To Sleep. Perhaps to Dream. Part I
Posted on Mon Apr 7th, 2025 @ 4:04pm by Lieutenant Vura & Lieutenant Colonel Cornelius Tremble & Captain Edmund Merrick & Lieutenant Mira Jayna
Edited on on Mon Apr 7th, 2025 @ 9:10pm
2,015 words; about a 10 minute read
Mission:
Episode 16 - Silent Cries
Location: The Quarters of Cornelius Tremble - Deck 2/The Quarters of Vura - Deck 3/The Quarters of Edmund Merric - Deck 3 - USS Pioneer
Timeline: MD009 0200hrs
Neil settled in next to Jayna. Tomorrow promised to be busy with the Cure conducting a full blown combat landing on the Silences world and attempting to drive S626D back to their own dimension. There was a lot of unknowns and the plan had been put together on the fly more or less. There was far less intel than he liked and fighting an unknown Species that was taking on corporeal husks in this dimension in order to better interact and terrorize a species was all new ground.
He was tired. His sleep hadn’t been great for better than a week, but Neil couldn’t blame that specifically on the Silence. Jayna and Alyssa (along with others) claimed to be remembering the Silence in their dreams but he had no idea if he was getting fallout from that or the Pioneer telepaths (specifically Jayna's) spillover from their own dreams.
Regardless, they were suiting up in six hours.
So, he’d put on sleeping togs and now he was trying to shut down his mind. Slipping an arm behind Jayna’s neck, he smiled at her and said. “I hope you get good sleep. Or just actually. You know. Sleep.”
"Mmm. I'll settle for enough to focus. I don't expect much until after this is over and we're heading back to Empok Nor." She turned to him and put a hand on his chest, feeling the beat of his heart. "I'm more concerned with you getting sleep." She wanted Neil and the rest of the Marines to be safe, and they all needed to be rested for tomorrow. Or as much as they could be. If she couldn't sleep, she could meditate, which might help her get some rest, if not actual sleep.
"Well," he said, kissing her free palm. "We could not sleep but that probably wouldn't be responsible. I hate adulting some days," he deadpanned, trying to make her smile. He'd noticed she rested better the more she smiled and laughed. Neil wasn't all that funny but he could try..
She chuckled. "I like adulting with you--which doesn't include sleep. But you're right. We do need to try." She did sleep better when she was cuddled up to Neil, so she was hopeful.
"Yeah. And if I think too much about it we won't," he said regretfully. Leaning forward, he kissed her eyelids, then let his forehead rest against hers as he settled his mind and began thinking about baseball.
She made herself comfortable next to him, listening to him breathe, and slowly relaxed.
Jayna awoke in a large cavern, the musty scent of damp rock and minerals accentuated by the sound of dripping water. Phosphorescent algae cast eerie shadows from the stalactites and stalagmites. She'd never been in this cave, or anything like it, before. It felt...uncomfortable. In the back of her mind, she heard whispering, but she didn't know if it was words or just gasses escaping from an underground vent.
Ahead, the large cavern sloped downward, leading past a curtain of crystal. Beyond it, the light was a bright, putrid green. She turned to see if there was another opening, but saw nothing but the cave wall. So, down it was. She carefully made her way through the slick mud and detritus, holding on to a stalactite so she wouldn't fall. She wanted to see what caused the light, hoping it would lead her to a way out.
She passed the crystalline curtain and around a large column to emerge in a smaller chamber filled with pulsating greenish-yellow light. Cobwebs hung from every rock like waterfalls of silk. An enormous web stretched between the walls, a giant spider squatting in the center.
The eight legs danced across the threads, manipulating them like a master musician playing a harp. Jayna thought she could hear voices as each thread was plucked. The legs paused, the two palps waving in the air. Then the great head turned to look at her. It wore the face of Vura. As she saw Jayna, her multifaceted eyes sparkled with manic glee and she began to laugh.
Edmund had trouble sleeping, though he grinned slightly, feeling the bruising of his ribs from the fight he had with Baby. He lay back in his bed, his head pillowed upon his hands which were crossed. He wasn't certain if he wanted to sleep, but despite himself, Edmund's eyelids drooped down giving into the weight of slumber. Edmund found himself in the center of a courtyard made of stone with seats made of the same material as the courtyard. Four entrances could be seen leading into the courtyard.
Edmund felt a slight breeze along his torso, looking down he realized that he had no shirt on, only things he was wearing were black cargo pants and a pair of boots. There was an eerie sense in the air, a chill upon his skin. Edmund shivered as a light fog rose up from the ground. He went to make an exit from this courtyard or was it more of an arena. Heading for the far right. His exodus from the arena was paused as he saw someone approaching from the exit. The mist parted and to his consternation there was Vura, deliberately approaching him with a sensual smile.
"V-Vura what are you doing here?"
"You should know that you are supposed to be mine and none other." Vura reached out towards him.
"Now hold on there-" Edmund dodged away from her touch. "I'm not for you. It's not going to work, ever."
"How about me?" a much higher pitched voice from behind him. "We are made for each other."
Edmund whirled around to find himself looking at Emiko, "Nope not you either!” back pedaling from Emiko who seemed very eager to touch him.
Edmund stopped short, feeling a sharp object just barely touching his flesh, he glanced back and there was Mira Jayna, with an odd expression in her eyes, and a dagger in her hand “Mira what are you doing here?”
“I am not here for you, I am only here for a pound of flesh.” Mira said rather coldly, "For non-support."
“Wait, what?-” Edmund protesting.
"Maybe I should remove your ears, for lack of listening." Mira looking at him with an icy glare, this caused Edmund to shiver once more.
“Well now, he’s done something to me” came a voice which sounded much like Hermia’s with her Irish lilt "You broke my heart and stomped upon it. You are a heartbreaker.”
Edmund opened his mouth to say something when he was interrupted by his wife, Vivian. “Now girls, there is enough of him to go around.” raising her hand.
Out of nowhere ropes wrapped themselves around his ankles, and wrists causing him to be suspended horizontally, "In for a penny in for a pound” Vivian leaning near Edmunds’ ear. She stepped away and the ropes went taut. He groaned out in agony, thought he would be pulled apart, he heard Vivian. “Oh darling, let me put you out of your misery,” a raising of a sword, which made four cuts, leaving him with no limbs, Edmund staring upwards where he fell, feeling rather helpless. “And now for the pièce de résistance." It looked like his head was about to be severed when Edmund woke, feeling coldness upon his back. He was back in that arena again! Edmund quickly rose and made a dash for an exit, opposite of the one that Vura had stepped out of previously. He wasn’t about to run into her again, not by a long shot.
It had been a long day. Zhara did not know boundaries and could not accept that Vura did not want to discuss her past with Zhara. It was not an endearing trait for a counselor. Sometimes you just had to accept no. Zhara simply could not accept that. Now, Zhara was taking it out on her at every opportunity, whether in the medical/counselor meeting with Neil or elsewhere.
Of course, the XO was such an endearing character, too. He seemed to purposely go out of his way to make Vura's life a living hell. Worse, he did not seem to understand the importance of her position. It seemed that the marine's mentality was, "Can they fight? Well, good, then just stick them back in there." So much about caring about your crew.
On top of that, she had not spoken with her best friend, Edmund, in some time and even Hermia seemed annoyed by her. Maybe she had worn out her welcome. Maybe it was time to transfer again. All she wanted to do was help people; however, instead, all that seemed to be coming to her was a great deal of pain.
She was so tired of pain. It seemed to follow her wherever she went, starting with Cannir's death.
Well, there was one place that was free of pain: dreamland. Thankfully, she did not have to worry about the problems of the Silence there. They had not touched her, so she did not suffer their pain and fear.
That was her last conscious thought.
She looked around and saw the sterile white walls. In her hand was a PADD. Looking at the contents of the PADD, there were notes that read, "Patient: Muren. Diagnoses: Schizophrenia, dementia, and Capgras Syndrome."
Vura smiled. She knew what this day was. This was the happiest day of her life: the day she met Cannir. I may as well enjoy this dream, Vura thought to herself. Now, what was the timing of this? Let me see, I was looking up the research on Capgras Syndrome and walking down the corridor.
Slowly, the Deltan willed her legs to walk. The anticipation was killing her. She knew what would happen and that made it even more difficult: a chance to see her true love again. "Capgras Syndrome is the delusional belief that someone in their life, usually a spouse, close friend, or family member, has been replaced by an impostor. It can occur in patients with schizophrenia, dementia, or epilepsy and after traumatic brain injury. Treatment approaches mirror those utilized for the underlying disorders and often include antipsychotic medications."
Vura looked up just as she felt a jarring force. For a moment, she saw the face of her angel: Cannir. As she fell, she smiled. I love you, Cannir. I've missed you so very much. Cannir looked down on the uncharacteristically splayed-out Vura on the floor and offered his hand. "I'm so sorry. Please, can I help you out?"
"The fault was mine," Vura answered. "I was not paying attention." However, just as she took Cannir's hand, the face changed. It was now Edmund's face on Cannir's body. Vura shrieked in response. "NO!" she exclaimed. "You cannot replace him!"
Edmund's face told Vura, "Sorry. I was just trying to help. I just want to help you."
"You're not him!" Vura screamed at Edmund. "You can't erase him! I was going to propose to him! You know that!"
Edmund's face changed momentarily to Hermia's, "Maybe if you would take things seriously once in a while, this sort of thing would not happen."
Tears now freely flowing, Vura screamed in anguish as she turned on her heels and started running in the opposite direction.
A Joint Post By
Captain Edmund Merrick
Company Commanding Officer, The Cure
USS Pioneer
Lieutenant Mira Jayna
Intelligence Officer, The Cure
USS Pioneer
Lieutenant Vura
Chief Counselor, USS Pioneer
Lieutenant Colonel Cornelius Tremble
Executive Officer, USS Pioneer
Battalion Commander, The Cure
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