Backpost: The sound of Silence

Posted on Mon Nov 2nd, 2026 @ 9:40pm by Major Addison 'Rico' Leyton [PPC]

Mission: Season 6 - Episode 8- The Price of Home
Location: Addison's quarters
Timeline: Several days after rescue
591 words - 1.2 OF Standard Post Measure

With Kerilla gone, Addison's quarters were quiet again. A little too quiet as she walked around her quarters. She spotted her guitar propped up in a stand as she picked it up and sat down in a nearby chair. She still had some trouble sleeping through the nights. The thought of what was done to her in the prison reoccurred in her dreams.

She flexed her right hand and let out a sigh as she began to play. The sound was cut short as she flinched, the impact of strumming the strings caused her pain as if the strings were needles. She flexed her hands again and tried again. This time she got a few notes off before stopping again in frustration. She snatched up a pick from her guitar stand and began again. This time she got several more notes off, yet the flinching in her fingers from pressing the strings on the neck to the fretts. Caused her to sigh in frustration. She tried again, getting in several more notes. Again her fingers flinched, causing her to mess up the notes. She closed her eyes, fighting back tears. The image of her hands being shattered in the Lonian Prison flashed before her.

In that moment, anger consumed her as she swung the guitar overhead, smashing it on the deck, letting out a primal frustrated scream before collapsing to the deck, her body racked by sobs.

The door opened as her Weapons Officer, 1st Lt. Talas entered. "Rico!" She stopped, seeing Addison on the deck sobbing next to the remains of her guitar as her antennae mofes in response to the stress in the room. 'Damn,' she thought as she approached her slowly. "Hey, it's ok. I'm here, ok?" she reassured her as Talas knelt down next to Addison.

"It's too quiet," Addison whispered. "I--I keep seeing ...what they did. Every time...I close my eyes," she said through the sobs.

Talas nodded. "Hey, you got this, alright? I'm here, ok? I was stopping by to see if you wanted to head to Hugo's Bar. Besides, you look like you could use a drink."

Addison sat still for a moment as the sobs subsided. She cleared her throat and finally looked at Talas. "Yeah...I could use a drink," she agreed before looking back at the remains of her guitar, dropping the remains of the neck that she still grasped onto the deck. It had been her favorite and now she would need to replicate another and get it tuned just the way she liked it.

Talas followed Addison's gaze. "You'd make [i]The Who[/i] proud," she teased with a chuckle< recalling a favorite 20th Band of hers known for smashing guitars.

Addison looked at her friend in confusion. "The Who?"

"Yeah, 20th Century Terran music group." Talas explained.

Addison shook her head and grinned. Talas' love for Terran music was always a mystery to her.

Addison took a deep breath and let it out, calming herself. She was glad Talas stopped by when she did as she got to her feet.

"Come on," Talas motioned to the door. "I'll help you clean this up later. Besides, Hugo misses you. He's been asking when you're going to come back and perform...once you get a new guitar anyways."

Addison was quiet for a moment as she followed Talas putt the door and I to the corridor which felt less oppressive than her quarters. "I don't know if I'll go back to performing," she answered honestly.

1st Lt. Talas