Happy Holiday.

Posted on Sun Jan 16th, 2022 @ 12:37pm by Lieutenant Commander Shoniara T’ghann-Travis Dr

Mission: Respite
Location: USS Washington. ACMO’s Quarters
Timeline: Start of ‘Respite’

After her breakfast with Shran Shon went back to her quarters, although as ACMO she was overseeing sickbay with Sam gone she was only on call if absolutely needed. After rearranging her quarters, walking Puss, meditating and rearranging her quarters again she sat and poured herself a large Brandy. She remembered Shran explaining that he ‘had a drink’ to relieve the stress of Command. She raised her glass to the empty room, “Here’s to you Shran and stress relief.” She downed the glass and refilled it. She closed her eyes and was there again.

Ensaras third moon was blood red reflecting the planet Ensara below, fire was everywhere following and preceding death. She stood outside the small medical facility she was tasked with, watching it fall in upon itself. She stood back hand over her eyes until the charred ruins of all she had built began to blow as embers caught the wind.

Her eyes focused back on to the four walls of her quarters as she took another drink. She had never felt so alone as at least on mission she had something else to think about, her duty to others, excitement about the unknown spiced with danger and the camaraderie of others facing the same.

She finished her drink and poured herself the last of the bottle.
Reaching into the cabinet she pulled out another bottle and uncorked it filling her glass up to the top joining the dregs of the last one. 300 year old brandy hit the spot as she drank. She thought of Callie, Jon and Harry off on a camping adventure and Shran, Celes, Aiko and Ayana off to Andoria. In her own self pitying stupor she wondered why she had no friends to go off adventuring with.

The path to her home was now covered in rocks and fire the result of the pulse weapons fired from orbit, it seemed it was easy to kill when one did not see the faces of one’s victims. She fired hitting Cardassian soldiers too numerous to count and ran from hiding place to hiding place. She reached their house where Mark and her little girl were waiting. They had 30 minutes to make their way back to safety and the shuttle. In actuality they had plenty of time, an eternity. All the houses were ablaze and the sound of screams, explosions and phaser fire surrounded her.

Her eyes misted back to her quarters once again. A concerned Puss had his head on her knees. She could hardly see the walls now as they had taken on a blurred nebulous face. She drained the full glass and lay down on the couch willing herself into an unconscious dreamless sleep.

Her home was ablaze, the roof already falling in. “MARK” she screamed as she tried to enter but was beaten back by the heat and anger of the life devouring flames. Then everything stopped, all sound and surroundings vanished as she saw them in the hallway just feet from the doorway. Shasta saw her first reaching out her hands and began screaming “MUMMY HELP US!” Mark saw her and shook his head, she saw the love and regret in his eyes as the fire took him. Shasta screamed as she also burst into flames. The sounds all around her began again as she tried to force her way in to rescue them. Slow motion took over as she saw their skin blacken and burn away Shasta stopped screaming and the two melded father and child holding each other into the flames. Shon looked up as a noise from above alerted her to the rafters falling. She fell hit by something heavy her mouth open screaming at the flames that licked at her back. Then blessed darkness overtook her.

She sprawled on the couch crying as she had done so many times before, the scars on her back arching with heat. Her eyes closed and her hand opened sending the glass rolling to the floor.