Professors we are?

Posted on Wed Oct 14th, 2026 @ 1:00am by Commander Thomas Johnson & Captain Taiga Aisaka

1,601 words; about a 8 minute read

Mission: Kintsugi
Location: Starfleet Academy - San Francisco - Earth
Timeline: Tuesday, 15th April 2397, 08:30 - Stardate 74285.9

Thomas walked in to the lecture hall, staring at the empty seats. It didn't seem like long ago, he was sitting in those seats. He had a stack of PADD's, as well as several crates on Iconian equipment, weaponry, and whatever data, they could get from the away teams on the starbase.

He had taken a seat, in his normal spot when he was a cadet, which was front row near the door. In case of emergency, was his excuse now it was just closer to the lecturers location. It wasn't something he had been eyeing. A lecturers position, at lease this early in his career.

"I hear that you will be my lecturer for the next few weeks. How the tables have turned." A familiar voice replied entering the room.

Looking up from his PADD, towards the door, noticing the sleek body, the long hair. Smiling, "Jean. It has been a while."

"That it has." Came her response as she approached.

Standing, he walked over and gave her a hug. "I never thought I would have made it here, lecturing people on a threat that is beyond our capabilities to defeat. At least right now."

"Come on now, coming from someone who was determined to annihilate the Borg? If anyone can make it happen. I am sure you will be part of the people who history will remember helped defeat them." Jean replied as she sat down.

Sitting at the chair beside her, "That was before. I have seen what they can do. I have been in their council chambers. Spent days locked in a room, with no one to talk to but Jeff."

"So what they said was true?" Jean replied leaning forward. "The Tokyo is responsible for bringing the Iconian threat here."

Thomas couldn't say anything right away, he thought about what she had just said. The truth, she was probably right. They did trigger a sequence of events which brought the Iconian threat onto them. "It is a little more complicated than that, Jean. Our crew did everything right."

"Reports also said that, they weren't 100% ready to start their invasion when you did. So I guess you either gave us a chance, or doomed us all earlier than we would have. " Jean replied. "Either way, it was inevitable. But knowing you are out there fighting them..."

"So change of subject..." Thomas replied.

"You never were one for serious talk. I should know." Jean replied, with a smile. "Remember when you asked me out, and I said you would have to do something really hard."

Thomas nodded, "Yeah, you told me to learn 10 sign languages, including Amphean."

"That you took serious. I just wanted something more than what you wanted." Jean replied, "You were too involved in the academy. Too focused on making it up there."

"I guess I was..." Thomas agreed. "We live and learn. Now things are different."

Jean tilted her head curiously.

"Well for one, I have a son Wyatt, and an adoptive daughter Tahuna, she stumbled onto our away team, on Amerind, we brought her up to the ship to erase her memory as to avoid tampering with their people." Thomas replied as he trailed off.

"And the Iconians showed up and destroyed the planet, or making the planet inhospitable." Jean surmised.

"She's the last of her people, though her ancestors are from Earth, right now my wife and our partner are showing her around her ancestral home." Thomas replied.

"Partner?" Jean inquired.

"Well... its complicated... a throuple. Myself, Talia, and Nezuko." Thomas replied.

"Lt Nezuko?"

"That's the one. Know her?"

"She was in one of my classes before graduating." Jean replied "So I take it you have leaned Amphean sign."

"Well for the most part, considering, I was her main mode of communication. I guess I have to thank you for the task you had me do. Otherwise, things might not have gone down this road." Thomas replied. "Oh and just to let you know, its twelve sign languages I know not ten."

"Impressive." Jean replied with a smile. "Things do work out for the better."

"So what about you?" Thomas asked as he turned to her. "What have you been up to?"

"Oh nothing really. Just with the whole Iconian war, I was hoping to get the command of the new Armitage class being built. But it was renamed the Akagi-A. The Command was offered and accepted by someone else so perhaps I will look elsewhere." Jean replied. "I've been first officer for a while, I need something different."

"The USS Washington?" Thomas inquired.

"XO for four years. I thought it time I moved up." Jean replied "Someone beat me to it."

"Well, I'm sorry... I was the one who accepted the role of Commanding officer of the Akagi-A." Thomas replied. "I will be remaining on the Tokyo until time comes to take her out of space dock."

Jean paused momentarily. "Makes sense, given your history with the class of ship, and the Iconians."

"I'm sure you will get the next one." Thomas replied as he noticed another officer arrive.

The doors of the room swished open, and in walked a short woman. Long honey brown hair flowed behind her as she made her way towards the desk at the front of the room. She carried a stack of PADD's in her hands. Her collar showed four pips, and for Thomas, she was someone he would recognise instantly.

Taiga hadn't spotted the other officers as she finally made it to the desk and carefully put the PADD's down. She then turned to the built in console and began tapping at it, oblivious to who was in the room with her. She seemed far too invested in getting her lecture prepared before people started to turn up.

"Captain, was just going over the lecture for today," Thomas relied walking up to the front desk with the pads. "This is Commander Jean Beliveau, current XO of the USS Washington."

"Your first officer here, took my out of my first command." Jean replied walking over. "He has to be hell of an XO to remove me from my to be command."

Taiga was naturally startled, she physically jumped. She hadn't been expecting anyone to be in the room yet, especially Thomas or this other Commander Beliveau. "Thomas!" She said. "Come on, you know better than sneaking up on me like that!" She added with a sigh, which then turned into a soft smile. "Its nice to see you again."

She then looked over at Jean. "Its nice to meet you Commander," she told her softly. She elbowed Thomas lightly, and gave him a look that could only mean one thing: 'You going to introduce me to her now or not?'

"We went to the academy together. You could say she was the one who... caught my eye... but I didn't catch hers, so she gave me a list of things to do. Learn a bunch of different languages, and then she'd think about it." Thomas replied. "It came in handy, but I never did get that chance. Although I think it came for the better."

"Another time and another place I guess." Jean replied, "He was too involved in other things, different groups. I was Helm he was Security."

Taiga nodded in response. "I see." She said simply giving Thomas yet another look. "Well, since Thomas here has seem to forgotten to actually mention who I am..." She paused for a moment. "I'm Captain Aisaka. Of the Tokyo."

"You need no introduction. Which is probably why he didn't. He has always been one who never stated the obvious." Jean replied as she extended her hand. "I have applied for the Tokyo when you needed an XO... Thomas beat me to that as well. Considering his new command, might I throw my hat into the mix."

Taiga took the other woman's hand firmly. "Well, you may get a chance yet. With Thomas here going off to command the Akagi once she's finished."

"Consider this my application then." Jean replied with a smile. "I WILL look forward to working with you. Ill take a seat and let you prepare for your lecture." She turned to Thomas. "Perhaps I can meet the lucky ladies?"

Thomas smiled. But instead of a genuine, it was more of a polite smile. "I will let you know." Was his only response, and watched as she walked away.

Taiga turned to Thomas and gave him a soft smirk. She didn't need to really say anything, her face was asking all the questions. It seemed that this Commander and Thomas had history. "Sooo?"

"If things went according to my plan when I was in the academy. She would be Mrs Johnson." Thomas replied turning back to the stacks at hand. "So where to first?"

Continuing to smirk at her XO, she turned towards the small desk that was below the screen that dominated the wall. "Well, people should start arriving soon. So we should be having one final look on our first lecture." She told him. "You ready for this Thomas? We're going to have people from all over Starfleet watching us. Some of them from across space itself via holographic projection comms. Its a big step from being on a starship bridge."

"Can't be harder than facing an army of Heralds can it?" Thomas quipped, but he immediately repeated it to himself quietly. "Can it?"

Taiga smiled at him. "Well then. Lets get started."

Posting by:

Captain Taiga Aisaka
Commanding Officer
USS Tokyo

Commander Thomas Johnson
Executive Officer
USS Tokyo

 

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