Shared Dreams and Past Pain
Posted on Tue Dec 13th, 2016 @ 8:51am by Commander Hades,MD & Lieutenant Shrivol Thr'elanon
2,017 words; about a 10 minute read
Mission:
Episode 93 - Warrior VS Warrior
Location: Hades' Office Sickbay
On:
Hades sat in his office thinking back to the last few nights. Specifically when Shrivol was off station. They had talked about what happened only briefly and he wondered how it was possible. He sat now in his office recalling the shared dream.
******* THE DREAM*******
Shrivol was in a piloting station on a shuttle. Everything seemed natural, something that had been planned.
=/\= "ETA to planet Risa, 14 hours.=/\= The computer said.
"Thank you. I guess it will be a good trip." Shrivol said.
Hades turned surprised but only for a moment. "Shrivol..." He shook his head. Part of him said dream the other part said real. "Risa...right. " His hands flew over the controls. "I'm reading a Class B nebula not far from here. Feel like a slight detour?"
"Of course I do." Shrivol said sounding a little confused. "I didn't think there was one around here." He smiled looking at the sensor readings. "Sometimes I think I should have gone into astrophysics."
Hades smiled. "Hey It's purple. I can't resist purple. Nothing to do with astrophysics or science it's pretty." He laughed.
"I am sure that's what Zefram Cochrane's reason for warp drive." Shrivol said laughing. "But it looks like a nice type of purple." A moment later a few beeps from the sensors rang through the shuttle. "Looks like it got more interesting, there are a few systems that are en route to the nebula, that is odd."
"Ohhhh Feel like exploring? I..." He looked at the console. "Shri I'm getting some funny readings here."
The shuttle started shaking. "I am too, the flight systems are...being finicky."
=/\= "Warning, main stabilizer off line. Rupture in main deuterium injection system, secondary offline." The computer alerted.
"Oh damn, we are going to have to land somewhere." Shrivol said trying to keep it stabilized. "Where is the nearest habitable planet?"
"Um...okay this is weird but there is one right below us. We're just a step away from it. Setting course."
A few seconds later the shuttle creaked as they landed. "That was almost too easy." Shrivol said, getting up from the console and grabbing a belt with a tricorder and phaser. "Here you might want one too." He said smiling at Hades.
Hades couldn't help but smiling. He pulled the tricorder out and scanned what was beyond the door "Seems like the atmosphere is breathable. Let me go first." He wasn't going to risk Shri getting hurt.
Shrivol chucked and managed to get in between Hades and the door. "If anything happens just know that my blood is on the purple side, plus I can't risk anything happening to you." Shrivol was protective there was no question. He opened the door and briefly held his breath, a few moments and he inhaled the cool air that rushed in. He slowly took a few steps on the ramp, his right hand over his phaser. He imagined he looked awkward. he looked around the area and it seemed to be one of the most beautiful places he had ever seen. "I am not sure this place should exist, what do you think?"
Hades walked out shaking his head. "It....it's very beautiful but we should be careful." He closed up the shuttle and they headed out tricrders and phasers are the ready.
Within minutes they'd entered the forest and they heard singing. "Um...do you hear that?"
Shrivol's antenna twisted as he tried to locate the sound. "I think it's coming from over there." He headed towards the direction of the singing. "A planet that shouldn't be here with a population? This is getting weird." They approached a clearing, Shrivol was extremely cautious.
They headed deep into the forest and came upon lollipops and cotton candy trees. Hades' jaw dropped. "What in the ..." Before he could finish the thought three mice walked past almost as tall as Shrivol and Hades singing. they tipped their top hats said good day and walked on through.
Hades blinked several times. "I got it! We've crashed and we're dead and this is what death is like."
"This..." Shrivol stopped trying not to laugh. "That or we are hallucinating after being oxygen deprived. Maybe we've been drugged by Orion pirates and are getting ready to be enslaved." He couldn't hold it in and laughed. He grabbed a piece of the cotton candy and tasted it and made a look that showed slight disgust. "It's too sweet."
"Yeah...well." Hades rolled his eyes just as a man who seemed to be made of marshmallows ran by. His jaw dropped open. "Um...you saw that right?" He looked at his tricored..."And the tricorder picked it up!"
"I don't know if I can take much more." Shrivol said laughing as he followed the marshmallow. "I feel like I am going insane, but I am having fun." Shrivol chuckled as they walked over a hill to a sight Shrivol didn't expect. It looked like a transporter room. Shrivol dropped his tricorder and the smiling face instantly turned into one filled with dread.
Hades came up behind him. "W...where are we?"
Shrivol right arm started shaking, he walked towards the transporter pad, he saw it all before years ago. The transporter chief was the same one. "Spacedock..." He said not looking at Hades, his voice shaking.
"Energizing now." The chief said.
"NO!" Shrivol shouted as he tried to get to the controls, no one listened but Hades. Shrivol looked helplessly at the shimmering image. The loud scream that came from the form, who materialized but appeared badly bloody and burned. Shrivol went to the body holding him again as he did years ago.
The transporter accident! Hades ran after Shrivol. He pulled Shrivol away from the body. Pulling him, even though he was kicking and screamed away. "Damn it! Don't look. It's not real!" He turned Shrivol's face to him and held his face in his hands. "Just breath! Just breath! It's not real."
Shrivols face streamed tears as he saw a new horror, the body had changed and he briefly looked at Hades, then back at the body. Shrivol was almost entranced, as he saw the body now being Hades. "...No..." he whispered. The dread increased when the body changed.
Hades pulled Shrivol into his arms feeling his tears and harsh breath against his neck. "Just breath Shri. It's not real." He stroked his back. He looked back at the transporter site and it faded replaced by forest.
Shrivol held onto Hades trying to snap out of it, he hadn't faced his fears that often especially one he didn't want to admit he had. "I'm...okay." He finally said. His body still shaking slightly from the experience. "I would have preferred the marshmallow."
Hades smiled. He held onto Shrivol just a bit feeling like a heel for enjoying having him in his arms. He pulled back and then helped Shrivol stand.
Just as they stood a white rabbit ran by with a pocket watch. "Hurry! We must go!" He yelled. Hades remembered reading about the white rabbit when he was a kid. He hurried after him. "Wait! You have to tell us where are we....."
"Wait, Hades we don't know whats going on." Shrivol said as he looked at the rabbit, his blue eyes containing rage for what he just went through. "Tea!" He said interrupting his own thoughts. "...Is this what I think it is?"
He scampered over what looked like a hill and down and Hades stopped in his tracks. He remembered this well 2382 on the USS Ira. “No.” He shook his head as the air around him swirled and formed into the sickbay of a large Galaxy class starship. The power was obviously out and only emergency lighting worked. “No.” He turned “…I can’t go through this again.” Sweat began to bead on his forehead.
Shrivol grabbed Hades, almost tackling him, his arms wrapped around Hades and he buried Hades face in his chest, trying to keep him from going through the pain that Shrivol had gone through. "It doesn't exist...It doesn't." He kept saying. He knew this was probably futile but he had to try.
Hades pulled away...he was paralyzed with fear. "No..." His voice trembling.
He turned at the scream behind him. There she was, Annabeth! She fell to the ground lifeless. Behind her he stood. A long bar in his hand. “Gaylen.”
The man smiled. “Hello Hades. We meet again. I’ve tracked you all this time. You thought you got away from me.”
He couldn’t call for help. The ship was being boarded he knew but…Gaylen! He backed up only to feel a pair of hands on either side of him. He struggled against the two Nausiccans.
The first blow hit him in the gut. Gaylen pulled his fist back and smashed Hades’ face with a bone braking strength of a Vulcan.
Hades cried out as the long metal bar in Gaylen’s hand connected with his ribs. He felt them break.
The Hades being held by Shrivol cried out. He watched an image of himself struggle an then after a severe beating he was thrown to the floor. Bleeding, broken he watched as Gaylen was pulled by a transporter. “Goodbye….son.”
Shrivol looked on in complete shock. He didn't know what to do or say but just kept trying to hold onto Hades. "I'm so sorry."
Hades shook in Shrivol's arms. He closed his eyes tight. "It's not real.... I can't go through that again...."
The image faded and Hades felt his heart beat slow. He looked up at Shrivol tears streaking down his face; his whole body shaking. "We...we have to get back to the shuttle."
"Yes we do. I am thinking happy thoughts...think happy thoughts." Shrivol all but carried Hades and made his way to the shuttle. When the shuttle was in view suddenly Shrivol saw his sister. "Ch'tol?"
"Running late again big brother?" The slender white skinned and white haired woman said.
Shrivol was taken aback. "I have no memory of this..." As soon as he said that he saw people gathered separated by a white carpet. The image was hazy and Shrivol slowed down looking back at Hades. "Late for what Ch'tol? I don't know half these people."
Hades had recovered by now. Hades looked at Shrivol..."What is this..."
"I don't know..." Shrivol looked around confused. "...I was just thinking of something that makes me happy." Shrivol looked shocked. "No, not now." Shrivol held Hades close "Don't look please don't look."
Hades looked. He smiled at the sight.
Shrivol blushed and let go of Hades. "I don't know what to..."
The image played out, a image of Hades and Shrivol getting married. All of Shrivol's family was there, showing their support, the longer it played out the more Shrivol was anxious to get to the shuttle.
"I think the shuttle is over there." He said in a hurried tone.
Hades smiled. He turned Shrivol towards him. "Not yet." Suddenly the scene shifted..."Damn." he said. "We didn't see the best part."
Shrivol smiled slightly as he tried taking in the new images that emerged. "Is this your happy thought?" He asked chuckling.
He grinned. "hhmmm." His lips were a breath away. "I'm going to kiss you, you know?"
Shrivol started breathing a little heavier. "That's what I have been trying to do for a while you know." He moved closer to Hades lips, Shrivol couldn't have smiled any more as he moved closer and closer.
Suddenly darkness overtook them.
***Starbase 400 - Hades' office***
Hades was pulled out of the memory by the screaming life support alarm. "Ensign Patters." He stood and ran down the hall having trouble shaking off the memory. He wanted to talk to Shri again about he dream but now...now it was time for work.
He ran into the main sickbay noting that the nurses were already preparing the equipment that would be needed. "Cortical Stimulators, now!"
Lt. Shrivol Thr'elanon
Chief Medical Officer
Starbase 400
&
Lt. Hades
Assistant Chief Medical Officer
Starbase 400
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