Sleep is Overrated

Posted on Thu Dec 7th, 2023 @ 4:07am by Teevs Dosivi & Senior Chief Petty Officer Hans Mueller

Mission: Season 6: Episode 4: Memory Lane
Location: Promenade
Timeline: MD3 01:36h
2263 words - 4.5 OF Standard Post Measure

It happened again.

Memories of his friends dying during the Bedia War twisted with the memory of losing Saphse to the Nelorin, creating a warped nightmare of suffering that eventually forced Teevs awake, the dim glow of stars reflecting off the sheen of sweat across his forehead as his heart raced. This time, he had looked around to make sure he wasn't under attack, and even checked up on Kerilia to make sure she was sleeping alright, before slumping back in his bed to try and get some sleep, which led him to staring at the ceiling. Earlier, he had managed to convince Kerilia to try and get some sleep, despite her fears about having another nightmare, and it took a bit of convincing to get himself to do the same.

Each time Teevs shut his eyes, he saw the memories replay themselves, so he stared at the ceiling instead. After a few minutes of trying to unsuccessfully convince himself that he was tired, he gave up and got dressed to go for a walk. His mind was too active to rest. Using a datapad, he wrote a note for Kerilia saying to use the communicator to call him if she had another bad dream, and left it beside her bed before leaving their quarters.

Much of the ship was quiet, and rather uninteresting to him, until Teevs came across a massive space with many shops, a space he learned was the civilian promenade after asking a passing crewmember. What intrigued him was a channel in the middle of the space with small bridges, and some lingering dampness in the bottom hinted to him that, under normal conditions, the channel would let water flow through the space, adding a hint of nature to a technology-heavy vessel. They probably stopped the flow of water until they could make more repairs to the ship. Past one of the bridges, he saw light coming from one of the shops and decided to investigate. Pausing just outside, he looked up to read the sign, raising an eyebrow at the somewhat nonsensical words. Das Alpine Haus? Were those even real words? Curiosity got the better of him, and he crossed over the threshold and looked around.

*Inside Das Alpine Haus*

Hans was at the bar after another futile attempt of trying to sleep and failing miserably. He found that drinking at least dulled his sense enough to function and be aware of what was going on. He looked up from his drink and saw a figure standing at the entrance, "Come in! Come in!" he called out, in what he hoped was an inviting sounding voice.

Hearing a voice from the back, Teevs turned to see a large and greying man addressing him. Since Teevs was the only other person in the place, it was easy to conclude that the man was referring to him, so he walked over toward the bar. "Thank you," he said with a smile. "I was taking a walk and saw the lights on. May I join you?"

"Please. I can use the company. Allow me to introduce myself. I am Hans Mueller owner of Das Alpine Haus."

"Teevs Dosivi. I'm... a guide, I suppose, for your ship." The Lonian took one of the seats at the bar, resting his elbows gently on the counter. In the warm lighting, the shadow of a restless couple of nights was visible under his eyes. Teevs eyed the drink in front of the man and asked, "what is it you're drinking tonight?"

Hans eyed his glass and the dark amber color liquid within it. " A pleasure to meet you sir. This ship could use a guide as she's lost her way." He paused as he looked at his glass. "This? This Mr. Dosivi is rum and coke. Good for what ails ya? Would you like a glass?"

"I will try it," Teevs said with a smile. He had no idea what 'coke' or 'rum' were, but the man made it sound like it might help. Plus, it gave him an opportunity to learn more about humanoid culture. "I was unable to sleep, so I took a walk. Is your business usually open this late?" If so, he felt bad for Hans, given how empty the place was.

"One rum and coke coming up." Hans replied as he quickly prepared the drink and handed it to Teevs. "No, my friend we closed hours ago. We are always quite busy."

Teevs gave a thoughtful 'hm' before his attention was on the drink placed in front of him. It was dark, and bubbly, and when he picked it up to sniff, it was very sweet. "If you are closed, then why are you here so late, Mister Mueller?" He asked, taking a small test sip of the beverage. It was much sweeter than it smelled, but it also had a bitter undertone to it. It certainly wasn't bad, so he sipped a little more.

Hans sipped his drink. "Ah, the reason is simple Mr. Dosivi. I couldn't sleep. Bad dreams just this side of nightmares." He replied before sipping his drink again.

Teevs nodded in understanding, and sympathy. The hazy memory of his own dreams flickered in his mind like a warped playback of a recorded message. "Please, call me Teevs." He thought for a moment before continuing, "is it, uh... bad luck, or taboo, for your species to talk about bad dreams?"

Hans pondered the question before answering. "Bad luck? Taboo? Not that I am aware of Teevs. I like to get it out. Not so much in explaining my dreams but the knowledge that I am not alone in having them."

That was a feeling Teevs could understand. There was something strangely comforting in knowing that one was not alone. "I see." He took another sip of the beverage, letting the sweet bubbles tickle his tongue. "My inability to sleep is also due to bad dreams. My daughter's had them, too, but she hasn't called for me yet, so at least she's getting her rest tonight."

Hans nodded, "That is good that your daughter is able to rest in spite of her bad dreams. If there is anything I can do to help you, or your daughter just ask. We must be united. I feel this more than just the odd bad dream Teevs." Hans replied as he nursed his drink. "Would you like some pretzels?" He inquired sliding a bowl in front of Teevs.

"I'm a little surprised she's been able to sleep. The dream she's been having usually keeps her awake." Looking over to the bowl, Teevs saw the small, twisted pieces and decided to try one. As he inspected the food in his hand, he continued, "I appreciate the offer, Mister Mueller. Unfortunately, I'm not sure what can help." The pretzel was too hard to unravel, so Teevs decided to take a small bite out of one of the curved parts. "What an interesting combination," he commented, the salt from the pretzel mixing with the lingering sweetness of the drink.

"Be thankful that she can Teevs." Hans mused. "Sometimes just listening is enough to help someone. Please call me Hans, it is my name after all. "I am glad you like the pretzels."

Hans had a point, and the Lonian nodded in agreement. Teevs was certainly thankful that Kerilia was sleeping, and while the fatigue of disrupted sleep weighed on him, he could handle it far better than she could. He ate the rest of the pretzel before asking, "if it helps, would you like to share dreams?"

"We can try and see if it does. After all nothing ventured, nothing gained." Hans replied with a weak smile.

Nothing ventured, Nothing gained. What a thoughtful phrase. Teevs suddenly realized that he was a little hesitant to share what kept him up at night. Perhaps it had to do with being vulnerable, as the dreams were sore memories. "Mine have been about death," he began, watching the bubbles in his drink gently wiggle the ice cubes. "My species had a territorial war with our neighbors, the Kavai, when I was younger. I got drafted to defend our territory, as did the people I went to school with. Many of those people didn't return, including a dear friend of mine. He passed while I was trying to save him." The explanation was left there as Teevs took a drink of the rum and coke. While the war was many years ago, a keen eye could sense the weight it left on his shoulders. "Kerilia has been dreaming about her mother, again. When she was nearly two-" He paused to count, his lips silently moving. "Sorry, I believe it's five of your Earth years-- Kerilia was almost abducted by the Nelorin, a species known to bully others. My wife... my pheya... she offered to trade places with our daughter. The Nelorin traded, then killed her and fled."

Hans was silent for several seconds after Teevs finished his story. When he spoke, his voice was full of sympathy for his new friend. "I am so sorry for what you and your daughter loss. For a husband to lose a wife and a child to lose her mom is traumatic and heartbreaking. You have my sincere condolences Teevs. Anything I can do to help you, or your daughter just ask."

He paused again then spoke. "My dreams are about being trapped. I was serving on the USS Berlin when there was a warp core breach. In realty, everyone got out and was saved. In my dream, I got everyone out but the door separating the core from rest of engineering slid into place and I was trapped. I tried to contact the others via my combadge but got no answer. I banged and screamed on the door but no one paid any attention to me until they were all evacuating engineering and a group finally acknowledged me by waving bye and blowing me a kiss."

Teevs had given him a quiet 'thank you' before listening to his story. While he had never experienced such abandonment, he could imagine how terrible it would feel to do the right thing and still somehow fail. "What an unsettling dream, to be trapped and left behind by those you trust."

Hans nodded, finished his drink and made another. "Yes. However, it was just a dream and not a real-life situation and with friends to talk with and share the experience it makes it easier to deal with a bad dream."

The Lonian nodded again, sipping slowly on his drink. He was starting to feel a little warm, perhaps an effect from this ship's alcohol. "It is... comforting, I suppose, to be able to vana tileka... uh, lift free? I'm not sure if that makes sense, but in Lonai it describes a feeling of relief when you share what burdens you."

Hans nodded in agreement. "Very true Teevs and it makes perfect sense. Humans have a similar phrase, A shoulder to lean on. It is comforting to have someone to talk to. It makes you feel not so alone and isolated when you can share what is bothering you."

"Ah, agreed." A silence fell between them, disrupted only by the faint clinking of the ice in their beverages. The silence, however, felt comfortable to Teevs, and he watched the bubbles from the drink gently play with the ice in his cup. Perhaps the comfort came from that sense of relief, the knowledge that he wasn’t the only one experiencing such terrible dreams.

The silence was disrupted by Teevs' communicator going off. The sudden noise admittedly made Teevs jump slightly, the contents of his near-empty cup sloshing up the edges and nearly spilling. Perhaps the lack of sleep was affecting him more than he wanted to admit. Giving an apologetic look to Hans, he tapped the communicator. "This is Teevs."

Hans munched on some pretzels as Teevs answered his com. He liked Teevs. Seemed to be a good man, a devoted father and a new friend.

"D-d-d-daahaahaadd...," came the sobbing reply. "Ihahada-ab-bahaa-b-b..." The rest of the reply was nearly incomprehensible, lost in the mix of crying and borderline hyperventilation.

Teevs felt the urge to protect Kerilia when her sobbing voice came through, the sensation leaving a knot in his stomach. The worry only lessened because, somewhere in the gasping sobs, he realized she had another bad dream. He was hoping that she could make it through the night, but he was still thankful that she got the roughly 4 hours she did manage to sleep. Whatever the dream entailed, though, it spooked her, bad. "Deep breaths, love, I will be right there." When the call ended, Teevs looked to Hans and asked, "thank you for the beverage. What can I trade you for this?"

Hans shook his head, "You owe me nothing Teevs. You have already given me your friendship. What more could anyone want?" Go and tend to your daughter. Comfort and console her. be there for her. We will talk again, perhaps next time you can bring your daughter and you can have a meal here."

With an appreciative smile, Teevs gave a polite bow of his head and thanked Hans before standing. He began a light jog to get out of the empty business, only going slow so he didn't run into any tables, and once the space opened up he quickened his pace toward the nearest turbolift.