The Quality of Leadership (Part 4)

Posted on Sun Feb 4th, 2024 @ 7:44am by Captain Maho Takahashi & Commander Keisuke Takahashi 'K.T.' & Commander Ichika Misono & Captain Mikoto Misaka & Ensign Miyoko Misaka & Crewman Recruit Hanamaru Kunikida 'Maru'
Edited on on Sun Feb 4th, 2024 @ 7:45am

1,097 words; about a 5 minute read

Mission: Operation Tokyo Return
Location: USS Ermiana
Timeline: After 'The Quality of Leadership (Part 3)'

Previously, on Star Trek: Myogi:

"Indeed." Misaka took another sip of her tea. "You see, he thought that by teaming up with the Tal Shiar would bring order to chaos. However he couldn't see beyond his own ships bow. He didn't realise that he was being manipulated by them. All he saw was the endgame, and he used his power to try and achieve that endgame."

Misaka placed her cup down on the table and interwined her fingers, leaning forward on the desk she looked Maho dead in the eye. "So, now the big question is. Why are you letting your personal feelings influence how you behave on your own bridge? What he did was wrong yes, but there's nothing you can do that will alter that is there? He's laid his own bed, its time for him to lie in it. Do you want to end up the same way?"

And now, the continuation:

Maho sighed.

"When I was given command of... Miyahara's ship, the Myogi..." She began. "I had one objective in mind: Continue what he started to realize a safer, more secure Federation for ourselves... And posterity." Maho stroked her belly.

"But, after seeing the lows he's willing to stoop to in order to seize power again, I'm starting to wonder if the Miyahara I believed in was little more than smoke and mirrors." Maho said. "But, whatever my personal feelings are on if I'd been sold a lie, I know that the day I call upon a crowd to march on Starfleet Headquarters to disrupt our democracy is the day I mark myself for execution."

"You're starting to realise," Mikoto said in response. Finally she sat back in her chair. "Now. There are two more things I think its best we discuss." She said. She looked over at Ichika before looking back at Maho. "Tell me about Captain Aisaka."

Maho's eyes immediately narrowed, as if Mikoto had just referred to the devil.

"What about her?" She asked in a low tone.

"I heard..." Mikoto said as she glanced momentarily over at Ichika. "That you had some issues with her whilst transporting her here?"

"Yes: During the voyage here, Captain Aisaka showed nothing but contempt for my vessel and her crew:" Maho explained. "She assaulted two..." Maho glanced back at Ichika. "Now former crewmembers, threatened me with court martials more than once, and then proceeded to commit an offense worthy of a court martial herself, even if it was only a bluff."

Mikoto stayed silent for a few seconds. She reached to a stack of PADD's on her desk and picked the top one up. "She assaulted two officers?" She asked. "Thats not what this report says from your Chief of Security..." she said as she slid it across the desk. "Lieutenant Commander Ebisuzawa states that Captain Aisaka was attacked by them and she was defending herself. Stated by testimonies from the two crewmembers themselves." She stated. "I heard that you have a personal bias against her? Am I correct with that?"

"She has repeatedly gone after both me as a person and my reputation as a Starfleet officer:" Maho stated. "She sent an armed goon to my wedding to arrest the best man, and then she had the nerve to call my character into question by having a top Federation lawyer call for an investigation into my involvement in her trial. I had to face down a court martial and prove I had zero involvement. Does that sound like a respectable Starfleet officer to you? Because to me, that sounds like an underhanded crook who should have no business being in a center chair!"

There was a brief pause as Mikoto narrowed her eyes at the other Captain across the desk. "Captain. With all due respect, and take this from someone who's been serving in Starfleet since before you were born. That is NOT your decision to make, nor is it yours to enforce." She said a sharp and fearful tone of strictness coming through in her voice.

The ensign who had been standing not far away from the desk took a couple of steps back at the sudden change in Mikoto's voice. "Captain Aisaka is still a Starfleet Captain. And so are you. So stop acting like a god damn child and do what you are trained to. Get. Over. It. Now."

Like the ensign, Maho also seemed shocked by the shift in Mikoto's tone, and any further words Maho had seemed trapped in Maho's mouth.

The silence in the room seemed deafening to everyone who sat there, the tension in the air seemed to thick that the sharpest blade couldn't slice through it. Finally Mikoto broke the silence. "Four hundred and fifty six," She said simply. "Four. Hundred. Fifty Six."

"Four hundred fifty six what?" Maho asked nervously?

"That is the amount of good men, women and..." She paused for a brief moment. You could see that this was hard on her. She looked down avoiding eye contact with them both "...Children. Have lost their lives under my command." Mikoto told them both. "Every single one of them at my command, or following my orders. Thats how many I have lost in command of this ship. Thats twice more than twice the current compliment of the Myogi"

Finally she looked up. "No one is a perfect Captain. Picard, Sisko, Janeway, even James T Kirk. Not one of them is perfect." she stated to them. "If you as much blood on your hands as I have, then keep doing what you're doing. Bear in mind, one day your own child may be in those numbers." she briefly looked over at the ensign before returning her gaze to Maho. "Or, you take the high ground and become a better Captain. Learn from your mistakes and experiences. I've been commanding this ship for twenty five years, and I am still learning." she stated.

There was a brief pause as Mikoto straightened up slightly. "I understand that you're pregnant. I understand that you're body is telling you one thing whilst your heart and mind are telling you otherwise." She said to Maho simply. "Tell me Captain. What world do you want to bring your child into? Do you want them to be in a world where they look upto you? Where they see forgiveness and kindness is the way? Or a world where they learn that bitterness, hate and petty grudges turn people into cold heartless people? Which one do you want your child to see?"

To be continued...

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