I Dream of Dominion

Posted on Mon Jan 11th, 2021 @ 11:11pm by Commander Liala Ziyal

Mission: A New Legacy
Location: Liala's Quarters
1244 words - 2.5 OF Standard Post Measure

Her first couple of days had been uneventful. Liala had made sure supplies were correct and appropriate for the ship before departure and whereas they did not have a full senior staff now she was sure the others would pick up the slack needed for the shakedown.

The shakedown was more for the crew than the ship, but equally important for both to see how everyone reacts to each other and their new environment. They had a capable medical staff, Liala had met both Holly and Timia before departure. She had yet to talk one-on-one with the Security Chief, but she got the sense she was a formidable woman.

Science had their second in charge on board but still no chief but Liala was not worried about that. She was sure Commander Torma could handle what was thrown at her. Cat like reflexes and all that…

Still no Operations or Engineering seniors as of yet but they were on their way. Starfleet assured her of that. With the others from Intelligence, Marines, Star Wing, Diplomacy, Strat Ops and Flight to follow.

Then there was the Captain. On the bridge a completely different person to the man behind the ready room doors. Well, when it was just the two of them it seemed. The wall he put up seemed to be slowly chip away and she had even found him to be quite charming. She was sure he would prove to be someone that she would have a close relationship with and was more at ease about being on the Arcadia than before.

Liala had gone to bed. The day had tired her, and they were still en route to their destination. The bridge, for all its enormous size, was safely manned and secure for another night.

She began to dream, a lucid dream where she felt very present. It was a hallway of a starship, one she did vaguely recognise but only just. It was an older style of decoration and whilst she admired that she noticed the wall panels lit with the yellow light of yellow alert. There was a little flutter in her heart as she hoped this was not what she thought. This dream had been a plague on her mind for the past 25 years.

The quiet hallways suddenly changed as a deafening explosion filled her ears. Liala dropped to a crouching position and held her hands up to shield the pulsing noise of an explosion that had rocked the ship. The lights dimmed and the voice of her Captain came over the comm. It was garbled, key words heard being Dominion, attack and boarded. All of which were never a good sign during a war.

Funny thing was, if you can call it funny, that they were nowhere near any Dominion installations. Near any warzones or enemy traffic. Turns out the Dominion had been placing mines in the sector in an attempt to block passage and the Jerry Springer had hit one. The effect of such had clean knocked the shields out it seemed as even at yellow alert they had never been put on. The state of alert was not always accustomed with shields up. Usually it just meant, be on guard.

The scene changed before Liala’s eyes and she found herself in Sickbay helping Doctor Shanel. There were shouts of pain, anguish, and fear. Some screams could be heard from the hallway. Not all were of Starfleet officers, there were civilians present too. Children. She was sure there was even a dog running about but that may have been a dream related anomaly.

Soon enough the Jem’Hader break through the doors of Sickbay, the frightened children scream and run towards the rear of the room. Liala follows them over as a way of protection but the Jem’Hader see them and march over.

They demand to know what they are. They have never seen children before but the cries of said children begin to fill the room. Liala turns to soothe them, quiet them but is soon backhanded for not answering the question of the impatient man before her.

“Leave them alone.” She shouts defiantly but one of the children make a break for the door just escaping the clutches of the team invading their very core.

The Jem’Hader have grown impatient with the scared fearful noises of the children behind Liala and raise their weapons to quieten them. Permanently.

“Move quietly my children.” She said as she turned, quietly so that only they could hear.

Liala makes a move towards the rifle of the lead and ends up being grabbed by the neck and lifted from the ground. She gasps for air as the others notice what their leader is doing and smirk. Liala had been gesturing for the children to move out of view and into the Jeffries tube hatch that was in their line of sight. Thankfully not the Jem’Hadars however.

She is beginning to feel a little lightheaded as the grip on the Jem’Hader does not loosen and now he notices the missing prey they were about to set upon. “Stupid Human…” he said. “We will find them, silence them.”

Very unladylike of her Liala spat on the mans face. “I am not Human you scaly bastard. Your time will come.” She tried to laugh but it was more a rasp at this point.

There was a shine from down below and he had pulled an incredibly angry looking blade. “Your time is now, female.” And he thrust it into her stomach from the side and slowly lowered her to the ground. “I love this noise.” He said as he twisted it and Liala screamed.

Dream over.

She woke wrapped in her bed sheets, clinging to her as the sweat covering all her body tried to wrap her up in a cocoon of bedding. She reached for the glass of water next to her bed and knocked it off. “Ievemen!” she exclaimed, swearing in her own language.

Leaving her bed, she went to the replicator, her tank top and underwear clinging to her body as she made way. “Water.” She said simply.

“What temperature would you like Commander?” it asked.

“Cold.” She replied.

“Would you like it slightly chilled, close to freezing?” it added options.

“Just give me a glass of cold water!” she shouted as the computer complied.

Her hands shook as she took the glass, remembering the techniques she told her patients as it was akin to shock, she was feeling, or recovering from. Liala’s hand drifted to where the knife had penetrated her, and lifting her top slightly, she felt the scar that remained. It was clear, well defined and a reminder of the cruelty some can possess. Of course, she had the chance to get it removed via a dermal regenerator, but she declined.

El Aurians believed they must carry life’s scars with them. That they mark their time in the galaxy on the physical level. Liala was quite religious to her own people’s faith and it was one she remembered fondly as it saved the lives of 4 children that day.

As she calmed, she remembered the ending of that moment. As she lay on the ground, bleeding out, security had made it to Sickbay and ended the Jem’Hadar team there. The children came back out from the tube and came to comfort Liala.

Thankfully, Doctor Shanel was not far behind.