Sleepless nights

Posted on Mon Sep 26th, 2022 @ 7:32am by Lieutenant JG Damien Blackford

Mission: MISSION 0 - History Speaks
Location: Damien's Quarters
Timeline: A few days after coming on-board the Elysium
698 words - 1.4 OF Standard Post Measure

As he lay in bed, staring up at the ceiling, Damien turned his head slightly, looking at the clock on his bedside table. A quarter past one. He sighed softly, clenching and unclenching his hands. His shift had finished a good hour ago. Not a very exciting one, admittedly, but life on a starship wouldn't always be charging into battle, saving the universe from death and destruction. Which was probably a good thing. Sighing once more, Damien closed his eyes and slowed his breathing, once again attempting to try and get his body to rest and allow him to drift into sleep's loving embrace.

But it was no good. His eyes snapped back open moments later, and he sat up, the duvet covers falling down, pooling around his waist. "Computer," He snapped, his voice slightly more irritated than it probably needed to be when talking to a machine, "Lights up, 50%." There were a few seconds before the room was slowly bathed in soft, ambient light. Rubbing his eyes, he glanced back at the clock. Twenty minutes past one. Great. Looks like it was gonna be another sleepless night. Maybe it was just his body adjusting to life on a starship. You would have thought that after a year on board the U.S.S. Vangaurd, he would be used to it, but it seemed that his body just didn't want to adjust. Maybe he should try and get some sleeping tablets from the Replicator. Could you even get things like that from the Replicator? He shook his head. Probably not. Maybe he should speak to Commander Sthilg instead. Perhaps he could prescribe something.

But, for now, at least, it looked like he was going to have to just find another way to deal with his insomnia. Swinging his feet out of the bed, he stood up, stretching as he did, his back popping slightly as his muscles slowly realigned themselves, releasing the tension that had started building. Walking over to the window, he stopped, smiling slightly as he watched the stars rush by. At least he was lucky enough to be in a cabin that had a real window. And that was one view that certainly never got old or boring. He stood there for a few minutes, before heading out the bedroom door, and into the main living area. Looking around, he couldn't help but chuckle slightly. Junior officers rarely got an entire cabin to themselves. On the Vanguard, he'd spent the entire year rooming with a Bolian. Not the worst roommate. But still. It was nice to have a place all to himself.

A few pictures hung on the wall, a handful of books decorated the shelves. He'd been operating under the assumption he'd be sharing again, so had packed lightly. Now that he knew he had the place to himself, he'd have to start decorating properly. Nothing too over the top, of course. Just enough to make the place feel like home.

He chuckled softly to himself. 'Home'. It was strange to think that, for the foreseeable future, this place was indeed going to be his home. He'd only met a handful of the crew, but they all seemed like a lovely bunch of people. It was obvious that some of them had been serving together for a long time, and he hoped that one day he'd achieve the level of camaraderie and friendship that was clearly felt throughout the ship.

Turning away from the wall, he headed into the small kitchen. Maybe it was just the British in him, but perhaps a nice cup of tea would help him to relax. Pulling open the cupboard, he grabbed a teabag and mug, before grabbing the milk from the fridge. Sure, he could just as easily replicate it, but it wouldn't taste the same. A few minutes later, he emerged from the kitchen, mug in hand. Walking over to the sparsely populated bookshelf, he grabbed his copy of The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, before making his way back to his bedroom.

'Might as well do something productive.' He thought to himself, as he settled back down in bed.

 

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