Connections, Part 1: Fireflies, Stars, Your Eyes, The Ring: Things that Sparkle

Posted on Sun Jun 29th, 2025 @ 3:07am by Lieutenant JG Jane Sinclair

564 words; about a 3 minute read

Mission: The Next Myogi
Location: Jane's Quarters
Timeline: After the Battle of Braxus

The battle had been tough. It felt like it had lasted forever. They had suffered losses, on the Myogi and across the whole fleet. But they had done their part. They had broken the spine of the Confederacy of Independent Planets.

Peace had been in sight…if not for the surprise at the end. One war was over, though another seemed to be beginning.

For Jane Sinclair, the adrenaline rush had not yet subsided.

There was still a lot to do, but at the moment she wasn’t needed. It was better for her to have some downtime. Rest (not that she could, still being pumped after the most epic space battle she had ever been part of). But she could try to reset herself a bit. Maybe she would go to the gym. Maybe she would read. The holodeck might be fun, but others had greater need of it. Her friends and loved ones were all busy, finishing up their own duties before hopefully also getting a chance to rest.

There was a chime. The door to her quarters. “Come in.”

A young man in an operations gold uniform entered Jane’s quarters with a parcel. “Apologies, ma’am, but this came in when we were last in dock.”

“Last in dock?” Jane asked, her brow furrowed. “But that was ages ago.”

“I know, and again, I’m sorry,” he repeated. “There was a glitch in our distribution notification system that went undetected for a while, so the crate containing personal correspondence wasn’t registering that it contained things for us to pass along. Once we did figure it out, it was battle time and the mail became bottom priority. But we have a reprieve now, so we’re trying to get it all sorted.”

Jane nodded and accepted the small package, putting her signature on the young man’s PADD to acknowledge receipt of the parcel – late, but undamaged. With a polite nod, the young opsman was out of her quarters and heading on to his next job.

Inside the parcel was a small box, four by four by two centimeters, with two halves held together by a firm hinge on one side. Next to it was a piece of paper, marked with a familiar handwriting.

小珍,

I see how you look at her. I see how she looks at you. I haven’t seen love in someone’s eyes like that since I fell for your father.

Make her as happy as he made me.

All my love,

妈

Jane didn’t need to open the lid of the little box to know what was inside, but she did anyway. It had been years since she’d seen it. The ambient light from her quarters danced through the box’s contents, sparkling beautifully just like it had all those previous times her mother had brought it out.

Ellen Sinclair had always said it would be a gift to Jane when the time was right. And like mother like daughter, both knew the time was exactly right.

“Computer, when is Lieutenant Reno’s duty shift expected to end?”

The computer gave its standard two-tone beep before replying. “1800 hours.”

There was enough time. If only just. “Computer, activate replicator. I need you to listen very carefully…”


END

Lieutenant jg Jane Sinclair
Chief Flight Control Officer, USS Myogi

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