The Names We Carry

Posted on Sun Feb 15th, 2026 @ 3:11am by Captain Taiga Aisaka & Lieutenant Fubuki Kuchikukan 'Snowflake' & Chief Warrant Officer Karuta Roromiya & Commander Thomas Johnson & Commander Chisato Nishikigi & Lieutenant Commander Devon Hunt & Lieutenant Jasad Yuvek & Lieutenant Nezuko & Lieutenant Teneca Quinn & Lieutenant Commander Nyxala Valentine & Lieutenant Ralen Trellis

2,700 words; about a 14 minute read

Mission: The Return
Location: USS Tokyo Flight Deck
Timeline: March 1, 2397

Captains Log, stardate 74162.6

We've been holding position in the Sigma Deptronia system. The Herald attack on Starbase 234 has affected us all. Casualties are still being calculated, the last count was over seven a d a half thousand lost. The majority of those were civilians. I can safely say now that the Iconians will attack civilian targets and if this continues trillions if not more are in dire danger.

The hospital ships, Nightingale, Vesalius and Avicenna have arrived and over the last few hours transferred over the injured. They will also be taking the civilians to the nearest Starbase as refugees. I would like to mention the excellent work and effort from the Tokyo's medical staff especially doctor Valentine.

The Starship Ark Royal returned to Starbase 234 last night to search the system for survivors. Captain Shipman has reported that the Heralds have fully vacated the system and the Starbase has been fully destroyed along with all shipyard and orbital facilities. No survivors were found.

Amongst all this, the Tokyo has welcomed aboard Doctor Amu Hinamori's new baby boy. I intend to visit them both this afternoon. Reports say that our newest crewmember is healthy and both him and Amu are doing well. It provides a little bit of hope in these dark times, that even amongst death and the darkest times, little miracles of life still shine through.

There will be a memorial service held this morning on the Tokyo's flight deck at ten hundred hours. It will be open to everyone who wants to attend. I will be leading the service. All we can do now is allow the souls of those lost to rest and remember them.

End log

[USS Tokyo Flight Deck]

Tag all - Feel free to gather if you're coming to the memorial.

Lieutenant Jasad Yuvek arrived at the flight deck early, before most of the crew had gathered. His left arm was still encased in a regenerative treatment device - the burns had been severe enough that the dermal regenerator couldn't fully repair the damage. Medical had strongly recommended he transfer to the Nightingale for more advanced treatment.

He'd refused. He was not leaving this ship. Not now.

The flight deck had been transformed from its usual organized chaos into a solemn memorial space. Jasad had spent the previous evening coordinating with the flight support crew - shuttles moved to auxiliary bays, maintenance equipment stowed, the deck scrubbed clean. It had given him something to focus on besides the images of Starbase 234 disintegrating.

Rows of chairs faced a simple podium. Behind it, displayed on a large screen, scrolled the names of the dead. Thousands of them. Crew. Civilians. Children.

He sat rigidly, his uninjured hand resting on his knee, watching as other crew members began to filter in. Some came alone. Others in small groups, speaking in hushed tones. Many had red eyes from crying - something Jasad hadn't allowed himself to do yet.

Cardassians don't cry in public. They grieve privately. They catalog our failures and carry them forward.

Surprisingly, Little-Miss-Sunshine was one of those attendees whom had elected to show up alone- unusual, considering that she was typically seen in the company of her entourage. Slowly, solemnly, she side-stepped her way through the rows of chairs and plopped herself down alongside Jasad, letting out a forlorn sigh as she did so.

The two of them sat there in an awkward silence, not even bothering to acknowledge the other's presence as they stared straight ahead, reading the names of those killed in the attack. The irony wasn't lost on either of them, especially considering that they had engaged some not-so-serious banter just a few hours before.

"So..." Chisato finally broke the silence. "...I believe I owe you an apology, Lieutenant."

When she finally spoke, he took a moment before responding, his eyes still fixed on the scrolling names.

"For what?" he asked quietly, his tone carrying none of its usual sardonic edge. Just exhaustion.

"That conversation we had before the Denmark was attacked," Chisato replied. "After everything's that happened since then... I dunno; it feels like it was in bad jest? Certainly wouldn't have changed anything, but hindsight being 20/20, it probably wasn't the best thing that I could've said."

Jasad's brow furrowed as he recalled the conversation. On the bridge. The dark humor about running on spite, about counting lost worlds.
"The conversation about worlds lost," he said quietly. "About running on caffeine and spite."

He was silent for a moment. "That was just reality. Dark humor is how some of us cope with watching the galaxy burn."

He looked at her directly. "You don't owe me an apology. Neither of us knew that it could get to this level of desperation"

His jaw tightened as he glanced back at the scrolling names. "There's no negotiating with them. No mercy. No compromise." His voice took on a harder edge. "This is extinction-level warfare. Either we find a way to eliminate them completely. . .just like with the Founders or they'll eliminate us."

Teneca entered, catching the end of what Jasad said.

"Ma'am, Lieutenant, I'm working on that, not their extinction, per se, but something to give us an edge." She said. "Their tech is much more advanced than ours, but it still has to obey the laws of physics, so it can be defeated."

Lieutenant Yuvek turned his head as Lieutenant Quinn arrived, catching her mention of working on something. His expression sharpened with interest despite his exhaustion.

His pale eyes fixed on Teneca with analytical focus. "So what are you working on? A way to disrupt their gateways? Counter their energy drain technology? Something that actually gives us a fighting chance instead of just... running and hoping we can save a fraction of the people they're trying to kill?"

"Both, I've examined the Heralds' staff weapons and isolated the power signature." Teneca said. "I was even able depower one while on the mission."

Walking through the flight deck was Lt. Commander Devon Hunt accompanied by his two children Jasmine and Anthony. Upon being rescued, his wife, Anya had died before they could begin surgery for her injuries. The children were in tears. And Devon did his best to stay strong for his children. But deep down, he wanted to just break down himself. In all honesty, he had no idea what the next stop for him would be. But what he knew was that he had to get his children to Earth with his parents. Starfleet likely would find somewhere to reassign him to continue with the trying to deal with the Iconian threat.

Thomas walked through the doors. His dress uniform being immaculate. He hadn't said much since the beam over. They lost move than half of those they were beamed over to rescue. They meant mostly he lost more than half. He wasn't fast enough. He wasn't good enough. But it wasn't something he would let happen again. Still hearing the children crying, screaming. There were families broken up during transport. Kids left without parents, even worst parents who lost their kids in transporting over. It should have been kids above everyone else. But the transporter didn't care.

Nezuko arrived not long after. After donning her dress uniform she’d found herself struggling to leave her quarters. So many dead. So many lost because she couldn’t beam them out on time. She tried to console herself, that many survived because of her. Certainly more than had from Amerind. But it was still… Finally she pulled herself up off the chair and made her way to the flight deck.

Nyx had arrived in her own dress uniform, the skirt severe and more in the Marine style though Medical colors. On her shoulder, the drakeling perched in silence and near motionlessness, tail wrapped around Nyx's throat protectively. Her face remain haunted even as she'd dressed to perfection, the memory of the casualties she couldn't save. She'd spent the entire sleepless night verifying every entry in the log from the dead to the least injured, making additional notes as she could. The only positive she had from this was that it was only a couple of letters she needed to personally write this time. Exceedingly tiny comfort.

Unlike the other crew, the Tokyo's pilots and deck crew were all lined up along the side wall of the flight deck. They were all dressed in their dress uniform and opted to stand rather than sit. In the center of them stood Fubuki and Warrant Officer Roromiya the Air Boss, the two most senior officers on the flight deck. Each of the pilots stood in silence, some with heads bowed, others looking straight ahead and some like Fubuki standing straight, yet still relaxed and waiting for the ceremony to begin.

Eventually, Captain Aisaka slowly made her way up towards the podium. Taiga stood at the podium placed a PADD down on its sloped surface. She looked more tired than usual and not just from the advanced pregnancy, but likely the stress and burdens of commanding a starship during war.

"Attention on deck." she called out, her voice amplified by the microphone.

At once, the hushed conversations ceased and all parties stood rigidly at attention.

"At ease. You may all take your seats." Taiga told them. She looked around at the crew. She could tell from their faces that many of them were tired and recovering. They were all grieving for those that had been lost in the battle.

"Yesterday, the forces known as Heralds whom serve the Iconians attacked Starbase Three Two Four." Taiga started. "Although we did what we could, unforunately we couldn't save everyone." She took a slight pause as she glanced down at her PADD on the podium.

"We are gathered here to honour and remember those souls who were lost in the conflict." she turned to look at the scrolling wall of names behind her. "I can't talk about everyone on this list behind me. The majority of them I never met or knew. In fact, its possible I didn't know any of them." she turned back to face her crew.

"But that doesn't mean there wasn't people who knew them. They all had parents, friends, wives, husbands, lovers, children. All of them were connected with others around them, and now they are no longer here." she lowered her head. "We are amongst potentially thousands of souls grieving their loss against a relentless enemy that have proven they are capable and willing of committing nothing but genocide."

"I would like to see that this list will not grow in number. However I cannot guarantee that. I can only say that many more names will be added to it as long as this war continues." She looked down at her PADD again. "That does not mean however that we should forget those who have been lost. We are here because we want to prevent more names being added to this list."

"Once I dismiss you, I want each and every one of you to read some of the names on this list behind me. Remember at least one name and carry that name in your heart. For if your name is remembered by at least one person, you will never truly die. You may not have known them and will never know them. But that name is someone you can use to carry on, to fight on, to endure through these hard times. That way, they will not have died in vain." Taiga turned to the list once again and her eyes darted from left to right as she read several of the names.

"However remember that these were more than just names. They were people. Each of them had interests, hobbies, dreams, ambitions, secrets and their own personality. Each and everyone of them was unique and was their own individual. Not one person in this universe is ever truly the same. We are all unique and we all live our own lives in very different ways." Taiga took another pause. "We will remember those who have been lost, along with the dreams, ambitions and individuality that came with each and every one of them."

Taiga turned back to the crew to face them all. "As your Captain. I can only ask that you continue to fight on. To persist and do what we do best as Starfleet officers. To protect those whom need our protection. To minimalize the amount of names that we have to add to lists like this. But, most importantly, remember those who make the ultimate sacrifice or have it taken from them."

She looked down at the PADD once again before looking up. "Stand at attention."

Again, all present rose to their feet, their heads bowed in silence as they waited for the ceremonial bugle call to begin.

An ensign dressed in full dress uniform played the traditional ceremonial bugle call. Its sound echoed throughout the spacious flight deck, followed by an eerie silence that hung in the air. Finally, Taiga's voice broke that silence. "Crew dismissed."

Devon held on tight to the hands of both his children, who stood to his left and right. He tried to find some kind of comfort in the Captain's words, but it all sounded like a bunch of noise. The children definitely didn't hear the words while the whimpered.

Nyx's hand had flashed upwards in a formal Marine's salute at the call to attention for 'The Last Call', her head and eyes not bowed, but defiant and proud. There was mourning, yes, but the officers and crew of the Federation deserved better than pity, the civilians deserved to know that they would not be forgotten, but avenged. As the last echo had faded away, the salute flashed back down with millimetric precision and she relaxed her stance to an 'at ease' position before releasing it entirely, reaching up to Gigi to run a hand down her long neck.

Counselor Ralen Trellis remained standing before the wall of names as the flight deck slowly emptied around him. His eyes tracked across the endless scroll, following Captain Taiga's instruction until one name caught his attention.

Chief Petty Officer Michael Torres, age 34. Engineering Specialist.

He didn't know Torres. Would never know him. But now he'd carry that name forward.

Around him, crew members filed out in quiet groups or alone. He watched them go - some moving quickly, unable to bear the weight of all those names. Others lingering, reading silently, their faces reflecting various stages of grief. Devon stood nearby with his children, trying to offer comfort he clearly didn't feel himself. Nyx had saluted with Marine precision, defiant rather than defeated.

They're all processing this differently. Some will be fine. Others... He thought.

Ralen's professional assessment catalogued who might need intervention in the coming days. But beneath his counselor's clinical observations, something else stirred uncomfortably. His own hands had trembled slightly during the bugle call, and he'd felt Jaret's combat memories mixing with his own fresh experiences from the starbase. The screaming civilians. The Herald weapons fire. The children who'd died waiting for rescue that never came.

Jaret knew how to fight. How to survive. But Ralen realized with uncomfortable clarity that this was the first time he had survived combat - not just carried the memories of it, but lived through it himself. And despite all of Jaret's training, despite the tactical knowledge and battlefield experience the symbiont provided, the emotional aftermath was entirely his own to process.

He counseled others through trauma. But how does he handle his own?

Posting by:

Captain Taiga Aisaka
Commanding Officer
USS Tokyo

Commander Thomas Johnson
Executive Officer
USS Tokyo

Commander Chisato Nishikigi
Second Officer
USS Tokyo

Lieutenant Commander Devon Hunt
Chief Security/Tactical Officer
USS Tokyo

Lieutenant Teneca Quinn
Chief Science Officer
USS Tokyo

Lieutenant Jasad Yuvek
Chief Flight Control Officer
USS Tokyo

Lieutenant Nezuko
Chief Operations Officer
USS Tokyo

Lieutenant Nyxala Valentine
Chief Medical Officer
USS Tokyo

Lieutenant Ralen Trellis
Counsellor
USS Tokyo

Chief Warrant Officer Karuta Roromiya
Air Boss
USS Tokyo

Lieutenant Fubuki Kuchikukan 'Snowflake'
Commander Air Group

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