Time for Some Insight
Posted on Sun May 11th, 2025 @ 8:23pm by Lieutenant Inara Senn & Jasmine Armstrong
487 words; about a 2 minute read
Mission:
Cead Mile Failte
Location: Holodeck 3
[Holodeck – Meadow Simulation]
The sunlight filtered softly through a blue sky. A gentle breeze stirred the tall flowers around them, brushing Inara’s hair across her cheek as she lay back beside Jasmine. A moment of peace in a galaxy with too few.
Jasmine glanced at her quietly for a while before speaking.
“Inara… what’s troubling you?” she asked, her voice low and careful.
Inara exhaled, her gaze unfocused on the artificial sky above.
“Some things... many things.”
She paused, then added bitterly,
“Sometimes I wonder if my crew really understands any of it. Other times, I think the only reason I’m still here is the science. And more often than not... I feel like a terrible woman.”
She turned her head toward Jasmine, her eyes heavy.
“I’ve dismissed people. Disappointed those who believed in me. I feel so... dissatisfied. Like I’ve borne more pain than one Betazoid soul should ever carry. These gods—if they exist—may hate me.”
Her voice cracked slightly.
“But I’m just one woman, Jas. One damned Betazoid, and I keep failing everyone.”
Jasmine didn’t respond at first. She simply reached out and took Inara’s hand, grounding her.
“Don’t do this to yourself,” Jasmine said softly.
“You’re not alone. Reach out to the people around you. They care about you—about your pain, your courage. You didn’t have to approve of what they did to that ship. You have every right to call Starfleet to account. No one gets to take that from you.”
Inara shook her head faintly, closing her eyes.
“Why do you put up with me, Jas?”
Jasmine smiled sadly.
“Because I think the gods—or whatever you call them—gave you a second chance. Danu, the Morrigan… even if you despise Hela, you’re not hers. Don’t let her shape you into what she wants.”
Inara let out a quiet, humorless laugh.
“I had to send a fool chasing a myth just to save my crew. Just to do something. I risked everything on a delusion. What if that makes me no better than them?”
“You did what you had to do.” Jasmine’s voice was firm now.
“Try to understand the Captain… and Deanna. Maybe they had no choice when they destroyed that ship. But that doesn’t mean you can’t demand accountability. That’s not disloyalty, Inara. That’s integrity.”
Inara sat up slightly, eyes shadowed.
“Sometimes I wonder if I should just leave Starfleet. Walk away from all of it. You and I could find some quiet colony, something remote... leave the galaxy to tear itself apart without us.”
Jasmine tilted her head, smiling gently.
“And then what will you do, Inara?”
Inara stared at the horizon for a long time. Then, finally:
“I don’t know.”
Jasmine leaned over and rested her forehead against Inara’s.
“Exactly. And that’s not you.”
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