Weakness gets you killed

Posted on Wed May 20th, 2026 @ 7:42pm by Lieutenant Commander Sora Bernadotte & Lieutenant Commander Aidan Datari

2,978 words; about a 15 minute read

Mission: 9a. Oubliette - Short Treks
Location: Officers' Observation Lounge
Timeline: En route to the nebula

"They've found us. All hands, battle stations. We need to hold them off for as long as we can!" The red alert signals blared across the bridge, accentuated by frantic shouting across various stations.

"Commander, we have not been able to fully repair the-"

The First Officer held up her hand to cut the tactical officer off. "Doesn't matter now, Lieutenant, we're out of time. With no word from the Captain, we're on our own. You are all loyal officers of the Empire. You have pledged yourselves to this cause, to save the Empire from the corruption that has taken hold at its core. As the Klingons once said, today is a good day to die. For the glory of the Sovereign Terran Empire and its rightful sovereign! Terra Firma!"

"And die they did," Sora muttered to herself as she absentmindedly took another sip from her whisky. One week had passed since the Enterprise had saved the Talu by disguising itself as ISS Millennium, and ever since that day, she had struggled to sleep. When she did sleep, nightmares and flashbacks filled her dreams. In true Terran fashion, she was doing all she could to mask how troubled she was, but she could sense that some of the more observant crew members were onto her. When she had suggested the plan, she had not expected how hard it would hit her to be on a Terran bridge again, even if it was only in appearance.

So, she had turned to the only way she knew to get a dreamless sleep without involving a doctor - alcohol. As it was almost midnight, the lounge was pretty much deserted. A few junior officers were sitting around a table by the bar, laughing and swapping stories. Sora, meanwhile, was sat on her own, by the window, gazing out at the stars. With a sigh, she put down her empty glass and waved over the barkeeper. "Another. Non-replicated, I need the real stuff." She shrugged. "Actually, just bring the bottle."

As the barkeeper went off to get her drink, Sora reached into her pocket and took her old Terran badge in her hand. She'd been in this universe for a few years now, a citizen of the United Federation of Planets, an officer of its Starfleet. And yet she just could not let go of her past.

"Burning the midnight oil?" Aidan had walked in to the lounge, carrying his your daughter in his arms, Sherlock hovering above them. The beat of of his wings caused waves of air as he hovered briefly before gliding down towards the table. The Trill slowly and gently rocked the girl in his arms as he approached too. He'd been observing her for a few minutes now, and figured they would've been noticed by the former Terran officer. The woman was usually quite observant.

"Sora?" He asked as there still was no response. Shifting the girl and easing her into a chair, he then reached out and gently shook Sora's shoulder. "Sora? Are you alright?"

As soon as Aidan touched her, he Terran's hand instinctively moved to where a dagger would be on a Terran uniform. Suddenly back to reality, she let out a deep breath she didn't even realise she had been holding in. "Aidan," she finally said, rather quietly. "Just thinking, you know how it is. My mind was somewhere else." She reached up and gave Sherlock a little scratch under his chin. "What brings you three here at this hour?"

At this moment, the barkeeper returned with a bottle of whisky, and placed it down on the table. "Join me for a drink?", Sora offered, indicating the two empty chairs at the table. "I'm sure the bar has something kid-friendly to offer."

Seeing the reflex, Aidan took an involuntary step back, instantly on guard. "I could see that, you never noticed I walked in and I did call your name." He slid into a chair and pulled the girl onto his lap, cradling her head against his shoulder. "I don't drink, I don't respond very well to alcohol."

The girl in his arms moaned softly and he rocked her gently, whispering a few quiet words in Trill. "Saeri isn't feeling well, she's been restless all evening. I think somehow she's missing her mother...she's been crying and calling mamma all day."

Sora sighed as she poured herself another whisky. "She's not the only one being haunted by thoughts of the past," she admitted. "Making Enterprise look Terran might have been my idea, but it really did take me back." She paused, throwing the Terran badge onto the table and picking up the glass instead. "Not easy to forget where you came from, no matter how much you want to."

"She has no memory of her mother, she's never met her. Not consciously anyway because Emme was gone when Saeri was only a few days old. She just...left." Aidan sighed softly, shaking his head. He looked up when Sherlock chirped. "Tell me where you came from? You told me a few things, but maybe you want to talk? Why did you suggest we pose as our mirror selves, assuming some of us even have a mirror?"

"The Sovereign Terran Empire," Sora replied with a shrug. "I'm sure you've read about it. It's a ruthless place, really. I was part of a group trying to save the Empire from itself. Over the years, the spirit of Spock's reforms had mostly been lost. Sure, the Empire had become a bit more accepting towards non-Terrans, but really only those who could pass in society, who didn't look too different. As a Trill, for example, you would have been just fine. After all, at first glance, you're just a human with spots. For a while, the Empire actually tried to improve things for its citizens. And then the war with the Alliance happened."

She shook her head. "Sure, the Empire managed to somehow survive, but it barely avoided civil war in the process. So, instead of caring about the people, those in power returned to worrying only about staying there." With a deep sigh, Sora took a sip of her drink. "I don't like talking about it, really. Too many bad memories."

"You seem to care enough that it bothers you." Shifting, Aidan reached out a second time and covered her hand with his. "Why did you suggest the disguise we used, if you knew it'd come back to haunt you?"

"We needed a way to intervene, without being seen as the intervening party. It was the easiest and most effective way to do it." The Terran shrugged, this time not immediately withdrawing from Aidan. "And I had no idea it would impact me that hard. But then that's the Terran way. Nobody talks about military trauma, they suppress it. Because showing it is weakness. And weakness gets you killed."

"But not here Sora. Acknowledging your weaknesses and your trauma is a strength because it helps you grow. Trust me, I've had my fair share of it in life." Sherlock chirped, hopping forward to nuzzle the woman's cheek, eyes whirling a green speckled blue in various shades. There were a few specks of orange as he turned to watch the child.

Sora briefly stroked the little dragon-like creature's head and shrugged again. "I spoke to counselors at headquarters. Before my commission. At length. Was difficult to get used to, actually talking about stuff, but it helped. Don't think it'll ever go away, though."

She chuckled. "I guess I am also holding on to some things from my past to remind me of who I was. And of some of the people and places I left behind. Freya told me she actually visited Nygard in this universe. Our homeworld. Not too different from the one we grew up on, apparently. It's an independent colony, loosely associated with the Federation but not actually a member. It's a pretty cold place, except for the regions right by the equator. A beautiful world, really. Maybe I'll visit it when we get some longer leave. Would be nice, I suppose."

"You should..." The Trill smiled brightly. "The cold sounds good. And there's nothing wrong with remembering the past and acknowledging those you lost or left behind. It's not getting stuck there which is a challenge. I still have a memorial place in my quarters to remember my late husband, and I have pictures of those I loved and lost. They made me who I am today. Your experience made you who you are."

Sora gave a hollow chuckle. "You sound like a philosopher." Carefully, she picked the Terran badge up and flipped it, showing the engraved name and service number on the back to Aidan. "Commander Sora Svanirsdottir. Executive officer, I.S.S. Asha. Previous assignment, Chief Operations Officer, I.S.S. Challenger. Before Challenger was her cadet cruise, on I.S.S. Voyager. Got a few medals to her name, too, for valour in combat, for stopping a mutiny on Challenger, for disarming a bomb that had been planted on Voyager by some prisoners in an attempt to escape. Security officer that let them slip the components on board got executed for his idiocy."

The Terran chuckled. "Captain didn't use the transporters, as per normal procedure. He said it would be a good opportunity to practice for one of the tactical cadets. So he loaded the surviving prisoners, and the security officer, on a shuttlecraft and told them to try to get away. Even left the shields and weapons intact. Didn't matter, the cadet was one hell of a good shot. Served with him on Challenger, too. Funny guy, attractive. Good in bed, too."

"I'm no philosopher ma'am," Aidan answered with a chuckle. "So... you dated a captain? I guess we got that in common then. My first partner was a starship captain. He convinced me to actually enlist and got me through the academy in some kind of record time too. Probably because I already had attended most classes even if I never sat an exam for them because I was too young." He paused, shifting the child in his arms. "I did tell you about my marine sister right?" Even though she wasn't actually his sister, she was as good as one, having grown up with her.

Sora smirked. "Yeah, you mentioned her before. I was talking about the cadet, actually, he later became senior tactical officer on Challenger. Although I have had a Captain in my bed once or twice as well. By the time I left Challenger I think I'd had most of the officers. Most of them before I became Chief Ops, though. This is the Terran Starfleet we're talking about," she added, giggling. "There was at least one junior officers' orgy a month. I've lost track of how many people I've done. Never had a serious relationship, though. I don't like getting attached. Or, well, at least I didn't."

To that, the Trill just stared at her in stunned amazement. "I...see..." He finally managed, "I dearly hope someone told you that this is not the way here? I mean..not exactly conduct becoming an officer? And you say you didn't like attachment...does that mean there's someone important in your life now?" While he had a few sexual encounters himself, only one of them was the exception where he hadn't been in a relationship.

"Oh, that was part of the debriefing, don't you worry," Sora replied. "The reason I never got attached was that you never knew if you'd see the next week. Like I said before, that universe is a much more dangerous place than here. As for someone important in my life, well." She paused for a moment. "No romantic feelings towards anyone, but certainly stronger bonds than I had in the past. I have my sister back, I have this crew. Sayori is something akin to another sister to me, too. And, well, I think you'd count as a friend."

"I'd be honoured to be counted among your friends," Aidan smiled, "and I'm glad you have some stronger ties here. They make for more stable officers too, despite past experiences. Do you feel serving Starfleet has changed you?" Sherlock chirped in echo, tilting his wedge shaped head in question.

Sora shrugged. "I mean, I have been transported into a different universe, thirty years into the future. How could that not change a person?" She chuckled. "Thank you, by the way. For this. Talking. It helps."

"Time displacement probably does the trick," Aidan agreed, "and I can't profess to know what it would do to someone." He smiled at her. "You're welcome. I'm not a counselor by a long shot but anyone can listen. Have you ever thought about trying to go back?"

Absolutely not," the Terran replied, shaking her head. "Sure, I thought about it when I first got here, but, no. Nothing will ever get me back there."

"You made a life for yourself here," Aidan acknowledged, leaning back against the backrest of his seat. "I wouldn't want to go there either if I'm honest. It sounds like a very dark and grim place...and though I look human enough... I'm not Human. Id never fit in." He glanced at the limp and softly moaning form in his arms. "Saeri is half Human, her mother is Human."

The Terran looked at the child for a moment, and shook her head. "Don't even start this line of thought. Just be glad that your daughter will grow up in a much better place than I did. And that both of you will hopefully never see it."

She looked at the half-empty bottle of whisky on the table, and chuckled. "Apparently, Terran tolerance to alcohol is much higher than that of the humans from this universe. Instead, we are extremely sensitive to bright light. The multiverse is weird."

"Slavery still exists in this universe," Aidan said softly, the tone of his voice causing the blue dragon to hiss, his priorly blue eyes now a whirl of several shades of green and yellow. "It's not confined to the mirror universe." He shook his head to shake the memory of his time as a slave and offered a small smile. "You could wear UV filtered glasses or contacts," he suggested quietly, "or we can spend some time researching a treatment for your eyes. Perhaps a UV implant of some sort?"

Sora tapped the frame of her glasses. "What, you think I only wear these because they make me look hot?" She chuckled. "It's not the UV that's the problem, it's the actual brightness that overwhelms the photoreceptors or something along those lines. My glasses automatically dim in response to the light conditions. Of course, with the lights in here being pretty low at the moment, they're technically not necessary. And I keep the lighting in my quarters dimmed, too."

She shrugged. "Slavery has always, and will always, exist in some form. Not much that anyone can do about it. Stomp it out in one area, you'll find another where it's still practised. At least in the Federation, you don't need to constantly worry about the people around you wanting to off you to advance their own position."

"They do suit you ma'am," Aidan smiled, "but surely modern medicine could help you with your vision without being reliant on glasses? What happens if you lose them in a combat situation?" He looked thoughtful for a moment as he nodded in agreement to her assessment. "No but there are still factions out there, pirates of you will, who will take a life without a second thought. And then there's the Orions, who take pleasure in robbing people of their freedom and sell them into slavery. I was fortunate that the crew I served with didn't give up on me. Though eventually I probably would've found a way to gain my own freedom." He shivered at the memory. "So...what do you usually do if you have a situation like this, when you can't sleep?"

"Drink," Sora replied with another shrug and a chuckle. "Or, you know, read a book, listen to some music. Whatever passes the time until I decide to try again - or it'd be time to get up anyway."

"Reading or music sound like a safer option. Do you play any instruments?"

"Played the piano since I've been a little girl," Sora replied, smiling. "Started learning the saxophone, was absolute shit at it, so stopped. Picked up the guitar, enjoyed it, but enjoy the bass guitar more." Her smile grew into a smirk. "I've actually got one in my quarters. Replicated copy of course. But it still does the job." She glanced at Saeri and Sherlock, who were both clearly either already asleep or just about there. "I think it's about time you get those two to bed," she added with a chuckle. "And I reckon I should head back to my quarters as well, if I actually want to be awake for work tomorrow. Or, well, later today I guess."

"Sherlock only naps though he tends to sleep at the foot of her bed under the pretence of keeping watch." He shrugged but smiled as he cradled his daughter close as he stood. "Sleep well Commander, we'll have another talk soon. Or another sparring session, but we have to be careful because the doctor was pretty cross with me about breaking my arm on a misstep."

Sora smiled as she downed the last bit of whisky in her glass and stood as well. "I don't recall myself getting injured, so surely, you're the one that should be careful?" She laughed. "Thank you for this, Aidan. It helped. Have a good night yourself, I'll see you on the bridge."

RSS Feed