Sleep Tight

Posted on 12 Mar 2013 @ 5:51am by Rear Admiral Lirha Saalm & Nesh Saalm

2,230 words; about a 11 minute read

Mission: Episode 03 - Frontier
Location: USS Galileo - Nesh's Quarters
Timeline: MD 03 - 0210 hrs

[ON]

In the middle of the night, Lirha tossed and turned in her bed during a state of restless sleep. Her dreams were short and vivid, often nightmarish in nature, and a cold sweat covered her green skin while she moaned and mumbled in her native tongue. They were the sounds of distress from a tormented young Orion captain who now had no bedmate to comfort her, and who struggled with her unconscious fears on a daily basis. As Lirha's body jerked again from the night terror, she suddenly let out a loud gasp. Her bloodshot green eyes popped wide open and she stiffly laid on her back, staring up at the ceiling as she trembled from the intense memories of her dream.

Many long minutes passed after which she finally rolled out of bed and gingerly made her way into the sonic shower. Peeling off her sweat-soaked nightclothes, she slumped down against the floor and activated the shower, then closed her eyes as the pulsing vibrations began to ripple across her skin. Fifteen minutes later and now a bit more calm, Lirha exited the shower and pulled a thin tank top over her chest, then slipped on a tight pair of sweatpants. Acquiring her slippers and commbadge, she quickly stepped out of her quarters and into the empty corridor.

It was 0200 and the ship was in the middle of gamma shift, which meant the majority of the crew was currently asleep. Lirha wasn't exactly sure why she had left her quarters or where she was going, but knew that she didn't want to be in bed by herself again. At least, not right now. And so, she began to aimlessly wander the corridors and journey through the ship's various decks.

Almost fifteen minutes passed and Lirha eventually found herself down on Deck 3, home to the junior officer and VIP quarters. Playing nervously with her green hands, she approached a familiar door and pressed the chime.

"Come!" was called rather quickly, indicating that the room's single occupant was still wide awake.

Hearing a voice prompting her to enter, Lirha stepped forward through the gray door with a swish, then casually moseyed over to the nearby table and took a seat. Looking up at her sister, she gave Nesh a weak smile. "I can't sleep," she complained.

Nesh was seated at her console, dressed in an overlarge sweater and pajama pants. Aside from the soft glow of the computer screen, her quarters were largely bathed in darkness. "Lights," she called with a returning smile. On the screen was what appeared to be some kind of nebula. She powered the program off. "Join the club," she smirked, indicating her perfectly made bed. "How can you guys sleep in space? It's just so weird. Want something?" she looked to the tiny replicator in the corner.

"Hot chocolate, please." Lirha absentmindedly answered, then folded her arms on the table and rested the side of her head on them. "It takes a little adjustment but you'll eventually get used to it," she added in a soft voice.

Nesh stood up and moved, keying in the code for hot chocolate. She entered 2, and two mugs materialized in the buffer. She held one out to her sister. "Too much time on Vega must have scrambled your brain," Nesh theorized with her usual jocularity. "You know? Like," she gestured to her head once she padded back to her desk and sat herself and her mug down. "Sleep patterns or something."

Lirha reached out and took the mug from her sister, then brought it to her lips and drank a long sip of the frothy beverage. Maybe Nesh was right about the sleep patterns. She hadn't been the only one on the ship to experience difficulties sleeping at night, and she recalled a recent conversation with her chief medical officer about the possibility of microbes affecting the crew. Unfortunately, Lirha also had other issues she was dealing with. "Maybe," she finally answered after a long moment of thought. "It doesn't help that Maenad does not want to see me anymore..." she mumbled.

"Not see you anymore?!" Nesh was shocked. "But..." she trailed off. She hadn't really understood the implications of anything that Maenad had said, but to think that Maenad would just outright leave was totally crappy. "Well maybe she needs time or something? You know humans, they can be super weird about this stuff." She smiled sympathetically.

After taking another long drink of hot chocolate, Lirha sighed and set the mug down, then returned her head into her arms. Normally she would have agreed with Nesh and indeed Humans were a strange species sometimes, but Maenad had said something in particular which made the captain think that something else was going on. "She told me...that she does not think her feelings for me are real...because of my pheromones," Lirha said with much sadness in her voice.

"Well, I knew she was glittered, but I thought you guys were together! Like, you know." Nesh stared down at the floor and fumbled with her fingers in her lap. "I thought it was really normal for pheromones to go all like that, when you're together, you know. That's what mom says, anyway. So I asked her and she said no. I think this was my fault," she finally admitted in a whisper.

Lirha looked up at Nesh and with sulky eyes and suddenly wondered what Nesh was referring to. "Your fault?" she repeated with a frown. "What did you ask her? About pheromones?"

"I didn't, really. I just asked if you were together and she denied it, which was weird. And I was like, no, you totally are. And then she kinda got mad. So I proved it to her. With that little tricorder thingy. I'm not like, a liar, or something! And then she said you were, but you weren't really," she rambled, "or something. Which was weird, 'cause why even lie in the first place?" Nesh looked thoroughly confused.

With another frustrated sigh, Lirha shook her head and pondered the situation. "No, I don't think that is your fault...you were just being curious." she answered. "Maenad is just...private. And strange. And I can't believe that she waited," she paused to huff in disapproval, "until the night I cooked her dinner, to tell me that she did not want to be with me."

"Oh my god, she really did it after all that?" Nesh crossed her arms. She knew that Lirha had gone through a lot of trouble to make that dinner and it was Obviously for Maenad, even if she said it wasn't. "Drink. Hot chocolate soothes the soul." She pushed forward Lirha's mug. "So what're you gonna do?" she asked her sister, crossing her legs. She imagined it would be pretty awkward.

Lirha wrapped both of her green hands around the warm mug and brought it to her lips again. "I don't know..." she reluctantly answered, then took a long drink which left some froth on her upper lip. Nesh was right, hot chocolate really was delicious and had a strange soothing effect on her. "I went for a counseling session to discuss it, and our chief counselor's advice was to speak to Maenad and let her know how I feel. But...I'm not sure if I want to talk to her right now..."

Nesh thought that was a terrible idea. Having discussions while mad only made things worse, in her opinion. And if Maenad felt like Lirha did, then it sounded like a recipe for disaster. "I dunno, Ree-Hee. Maybe you both should like, wait until you feel better?"

"Maybe. I'm not sure." the older Orion mumbled, then began to nervously play with her fingers. "Honestly, I have not been feeling great ever since our last mission." she admitted, realizing that her troubles probably had less to do with Maenad and more to do with Lirha's own state of mind.

"I didn't hear much about it, except apparently everybody's really quiet whenever it comes up. Did something bad happen?" Nesh asked quietly.

Lirha thought long and hard about how much she wanted to tell Nesh, and how much she could tell her without violating the classified nature of the mission. She had deliberately steered away from conversations involving Project Sienna mostly for her sister's benefit; she hadn't wanted Nesh to learn of her torture and become upset or overly protective. But now, sitting in her sister's quarters, she felt that she owed the younger Orion at least some type of explanation. "Yes, something bad happened." she answered, then gestured with her hand to the vacant chair across from her. "Come sit and I will tell you."

Nesh shifted a little in her seat and straightened up before standing and moving to sit next to Lirha. She had mostly kept her thoughts about Starfleet to herself, but it was no secret that she rarely approved of the fact that her sister was often put in dangerous situations. But she kept it to herself, still. This wasn't about berating her. "What happened? Are you all right?"

"Yes. I am now." Lirha answered. "I cannot tell you the details of our last mission because they are classified, but...during our return to Federation space, I was taken prisoner for several days by a supposedly 'renegade' faction of the Klingon Empire." she revealed, making sure to punctuate the word 'renegade' with a healthy dose of skepticism. "And during my captivity, they...did things to me. Painful things."

"Did things?" Nesh repeated, scrunching her face up. "You mean they, like, tortured you?" her eyes were wide.

"Yes." Lirha replied in a barely audible whisper. She wasn't sure how well Nesh would take the news or if her sister wanted details, so she decided to remain quiet for a moment and let the revelation sink in.

Nesh brushed her fingers over her mouth solemnly. "So how are you like, doing? Did they give you a doctor and stuff?" While the details were something she could hear if Lirha wanted, Nesh was focused on what was happening now.

"Well...if it had not been for Commander Holliday's rescue mission, I would probably not be sitting here talking to you right now." Lirha answered with a weak smile. "Doctor Ni Dhuinn was very helpful during my recovery and I have had several counseling sessions to help with my mental health," she added, then cringed when she realized her last sentence probably sounded a bit off, like she had somehow lost her mind in the process.

"Oh, that's good, right? Is that why you can't sleep?" Nesh asked with some concern.

Lirha took another long drink from her mug and slowly nodded. "I think so, but am not certain. I have been meeting with the counseling staff to try and determine the reasons for my insomnia...but progress is slow," she admitted. "I'm sorry for not telling you about this earlier. I did not want to upset you or give you any hesitations about being out in space."

Nesh played her fingers in one another, unconsciously mimicking her sister, before she leaned forward and captured Lirha in a surprise bear hug. "Sorry. I'm so glad you're alright, maybe not alright but alive, you know? Do you really think we're in any danger?" she spoke over Lirha's shoulder.

Letting out a deep sigh, Lirha rested her head against her sister's shoulder and happily returned the sign of affection. "Thanks. Well...there are always dangers in space...but I would not have brought you aboard if I didn't think I could keep you safe."

"I'm glad you let me come aboard," Nesh said, and forced herself not to cry. She didn't know how to handle what she had been told, but she was going to Be Strong, for Lirha's sake. "And don't worry. We'll have you back to yourself in no time. No Klingons are going to mess with us." She smiled half-heartedly.

Lirha sniffled and realized that her eyes had become moist, then slowly stood up and wandered over to the bed. The recent talk of her past troubles had taken an toll on Lirha, and she was now feeling emotionally fatigued. The older Orion laid down and curled herself up against her sister's pillow. "They better not." she whispered softly, returning Nesh's smile with a weak one of her own.

Nesh came over and sat down on the floor, curling her fingers around the edge of the bed. "You can sleep here, if you want," she offered.

"Thanks." Lirha quietly answered. Her previous insomnia seemed to have passed, and she let out a soft yawn as she pulled Nesh's blankets over herself. "What time are you going to wake up tomorrow?" she muttered as she closed her eyes.

"0730, like usual," Nesh smiled and leaned back against the bed. "Night, night, Ree-Hee."

"Night, night." Lirha tiredly replied, then began to drift off into a light sleep. She had to be awake an hour earlier than Nesh and would try her best to not disturb the teenager in the early morning, despite the fact that it was already 0230.

[OFF]

--

CAPT Lirha Saalm
Commanding Officer
USS Galileo

Nesh Saalm
Captain's Sister/Scientist's Mate, CIV
USS Galileo

RSS Feed