Repeated nightmares, or life?

Posted on Friday, 20 November 2020 - 3:01pm by Lieutenant JG Adrianna Eberhardt

"Baciami?" a tall man in a commander's uniform walked in to her office.

Adrianna looked up from a PaDD she was reading, "I haven't been called that in decades, sir. How may I help?"

The man nodded, "I once heard that Baciami's have tally Mark tattoos for their near death experiences. Is it true?"

Adrianna sat back in her chair, looking curiously at the man. He must have been in his forties. He didn't look familiar, he certainly wasn't on the crew's roster. She went with it though, it wasn't unusual to have strangers in her office to discuss small tasks, it was an Intelligence officer's job after all. "It is true," she replied, "I kept mine up to date, I'm on twelve."

The man chuckled, "are you superstitious?"

Adrianna subtly reached for a phaser, held on the underside of her desk. Something wasn't right. "Should I be?" she asked, playing it off as teasing him.

"Up to you," he shrugged, pulling a phaser out quickly.

---

Adrianna gasped awake, bolting upright. She was covered in sweat; her heart pounded painfully as if trying to break free from its cage of ribs.

"I've got a few lives left," she whispered to herself, her voice stolen by adrenelin, "no one said I'd die from the injury. I've been shot before and lived. Hurt like a bitch, but I'm here."

Adrianna ran her fingers through her curly hair in an attempt to calm herself. She looked down to the bedding and sighed. "When I wake, I cannot remember his face. Do you think it'll be like deja vu?" The woman asked the room as if hoping for a response.

The eep of her pet tribble, Uovo forced her to draw a phaser from her night stand. Aiming straight for the origin.

"Gawd!" She exclaimed realising her mistake, "don't answer back, it was rhetorical. You don't want to end up a hat!"

The tribble eeped again.

Adrianna smiled, replacing the phaser in the night stand. Leaning over, the woman picked him up and petting him, soothingly. "Yes, well, we can't all be an laid back as you."

The tribble seemed to sigh.

"Gawd, I'm talking to a tribble," Adrianna groaned, "I need real sleep."