to plan: The Heralds were too numerous for us to make an effective dent in their strength. Though this experience has offered us some valuable insight into the Breen: As a warrior race, they understand the importance of living to fight another day, even if the decision to retreat is bitter in the moment.

With the Alita once again taking us under tow, repairs can continue, and most importantly, the process of returning evacuated personnel can begin.

End of log.

Keisuke and Kyoko had returned to the Myogi in the same transporter batch as Kurumi and Yaeka. Kyoko had already started to squirm once she realized she was back in familiar environs, and by the time Keisuke had reached the turbolifts, Kyoko was making it loud and clear that she wanted her mother.

"Sssshh... We're almost there." Keisuke quietly reassured Kyoko as the turbolift doors opened onto the bridge.

The sound of a screaming two-month old inevitably turned some heads as Keisuke made his way towards the ready room, but Keisuke couldn't care less what others thought in this moment. He was in father mode, and what was important right now was to give his daughter what she wanted:

Arriving at the ready room doors, Keisuke didn't even wait to be let in, pressing the button to immediately open the doors. As Keisuke stepped inside, Maho rose from her chair.

"Somebody missed you." Keisuke began, handing Kyoko off to Maho over the desk.

"Oh, poor Kyoko," Maho muttered soothingly. "She's probably famished. Did you not feed her at all?"

"Yes, actually; right before we beamed over." Keisuke explained, setting the diaper bag down on one of the seats in front of the desk. "Kept up with her snack times the best I could." He further elaborated as he lowered herself into the other seat.

"Well, that formula was a few days old..." Maho admitted, beginning to undo her tunic. "Perhaps she wants some fresh stuff..."

Keisuke turned away, looking towards the ready room shelves as Maho began feeding Kyoko. Several seconds passed in silence as Keisuke considered how he wanted to break the news to his wife: He'd been giving it some serious thought since had been on the Alita. It had been obvious for quite some time that Keisuke's career wasn't really going any further. He didn't feel comfortable with the added responsibility of captain or even first officer, and now that he had a daughter to care for... Well, he was starting to question all those times that they had left Kyoko in the care of the holo-nanny. Granted, the program was working as intended, but what kind of a parent was he letting his kid get raised by technology?

"Say, babe... There's something I've been thinking about, and my time over on the Alita has only helped to cement my decision." He began.

"And what would that be?" Maho asked.

"Once we get back to Algonquin, I plan to step back and become a reservist." He announced.

"Well, you're not the first one to hit me with news like this..." Maho admitted. "What made you reach that conclusion, if you don't mind my asking?"

"Honestly, being evacuated to the Alita with Kyoko, I finally started to realize I have more to look after than myself." Keisuke explained. "I started to look back on all those times we've left Kyoko in the care of a hologram, and wondering if that was the best course of action."

"It's not like the holographic nanny has really malfunctioned..." Maho said, knocking on the desk with her free hand. "If that's what you're concerned about?"

"It's not just a malfunction, babe." Keisuke said. "It's our job as parents to set a good example for our child, is it not?"

"Yeah?"

"Well, what kind of example does it set when we leave her in the care of a collection of photons while we go off galivanting saving the universe?" Keisuke asked. "That's something Taiga Aisaka would do! Do we really want our daughter to say that we weren't around for her later in life?"

"Well, when you play the Aisaka card..." Maho muttered.

"Look, all I'm saying is that when I walk her down the aisle on her wedding day, I want to be able to look her in the eyes and be at peace with myself knowing that I did my duty as her father well before handing her off to her partner." Keisuke said. "And right now, I don't think that I would be able to."

Several more seconds passed, in that time, Kyoko decided that she was done consuming Maho's milk, so Maho wiped herself off and redid her uniform.

"I hope you're not asking the same of me with what you want to do." Maho said. "I still have the Myogi to look after... And another thing; you're not thinking of going back to Earth with Kyoko, are you?"

"No, of course not! To all of those things!" Keisuke said. "I want to stay here with the love of my life and my daughter. I don't think I could take the heartbreak of reading your obituary."

Maho simply nodded, not making it obvious that what Keisuke had said had made her own heart flutter.

"Just so you're aware, then- remaining on board as a civilian means you'll have to live with more restrictions than you do now." Maho explained. "You won't be allowed into restricted areas that you're used to entering on a daily basis."

"Then, so be it." Keisuke said. "I don't mind being confined to residential decks if it means Kyoko will have one of us with her at all times."

"And you said you don't want to resign your commission entirely, right?" Maho asked. "You want to go into reserves?"

"Yes, so that way I can be called up at a moments' notice." Keisuke nodded.

Maho nodded and sighed.

"Well, this is going to be quite the change, isn't it?" She asked, looking towards the wall space where Miyahara's portrait used to hang. It had since been taken down and replaced with the license plate signed by the NightKids.

"It will be." Keisuke agreed, following Maho's gaze. "But I think it'll be for the better."

A Mission Post By

Captain Maho Takahashi
Commanding Officer
USS Myogi

Commander Keisuke Takahashi
Second Officer
USS Myogi

Kyoko Takahashi
Civilian Child
USS Myogi

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