Death Wish.

Posted on Wed Apr 10th, 2024 @ 6:38pm by Lieutenant Commander Shoniara T’ghann-Travis Dr

Mission: Man & Machine
Location: Holodeck 2.
Timeline: current.

Everyone was sleeping apart from Shon. The air in their quarters was filled with contented breathing. She rose quietly covering Seth with the coverlet. Checking on Sage she was happy to see the contented baby sleeping. Shasta's door was half open and, as she looked in she could see Shasta moving slightly in her bed obviously dreaming.

Shon poured herself a glass of cold orange juice freshly squeezed. she shivered as she took the first drink of the cold beverage and it woke her up further. Walking to the window she looked out onto the moving starscape. She was restless, more so than she had been for a long time. She was regaining her strength after the fraught birth of Sage but her mind was still caught up with Andrew. Her fists closed as she tried to center herself and she suddenly felt like screaming as anger built up once more inside her. She checked on Seth, Sage and Shasta once again and slipped into a pair of lightweight trousers and blouse and quietly left for the holodeck.

She had developed the Vulcan’s Forge program a year ago to help her get used to the specific atmospheric changes that were found at the Forge. Now for a few weeks she had been visiting it in order to try to take out her pent up rage that meditation did not remove. Without preamble she entered the holodeck the heat and light hit her immediately and the far mountains shimmered in the haze. She stood, closed her eyes and slowed her breathing.

"Computer do you have a visual record of the entity Hela?" she asked.

'Yes there is a record on file' came the reply.

"Computer extrapolate the entity Hela."

A few seconds later Hela stood before her silent her eyes looking at Shon. The computer generation was so very lifelike and, for a moment Shon felt sick. “Computer furnish each of us with a Vulcan Lirpa.”

Seconds later Shon help the heavy bladed and clubbed weapon in her hands. It felt comfortable, like an old friend as she moved it from hand to hand feeling the weight stretching her muscles and tendons. Hela continued looking at her the Lirpa in her hands.

A hot dusty wind began to blow into the sand making graceful whorls. Somewhere a Sehlat called to its mate. “Computer run program Travis one.”

There was a noticeable pause and then Shon spoke, her voice cold and emotionless. "Hela you have taken my child from me, you are a despicable entity and you deserve to die. I am, going to end you one day I promise this, but now, now I will have to satisfy myself destroying your image. I will destroy it as many times as I like until the rage of my stolen child is sated. So, stand ready. 'V'or cHa."

She lifted her Lirpa feeling at one with the weapon. Hela advanced not speaking, cold eyes reflected Shons as they took the measurement of each other. Shon imagined Andrew in Hela's arms and she charged extending the club side of the weapon. It missed Hela by inches as she jumped back. A light appeared to enter the surrogate Hela's eyes and she became more animated.

Moving around Shon she advanced and swung her blade aiming at her arm, the blade sliced through the air whistling as it hit the ground next to Shon. As Hela's weapon was momentarily on the ground Shon advanced and tripped Hela who fell to the ground and rolled out as Shons Lirpa aimed for her head. it thudded down dinting the sand sending a cloud into the air to join the swirling eddies in the wind. It was hot and Shon began to sweat as they circled each other.

Shons anger was ice cold and she wished her body felt the same. As she fought she thought about Sage, Shasta and Seth and the family they had become. She was just in time to duck as the Lirpa scythed over her head. She took the opportunity to strike whilst Hela was off balance and knew her opponent had over reached herself, she watched Hela fall into the hot sand. Shon had wanted the fight to be long and hard, to drive all knowledge of Hela and Andrew from her mind with each move and swing of her weapon but, each time she did this the memory came back stronger. She screamed out in anger and brought her Lirpa down onto Hela’s head.

The moment it connected all her anger left her and dropping her weapon she fell into the sand on her knees. “Why do you do this to me?” she asked the slain Hela but Shon already knew, she was doing it to herself. Nothing now would bring Andrew back and she had all the love she could deal with.

“Computer end program.” The yellow lines against the black of the holodeck appeared as the sands of Vulcan’s forge, Hela and the weapons disappeared. She stood, “Computer, delete program” she said and left the holodeck.