Old Rivals, Dark, Truths, and a Spark of Hope (Part 2)
Posted on Fri May 17th, 2024 @ 12:18am by Lieutenant JG Takumi Fujiwara 'Tak' & Lieutenant JG Jane Sinclair
Edited on on Fri May 17th, 2024 @ 12:19am
1,209 words; about a 6 minute read
Mission:
Junichi Koyama
Timeline: After 'Old Rivals, Dark Truths, and a Spark of Hope (Part 1)'
Previously, on Star Trek: Myogi:
"There's a Budget car rental a few blocks away:" The woman explained, presenting the business card to Jane. "They're the only place in town that will still rent to the both of you."
"Shame to see how low some people can go," Jane simply observed. She went back to Takumi but stayed within ear shot of the horrible saleswoman. "Well, I suppose we verified the level of absolute bollocks this planet is capable of right now. We should've just beamed down a car of our own, eh?"
"If I'd have known tourism was this tough; I would have arranged to have our own car transported." Takumi grumbled. "Look, maybe the woman's onto something; and we should go try that Budget place? Especially if she says it's the only one in town that will rent to us."
"Yeah," Jane conceded. "And it's probably good to support businesses that aren't run by racist arseholes. I saw the building when we beamed down."
And now, the continuation:
A few minutes later they had keys to a Toyota Corolla and were cruising along through the paved roads that cut through the forest toward the next town.
As they were driving: Takumi spotted a familiar sight on the side of the road: It was a Sprinter Trueno with it's hood up on the shoulder of the road. By the shape of the taillights, it was a two-door model, but it should still be fairly similar to his own car back home.
“Think we should stop? Up to you.” Jane asked. Takumi was driving, and Jane was all for stopping. It was their Starfleet duty to help, after all, but given the bigotry her crewmate had faced so far and the violence that some had faced on this planet, it wouldn’t be unreasonable for him to say no. She’d go either way. Besides, he was driving. His choice.
Takumi responded not with words, but by slowing down, pulling up behind the broken down car. Setting the hazard lights, Takumi slowly stepped out of the rental car, using his cane to pull himself upright before making his way along the shoulder towards the other vehicle.
However, as Takumi approached, a young Japanese man around his age, if not slightly younger, stepped out from the front of the car with a wrench in his hand, clearly prepared to attack:
"Whoa, easy with that!" Takumi exclaimed. "We're here to help!"
"Really?" The young man asked in a doubtful tone. "Because the last motorists that said that took the clothes off my back! So, how about you quit the feeble act with that cane and just beat me up with it already?"
“We’re really not going to hurt you!” Jane assured him, also out of the car and hands in front of her so he could see them. “We’re Starfleet. Look, here are our commbadges.” She gestured to her chest where the badge was pinned. “We’re not here to hurt anyone. We saw the parked car and my friend here thought we should see if you’re ok. I’m Jane, this is Takumi.”
The young man blinked in surprise.
"Takumi?" He asked. "As in, Takumi Fujiwara?"
"Yeah?" Takumi seemed confused. "Do I know you?"
"It's me, Shinji!" The young man said. "We met on my home course, remember?"
Takumi blinked in surprise.
So, that's why he seems familiar! He thought.
"Wait-! Well, what are you doing all the way out here?" Takumi asked.
"It's a long story:" Shinji responded. "After our race, my mom decided she'd had enough of living in the heart of the Federation, and wanted to move someplace more remote. If I'd known then what I know now, I wouldn't have gone through with it..."
"What do you know now?" Jane asked, standing a bit more relaxed. "And pop the hood, let me see if I can get you up and running again."
"It's the stupid alternator:" Shinji muttered as he waved Jane and Takumi over to the engine compartment. "It's practically junk at this point, but parts haven't been the easiest thing to come by..."
Shinji looked over at Takumi.
"And as for what I know now, ask Takumi who's missing from this picture." He said.
"Wasn't this your mom's car?" Takumi asked. "When did she let it go to shit like this?"
"Maybe because she's six feet underground right now?" Shinji responded.
Takumi seemed rather stunned.
"Wait, you serious?" He asked.
"As a heart attack:" Shinji said. "We walked right into a trap, and those damn neo-Klansmen got their grubby hands on her: The last I saw her... Before her lynching... She was screaming at me to get out of there..."
Shinji seemed to tense up, as if continuing to recount the memory was too much for the young man to bear.
“Shit.” It was all Jane could say. They hadn’t heard of this. They knew about the xenophobia and the discrimination. But lynchings… “Takumi, we need to get back. Captain Takahashi needs to know.” She looked to Shinji. “You should probably speak to her too. We can protect you.”
"I appreciate your offer, but I don't need your protection:" Shinji declined. "Just help me get back to camp and I'll be safe."
"Camp?" Takumi asked.
"You think we're just going to roll over and let this tyrant walk all over us?" Shinji asked. "Of course not! Unfortunately, that's all I can say right here and right now."
Takumi turned to Jane.
"Seems to me like our work here isn't done:" He mentioned quietly.
"Apparently not," she agreed. "How do you want to play this?"
"I'd say we at least help him out:" Takumi said. "If there's a resistance movement here, then it's something the captain needs to know about as well."
Jane nodded. "Let's do this then."
Thanks to a little help from engineering, a new alternator for a late 80s Toyota Corolla had been replicated, and with the new part installed, Shinji's AE86 was running better than it had in years, according to Shinji.
Takumi had pressed the issue of seeing Shinji back to his camp, and Shinji finally agreed, but on the condition that they only take his car back, leaving Takumi and Jane's rental car on the side of the road. Even though Takumi had told Shinji where they had rented it from, it was a risk Shinji didn't want to take, as any potential tracking device placed in the car would give away their location.
And so, the three of them had piled into the AE86, leaving the rental behind as Shinji turned off the main highway and traveled down remote back roads where there were hardly any other motorists around until they reached what appeared to be a checkpoint, though a very crude one; as it only consisted of two people
on either side of the road armed with phaser rifles.
Waved to a stop by one of the guards, Shinji rolled down his driver's window as the guard approached.
"You're late, Shinji:" The guard said. "We were starting to think you'd gotten arrested."
To Be Continued...
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