The Distance Between Stars

Posted on Sun Aug 9th, 2026 @ 1:32pm by Captain Mitsu Sato & Naomi Sato

1,046 words; about a 5 minute read

The ready room was unusually quiet. While the bridge carried on with the steady rhythm of a starship underway, Mitsu welcomed the silence for a while. She sat behind her desk, the latest mission briefing displayed on the monitor before her. It contained frustratingly little information. The words repeated themselves every time she reread the report, but no amount of study revealed anything more than Admiral Shaw had already told her. Finally, after reading the report yet again, she allowed herself to lean back in her chair and close her eyes. Almost instantly, the chime at her door interrupted the rare quiet.

"Come in," Mitsu said, not bothering to open her eyes or change her position.

The doors slid open quietly and Naomi hesitated just inside. She still wasn't entirely used to this, but she finally gathered her nerves and stepped forward. "Do you have a moment?" she asked.

Mitsu smiled as she opened her eyes and leaned forward. "I do," she said, her voice lowering with a warmth that was welcoming. She gestured toward the chair opposite her desk. "Please sit."

Naomi sat down and settled into the chair with the air of someone who still wasn't sure what was going on. The silence that followed wasn't uncomfortable, only unfamiliar. Mitsu still found herself learning how to talk to her own daughter. She had commanded starships for years, but being a mother felt infinitely more intimidating.

"You've barely stopped working since we left the station," Naomi finally said, her gaze dropping to the several stacks of padds that covered Mitsu's desk.

Mitsu glanced at the paperwork before smiling faintly. "That's part of being a captain, I'm afraid," she said. "And unfortunately, the situation calls for more work than normal."

Naomi nodded slowly. "Is that why we left so suddenly?" she asked.

There it was, the question everyone aboard the Eclipse was asking. Mitsu felt her expression shift just a little, and her mind raced. Unlike the crew, her daughter needed more than the standard vague reassurances. "We received emergency orders. A Federation outpost near Klingon space lost contact with one of their colonies, but before it did the outpost detected a distress signal. Unfortunately, the Eclipse seems to be the only ship in the area that can respond quickly."

"What happened?" Naomi asked.

"We don't know," Mitsu replied.

The answer seemed to surprise Naomi. She blinked and stared at her mother for a moment. "You don't know?"

Mitsu shook her head.

"But you're going anyway? Without knowing what's waiting?"

Mitsu nodded. "Yes," she said. "We call these types of missions humanitarian missions. Responding to a distress signal is usually one of our highest priorities. Some times we know what's going on, or at least have an idea of what to expect, but most of the time we don't know."

"Starfleet sends people into dangerous situations without knowing what they're are? It sounds irresponsible, not just dangerous," Naomi said.

Mitsu stood slowly and walked toward the view port. For a moment, she watched as the stars streaked endlessly beyond the glass while the Eclipse continued racing toward the Klingon frontier. "When I was at the Academy, one of my instructors said something I've never forgotten" she finally said quietly. "He told us that Starfleet exists because somebody has to be willing to go first. The first ship to answer a distress call, the first crew to investigate the unknown, the first officers to step onto a world no one has ever seen. Sometimes we know exactly what we're walking into, but most of the time we don't."

Naomi followed her mother to the view port. The stars, like everything aboard the Eclipse, fascinated her. She had spent years hearing stories about Starfleet. Her stepmother Alexia had always spoken respectfully about Starfleet.

"You really love this," Naomi finally said softly.

Mitsu looked surprised for a moment, but then finally nodded. "I love what it stands for," she said. "Starfleet isn't about war, conquest, or power. It's about knowledge and exploration. Sometimes, sadly, we have to be soldiers, but the majority of the time we're explorers, diplomats, and scientists. Today, we're possibly rescuers. We were told to go because someone might need help."

Naomi slowly looked around the ready room again before she spoke. "You've given your whole life to this."

Mitsu nodded. "I have," she said quietly. "That doesn't mean that I love or care for you any less. I hope you can understand that."

Naomi nodded. "I know," she said. "But it's still taking some time for me to get used to being able to talk to you. After so long of not knowing anything about you, it's just . . . difficult."

Mitsu nodded her understanding. "I certainly understand, and I want you to know that it's just as strange for me as it is for you. I've spent a lot of time regretting that I wasn't in your life, and I'm just as afraid of messing it up now."

Naomi nodded. "Is that why you seem a little distant sometimes?" she asked.

"It is," Mitsu admitted. "I don't want to push you away."

"I think we'll be fine, mom," Naomi said, giving her mother a small hopeful smile. Glancing around the ready room, she nodded. "I think I need to get out of your way now, though."

"You're not in my way," Mitsu assured her daughter. With a heavy sigh, she turned towards her desk and made a face. "I do have a lot of work to get to, though."

"Do you think we can try to have lunch together?" Naomi asked.

"Either lunch or dinner, depending on how things unfold. I'll let you know which one I'll be able to make it for," Mitsu said as she wrapped an arm around Naomi and gave her a quick, comforting hug. Naomi returned it and quickly made her way to the door. Mitsu could have sworn that her daughter seemed to be standing up just a little straighter, but as the doors slid closed and left her alone once more she turned towards her desk and sighed as she sat back down. She glanced at the monitor for a brief second before she tapped a command and brought up the latest report on the region and started reading.

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