Fallout

Posted on Thu Dec 21st, 2023 @ 5:35am by Commander Samantha Howard

Mission: Hard Earned Peace
Location: CMOs quarters.

Dr Samantha Howard dragged her feet back to her cabin after a hectic few days in sickbay. Whilst nothing out of the ordinary, she was feeling drained after the last mission and hadn't scheduled herself the same downtime that everyone else had taken. Her 2IC had noticed the dark circles under her eyes and sent her off duty early with strict instructions not to return for at least 48 hours.

Sam made her way to the couch and flipped onto it, allowing the firm cushioning to mold to her form. The boots were the first to go, the heeled black leather releasing her foot to a sigh of relief. As comfortable as Starfleet boots were, spending all day on your feet in them was still a punish.

The jacket came next, shrugged from the weary shoulders and left to stay where it fell in a crumpled heap. Sam let her head fall back against the cushion and regarded the last year with a critical mind. It had been eventful to say the least and she'd been in more dangerous situations than she cared to admit. Ever vigilant she had ensured everyone had been cleared by the counseling team and had somehow managed to dodge it herself. The problem was that now it was catching up.

Sam sighed and closed her eyes, almost relishing the darkness against the constant brightness of the artificial light. Her rational mind knew she needed a break, and she needed to chat to the counseling team if she were to put all the broken pieces back together.

“Computer reduce lighting by 60 percent, increase ambient temperature to 27 Celcius and reduce humidity to 25 percent.” It was an odd request but was something Sam had picked up during her many years in space. A warm dry dark environment reminded her of summer nights back home and always eased her mind, allowing her to unwind and sleep.

And she did.